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Sports Notebook: SEHS stays focused during soft part of schedule
Rosie Dixon
Rosie Dixon (pictured) combined with Izzy Wilkins for a four-inning no-hitter against Bradwell Institute on Aug. 28. The Mustangs won 13-0. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


GUYTON – South Effingham softball coach Adam Newland preached to his players about staying focused during their three-game series with overmatched Bradwell Institute last week.

That meant taking good approaches at the plate and remaining energetic and attentive in the field regardless of the score.

The Mustangs followed suit and produced 16-1, 13-0 and 17-0 victories over the Tigers to win their first three games in subregion play.

“Competitive stamina is a real skill and we have to make sure we’re ready for October when it comes to it,” Newland said. “We talk about being invested in our process, regardless of our competition. We have to be the best version of ourselves.”

In the middle game of the series in Guyton, SEHS took advantage of seven walks, seven hit by pitches and 11 wild pitches to carousel around the bases in a game stopped after four innings because of the Mercy Rule (a 12-run lead after four innings).

Sophomore Rosie Dixon and senior Izzy Wilkins combined on a no-hitter.

Justine Nevels
South Effingham's Justine Nevels (No. 17) gets a fist bump from first-base coach Cheyenne Miller after a lead-off single in the first inning against Bradwell Institute on Aug. 28. The Mustangs won 13-0. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
In Game 1 in Hinesville, Wilkins hit a home run and drove in four runs and Cheniyah Jackson struck out nine. In Game 3, Justine Nevels had a double and a triple and three RBIs to back Wilkins’ two-hit pitching.

SEHS (7-2) will be back in action Sept. 3 against Brunswick before returning home for a doubleheader with the Pirates on Thursday (Sept. 5).



CROSS COUNTRY

Claridge breaks ECHS cross country 5K record

Theron Claridge broke the Effingham County boys’ cross-country record in his first race of the season Thursday when he ran a 16:41.0 at the Frazier-Hite Invitational hosted by Southeast Bulloch.

Claridge, a junior, broke his own personal best 5-kilometer run by almost 23 seconds (previously 17:03.3 at Honey Ridge last season) and topped the Rebel mark of 16:54 set by Levi Thomas in 2022.

Claridge finished second overall at the Frazier-Hite Invitational while helping the ECHS boys to an eighth-place finish among 16 teams.

Chloe Adkins paced the Rebel girls with a time of 24.20.2 to place 11th overall. ECHS’ girls didn’t have five runners to produce a team score.

The Rebels boys and girls will be back in action Saturday (Sept. 7 at the Jackets’ Catch’Em Challenge Invitational in Evans County.

 

Here are ECHS’s boys and girls results in Statesboro:


ECHS boys – Theron Claridge (16:41.0, 2nd), Joseph Esco (17:45.0, 6th), Ethan Hankins (22:31.1, 52nd), Julian Carangelo (22:40.2, 56th), Noah Mordarkski (25:05.8, 79th).

ECHS girls – Chloe Adkins (24:20.2, 11th), Abigail Williamson (27:10.8, 22nd), Lisette Ablakwa (36:41.2, 71st) 


Fluegel, Melegari pace Mustang runners at Jekyll Invitational

South Effingham senior Ben Fluegel registered a personal-best time of 17:17.70 to place 23rd at the Jekyll Invitational hosted by Brunswick High on Saturday.

Freshman Natalia Melegari posted a 22:15.40 to place 27th to lead the Mustangs girls.

Teamwise, the SEHS girls finished ninth in the 29-team varsity field. The boys were 26th among 29 teams.

SEHS will be back in action Saturday at the Orthopedic Invitational in Carrollton.

 

Here are the top five runners for SEHS at the Jekyll Invitational:  

SEHS girls – Natalia Melegari (22:15.40, 27th), Lydia Alderman (22:53.50, 44th), Patricia Backlund (23:44.40, 67th), Rebecca Long (24:28.00, 80th) and Brenna Kicklighter (24:34.90, 82nd)

SEHS boys – Ben Fluegel (17:17.70, 23rd), Nathaniel West (19:29.60, 99th), Kamdyn Fireck (22:25.00, 169th), Mayson Young (26:13.60, 190th) and Dixon Kicklighter (27:13.70, 195th).



VOLLEYBALL

Mustangs fall in subregion opener to Glynn

SEHS welcomed setter Riley Stringer back to the court after sitting out about a week because of an injury, but dropped a 2-0 decision (25-22, 25-19) to undefeated Glynn Academy in subregion play on Aug. 29.

The Mustangs defeated Calvary 2-0 (25-17, 25-20) in their first match. In the win, Anna Kate Taylor led the way with five kills. Clara Vorel added four kills and Stringer had 13 assists.

South (4-9, 0-1) traveled to Richmond Hill for non-region matches against the Wildcats and Colquitt County on Sept. 3 before hosting subregion matches with Brunswick and Statesboro on Thursday (Sept. 5).