GreerNews.com - Sports

13 YEARS AGO, Shuler Bentley rewrote the record books. 🗡️🏈

The Byrnes QB, in his 2013 senior season playing under his father, Bobby, was coming off an SC Gatorade Player of the Year nod in 2012. It would’ve seemed impossible for Bentley to top what he had done as a junior.

He somehow found a way.

Bentley’s senior season remains one of the most impressive in HS history.

Shuler threw for 5,032 yards and incredible state-record 71 TDs. Those 71 touchdowns gave him 177 career TD passes — also a state record that stands today.

In an early-season 82-49 win over Woodruff, Bentley threw a state-record 9 TD passes and rushed for another.

Bentley, who only started at Byrnes for 3 seasons, sat at No. 22 all-time nationally for career HS passing yards as of 2020, right next to names like Jayden Daniels, Sam Howell, and Bryce Young.

Bentley was the catalyst of one of Byrnes’ most impressive HPOs in program history. With Shuler under center as a senior, the Rebels averaged over 50 points per game. He was awarded the SC Gatorade Player of the Year again in 2013.

Now, 13 years later, Shuler is back in Duncan — hired early 2026 as Byrnes’ new offensive coordinator. He’s poised to bring the Rebel offense back to its high-powered, high-flying ways.

“The mindset and the standard we had, whether it was 2002 or 2013, etc., was that we were going to score every time we got the ball,” said Shuler. “That hasn’t wavered.”

13 days until high school football is back. 🏈

AT 14 YEARS OLD, Eastside’s André Goodman had hardly touched a football. 🦅🏈

Goodman, in fact, didn’t dabble much into competitive sports at all until early high school — when he decided to play basketball and run track for his Eastside Eagles.

But Eastside football HC John Carlisle saw something in the young Goodman. Potential on the gridiron, in a sport he’d barely explored.

“He had the ability, and especially the speed,” said Carlisle. “I told him he might like football. And that it might open up some doors for him.”

Goodman made the choice to join Eastside’s football team. And did it ever open doors. Doors far beyond his wildest dreams.

He immediately excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back for the Eagles, earning All-State honors at the positions. Goodman found so much success, in fact, that he was given a full-ride scholarship to play football at the University of South Carolina. 🐔

“I think my proudest football moment was receiving a full-ride scholarship [from USC] the morning after my final game at Eastside,” said Goodman, who graduated EHS in 1997.

Goodman would excel with the Gamecocks, too, parlaying a great college tenure into a 3rd round selection in the 2002 NFL Draft — and a successful 10-year NFL career after that.

After finishing his pro career, Goodman took a position as the Director of Player Development for his Alma mater, USC.

He now works as a mental health consultant, a career path forged from a desire to uplift those in difficult/new patches of life.

Goodman uses his NFL career and his own post-football mental health battles as a testimony for clients, walking beside them and showing them they aren’t alone in their battles.

Before he ever fell in love with a football, Goodman’s main goal was simply to attend and graduate college. Football became his outlet and his anchor into worlds he never knew he could explore.

Now, 14 years after his final NFL season, Goodman’s turned his football career into a pathway — a pathway to helping others fight their battles and find their own callings.

14 days until high school football is back. 🏈

Love this story every year.

Greer High volleyball standout Ivey Tapp celebrated her 15th birthday last month. 🐝🏐

For her 15th birthday in a row, Tapp raised money and collected canned goods to donate to Greer Community Ministries.

This year, Tapp and the Greer community raised an incredible $25,500 (!) and donated an entire truckload of canned goods to GCM. 🎗️

Ivey's Annual Birthday Canned Food Drive grows larger every year and keeps going strong. 💪

Riverside introduces new boys soccer, lacrosse head coaches On Thursday evening, Riverside High School officially welcomed two new head coaches to its athletic program.

15 AND 0. The 1989 Greer Yellow Jackets were the first to accomplish the feat. 🐝🏆

Led by head coach Stuart Holcombe and one of the grittiest, hard-nosed rosters Greer has ever put forth, the Jackets took down Aiken, 13-7, to capture the Class AAA state championship.

