Sports

By John Smithson The North Myrtle Beach Chiefs football team concluded their spring practices last Thursday morning with their Blue-Gold scrimmage under their “new” coach Perry Woolbright. Woolbright was hired to replace coach Greg Hill who retired after the 2025 season. Woolbright returned to coach the Chiefs after a stint as coach at NMB from 2010 to 2014. His last coaching job was at Clover High School. The Blue-Gold scrimmage was the first public showing of the Chiefs team and began with the Chiefs players gathering on the field at The Hank, going through a team huddle with Woolbright and …

By John Smithson While I usually use newspaper ink to summarize a variety of sports and athletic events, my attendance at the NMB High School’s annual Picnic Concert last Thursday evening once again gave me the opportunity to celebrate the school’s performing arts programs. While football and marching bands often go together, having an entire school’s performing arts department perform at The Hank on a warm spring evening is a challenge. That challenge was met and exceeded by the hundreds of talented performers who entertained an appreciative audience of parents and fans in the bleachers. The Director of Musical Theatre …

By Ruben Lowman A sweeping federal policy shift has transformed the upcoming South Atlantic recreational red snapper season, expanding it from a historically restrictive two-day window into a robust two-month block running from July 1 through Aug. 31. Under an Exempted Fishing Permit authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) will pilot a decentralized, state-led data collection program. The massive regulatory expansion, publicly championed by President Donald Trump as a decisive victory over federal bureaucracy, aims to replace traditional federal monitoring models with localized, real-time electronic reporting. The policy shift …

By John Smtihson The North Myrtle Beach Chiefs baseball team had their backs against the wall after last Monday’s 9-1 loss to Chapin as reported in the May 14th Times. The Chiefs faced Lucy Beckham last Wednesday at The Hank in an elimination game in the 5A District 4 SCHSL Lower State playoffs. The Chiefs had to beat Beckham then travel to Chapin last Friday and win there to force a second game at North Myrtle Beach Saturday for the District 4 championship. The first part of that scenario worked out. Andrew Mundy took the mound for the Chiefs against …

By John Smtihson The North Myrtle Beach High School Lady Chiefs softball team made it all the way to the SCHSL 5A Division II District 4 championship game with a 7-4 win over Conway in last Monday’s elimination game at Conway and a 1-0 loss to St. James last Wednesday at St. James. The Lady Chiefs have been in the loser’s bracket of the tournament since they lost to Conway 7-6 on May 6th. They then beat Chapin 3-0 at home on May 8th before going back to Conway last Monday and beating the Lady Tigers. After a scoreless first …

By John Smtihson The North Myrtle Beach High School boys and girls track teams had a state champion and several other outstanding performances at the SCHSL State 5A Division 2 championships in Columbia over the weekend. Dylan Kempf won the state championship in the pole vault. Ny’Ray Hannah finished third in the 400 meter hurdles and the triple jump. Jaden Chestnut was fourth in the 100 meter dash. Jerrell Bellamy was fifth in the 400 meter hurdles and tenth in the 110 meter hurdles. The 4X100 meter relay team of Reo Stevenson, Jerell Bellamy, Jaden Chestnut and Ny’ray Hannah were …

By John Smithson I met with Chiefs baseball coach BA Alderson late Saturday morning in the Chiefs empty dugout at The Hank. I asked him about the playoffs and the end of the Chiefs season the night before at Chapin. “I thought we performed better this year than last year in the post season. I think we were a little more offensive this year. We even outhit Chapin 8-5 in last night’s game. We just didn’t get hits when we needed them. We had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh with runners on second …

By John Smithson The North Myrtle Beach High School varsity Lady Chiefs are alive and kicking in the SCHSL softball playoffs. The Chiefs proved that with a 7-4 win over Conway Monday night at Conway. The Chiefs faced a win or go home game with the Lady Tigers and after a scoreless first inning, they did something about it. Singles by Lilly Carney, Izzy Bruno and Sierra Bendik loaded the bases in the top of the second. With two outs Chloe Butler doubled to right field and three runs scored. A double by Carolina Porter drove in Butler for a …

By John Smithson The North Myrtle Beach girls soccer team won their first playoff match 5-0 last week over Myrtle Beach but lost a tough one in West Florence and are out of the SCHSL playoffs. The Chiefs got off to a slow start in the Seahawks match, the score 0-0 until late in the first half. Coach Kelsey Winkler blamed it on familiarity. “We did start slow. It’s tough to beat a team three times. You learn the way they play, and they learn the way you play. They actually outperformed us a lot during the match. We finally …

By John Smithson The Chiefs boys soccer team had a 14-4 record this season and earned a spot in the SCHSL playoffs. Their first match last Wednesday at The Hank was against the Irmo Yellow Jackets who were 3-14 in regular season play. The Chiefs played hard and kept offensive pressure in the first half, but the score was 0-0 as the teams finished the first 40 minutes of play. Coach Zachariah Brittain watched the team respond in the second half for a 2-0 first round playoff win. “We have been talking about high energy all year. Tonight I decided …