In doing so, Greer became the first team in SC history to finish 15-0.

“We wanted to prove to people that we were as good as we thought we were,” said former Greer standout tackle Chad Hannon. “That year was special, because we won one game we weren’t supposed to. Then another. Then, the confidence kicked in.”

Junior running backs Lamar McGee and Chris Sexton rushed for TDs in Greer’s gritty 13-7 state title win. Nelson Welch — after a high punt snap due to rain — made magic happen with an improvised 4th-down conversion pass on the game’s first drive.

That early spark on offense helped set the tone for Greer in a title the Jacket defense — led in part by DE Rodney Holcombe — clinched in the second half.

This was Greer’s 2nd state title in program history, and the first of two under HC Stuart Holcombe. 🏆

“We had some really remarkable players and some great coaches beside us,” said Stuart. “Greer is a special place. Greer High is my team. It will always be my team.”

15 days until high school football is back. 🏈

16 YEARS AGO, Byrnes won its 70th straight home game. 🗡️🏈

Nixon Field, now newly-renovated and refurbished, was a walk-in graveyard for visiting teams in the 2000s.

In 2010, Byrnes’ famous home stadium saw the Rebels win an incredible 70th straight game within its fences, downing Lexington 31-7 in the Class AAAA Upper State Championship.

(The Rebels would go on to beat Dorman, 34-14, in the 2010 Class AAAA State Championship behind 159 rushing yards and 3 TDs from RB Shakeem Wharton.)

Nixon Field — originally built in 1955 — was named after D.M. Nixon, former superintendent of Spartanburg District 5. 1980, it received major upgrades, but it stood as is until 2024, when it was torn down and rebuilt bigger and better.

If the walls and gates of old Nixon Field could talk, they’d have a trillion stories to tell.

They’d tell of the Bo Corne era at Byrnes and his multiple championships as an assistant and head coach. They’d recount the ups and downs of the 1990s and the players who helped put Byrnes back in a position among the elites.

And best believe those walls would tell this story: 70 times between 2002-2010, teams stepped onto Nixon Field, vying for a shot to bring down the Rebels.

All 70 times, they missed.

Byrnes’ won 71 in a row total at home, before an OT loss to Myrtle Beach in 2011 snapped the streak. It remains one of the most impressive streaks in SC HS football.

And Nixon Field today — out with the old and in with the new — remains one of the toughest places to play on Friday nights.

This season, the Rebels will welcome fans back to Nixon Field on August 21 vs. NC powerhouse Independence.

“We always joked, if you’re ever going to rob someone in Duncan, SC, Friday night is the time to do it,” said former Byrnes DE Corey Miller. “Because everybody, I mean everybody, is out there on Fridays wanting to watch those Rebels.”

16 days until high school football. 🏈

17 YEARS AGO, Marcus Lattimore cemented himself as one of the all-time greats. 🗡️🏈

Lattimore was one of the most highly-sought after recruits to ever come out of SC. The star Byrnes RB had an impeccable combo of speed and strength, making him one of the most college-ready prospects of his day.

He helped lead Byrnes to 2 state titles (2007,2008) and in his 2009 senior season, especially, Lattimore electrified the Rebel faithful every time he stepped on the field.

Lattimore rushed for nearly 1,900 yards and accounted for 36 TDs as a senior.

He was named 2009 Mr. Football and SC Gatorade Player of the Year. He was the top recruit in the state.

But Lattimore’s story was only beginning.

In a recruiting battle that came down to the wire between South Carolina and Auburn, Lattimore committed to the Gamecocks — and immediately made a massive impact.

Despite his college career being cut short by injuries, Lattimore still racked up 2,677 yards and 38 TDs. He cemented himself, despite his nagging physical ailments, as a Gamecock legend. 🐔

Though Lattimore was drafted by the 49ers in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft, he was never able to make an appearance. He found the road back to full potential — and the unforgiving task of being physically capable at an NFL-caliber level — was too much to overcome.

These days, Marcus is enjoying a new calling in life. He lives in Portland, OR with his wife, Miranda. They met at Byrnes and have been happily married for over a decade.

Marcus has developed a love for poetry, cultivating his abilities with words into his new passion. He teaches creative writing at the Oregon Change Clinic and was crowned the 2024 Grand Slam Poetry Champion of Oregon.

If you get lucky, every now and then, you may still see Lattimore paying a visit to his hometown.

Just last summer, the Rebel legend was in Duncan visiting old family and friends, even helping another former Byrnes star RB — Rahjai Harris — run his youth football camp.

Though Marcus now lives on the other side of the country, writing a brand new chapter of his life, one thing remains true.

The Marcus Lattimore chapter of Byrnes football is one of the most entertaining HS football stories ever told.

17 days until high school football is back. 🏈

18 MONTHS AGO, God called Lonnie McGee home. 🐝🕊️

Lonnie McGee, known affectionately around town simply as “Gee,” was a staple in the Greer community.

McGee loved Greer more than anyone has ever loved anything. He adored the city and the community — especially Greer sports.

There were church league basketball games in Greer where “Gee” would run up and down the sidelines, blowing his own whistle and making his own calls.

But who could forget McGee’s larger-than-life presence at Greer High football games, where he would march with and lead the Yellow Jacket band down to the field before kickoff?

Some of the most iconic photos ever taken of McGee show him conducting the Greer High band on Friday nights with his trademark whistle in his mouth.

“There’s a picture of Lonnie holding the state championship trophy in 1994,” recalled former Greer High free safety and city councilman Lee Dumas. “He’s smiling so big in that picture, like it’s the pinnacle of his life. He loved [Greer football], and we truly loved him even more.”

In January of 2025, heaven came calling for McGee. Greer leaders quickly moved to name the city’s football field in his honor.

McGee was a window into what so many aspire to be. When folks saw McGee dancing and laughing, running and jumping down the sidelines, they got a peek at a life lived with abandon — a life free of care, unbound by worry.

At McGee’s field dedication ceremony in October 2025, his presence was felt. Greer High’s band played a medley of Lonnie’s favorite songs. 🎵

Only this time, Gee was leading his favorite band from a different place. A place even better than Greer.

“I know deep down, what I tell people, is that heaven must have needed a drum major,” said Perry Dennis, a close family member of McGee.

“That’s why God called Lonnie home.”

18 days until high school football is back. 🏈

THE LATE 1900’s for Blue Ridge football were defined, largely, by one man: Jim Howard. 🐅🏈

Howard was the football head coach and athletic director at Blue Ridge High School from 1981-97. In that timespan, he became the all-time winningest head coach in program history.

When Howard took over the Tigers in 1981, Blue Ridge had gone without a winning season for over 20 years.

“When I got here, they told me ‘we’ve never won, we don’t expect to win,’” Howard told WYFF-4’s Marc Whiteman. “They just wanted someone to come in and run a good, clean football program.”

Howard did that, but he didn’t agree to the terms of not expecting to win. In his tenure, Howard led the Tigers to 9 winning seasons, 7 playoff appearances, and the first 2 playoff wins in program history.

Howard built lifelong relationships, not just with the over 200 players he coached at Blue Ridge, but with teachers, fans, and so many community members. He quickly won (and kept) the adoration of those at Blue Ridge.

Howard was the head coach in 1986, when Blue Ridge unveiled a brand new school — and in turn, a brand new football facility. He was instrumental in those facilities, especially the new stadium, being developed. Howard coached over 60 games at that field.

No one brought more victories to “The Ridge” in that stadium than Howard.

Fitting, that 25 years after Howard resigned from Blue Ridge, the Tigers’ stadium was named in honor of the man who helped bring it to life.

Howard was there with family and friends as he became immortalized in BR history.

“I’m very humbled. It’s a great honor,” said Howard. “I consider it a tribute to the Blue Ridge community, and all of the coaches and players I had the opportunity to work with.”

19 days until high school football is back. 🏈