Nothing like good ol’ August weather to mess with a high school football season. For the second straight week, area high school teams will contend with Mother Nature as they seek to officially kick off their season on Friday night

Last week — inexplicably called “week zero” by the S.C. High School League — was just that for several Lowcountry teams: A big zero. Those teams that were able to play did so amidst rain and thunder or moved their games to Saturday, where storms were again an issue.

Weather in August has become an issue in recent years. If it’s not late afternoon and early evening thunderstorms causing problems, it is oppressive heat and humidity that forces some games to be delayed after the initial start time.

Last week, Hanahan’s game with Georgetown was cancelled, as was the Dorchester County jamboree that involved Fort Dorchester, Summerville, Ashley Ridge and Woodland.

Berkeley and Timberland started their opener on Friday night but had to finish on Saturday morning. First Baptist and Denmark-Olar was cancelled, as was Cane Bay’s game at Beaufort. Games at James Island, Goose Creek, Oceanside Collegiate and West Ashley were forced to move to Saturday night. Bishop England and Porter-Gaud began on Friday night and finished on Monday night.

By mid-week this week, there were rumors that some games may be played Thursday or Saturday due to less than favorable forecasts for Friday. Woodland did, in fact, move its game with Bethune-Bowman.

But most schools have decided to play Friday and take their chances. Fields will be wet everywhere, but games can be played if the lightning stays away.

Here’s a look at some key games scheduled for Friday.

Beaufort at Fort Dorchester

Neither team played last week so both head coaches are anxious to see what they have in what should be a competitive contest. Beaufort is the Class AAAA defending Lower State champion, but is classified in Class AAA this season. The Eagles have one of the state’s top prospects in senior tackle Eamon Smalls.

Fort Dorchester, ranked second in Class AAAAA this week, is led by senior quarterback Zolten Osborne, The Post and Courier’s offensive player of the year in 2021. The Patriots are big but inexperienced up front on both sides of the ball, but did look solid in preseason scrimmages against Sumter and Oceanside Collegiate.

Ashley Ridge at Cane Bay

This series between AAAAA programs has developed into a good rivalry and competitive games. The two teams played twice last season, with Cane Bay winning both by a field goal, including a 23-20 overtime win in the state playoffs. Cane Bay has won the last five meetings in the series, but only by a combined 21 points.

If you happen to be a fan of good linebacking play, this is probably the game to see. The teams combine for four of the top senior linebackers in the Lowcountry.

Oceanside Collegiate at South Florence

A battle between two of the best teams in the state. Oceanside Collegiate, coming off a big win over defending state AA champion Gray Collegiate, is ranked No. 2 in Class AA this week.

South Florence is ranked fifth in Class AAAA after a thorough whipping of Goose Creek last Saturday. The Bruins boast one of the state’s top quarterbacks in senior Syracuse commit LaNorris Sellers. Look for some points in this game.

Berkeley at Hanahan

The Stags are 1-0 after their 16-6 win over Timberland, while the Hawks of Hanahan are ready to put their team on display for the first time. Hanahan is one of the better teams in the area with junior running back Kevon Rivera and sophomore quarterback Jaden Cummings.

Berkeley has a running back to watch as well in 6-3, 220-pound junior Jovan Wigfall, who played on defense a year ago.

Lucy Beckham at Wando

There’s a lot on the line as the two Mount Pleasant schools meet in a varsity football game for the first time. The new school on the block, Lucy Beckham, won its first varsity game last week by 24-0 over Lake Marion, while Wando is playing its season opener.

According to Wando’s Facebook page, the school’s principals — Kim Wilson of Wando and Anna Dassing of Lucy Beckham — have a wager on the game.

The losing principal will have to kiss a goat at the 50-yard line at the game’s end, and wear the other team’s colors to school the next Monday.

Fun way to start a rivalry.

I always loved Book It, a program from Pizza Hut that inspired me to read when I was in elementary school. I remember my excitement when I would hit my monthly reading goal. My teacher would sign these long, bookmark-shaped certificates and hand them out to people who had read enough for the month. I would anxiously put mine away in my pencil case, terrified that I would lose it before I could use it to convince my parents to take me to Pizza Hut. That red-roofed building held a lot of memories for me, especially as the child of immigrants.

As a family that struggled to make ends meet, we didn’t get to eat out very often unless it was at one of the restaurants where my mother worked. Going out for pizza was a completely foreign thing for my parents, especially my father, who didn’t believe that it was a real meal without rice on the table. My sister and I, being American kids, would beg them to take us out for pizza.

The Book It program was what tipped the scales in our favor. I loved walking into the busy restaurant, hearing the music playing and seeing families milling about. The four of us would scoot into one of the plush red booths with their red-and-white-checked plastic tablecloths. My parents always held the certificates for us, but they would hand them back so we could proudly turn them in to the waiter when she handed us our menus. The waitstaff clearly recognized the Book It families.

My parents always ordered a medium pizza for them to share, knowing there would be enough for one more meal the next day. We were never allowed to order drinks because they were beyond our budget, but for some reason, the ice water in the giant translucent tumblers always tasted perfect with the salty pizza. Even to this day, we maintain that small habit with our kids as well.

My sister and I, being American kids, would beg them to take us out for pizza. The Book It program was what tipped the scales in our favor.

Created in 1984, the Book It program was designed to inspire young people to read. At our elementary school in Hanahan, South Carolina, our teachers shared it with us as a special treat: if we read books, we could earn our own pizza! Already a voracious reader, I thought to myself, “This is easy. I can get a reward for doing something I already do.” I remember the teacher handing us giant buttons with five spots on them. For each completed book, she would add a star to one of the empty spots. Upon filling all five, she would sign a certificate that you could then redeem in person.

The Book It program was brilliant because it both encouraged reading in young children and brought families to Pizza Hut for meals together. Rarely would a child come just to eat alone. Instead, it was a family affair, and it brought business to the local Pizza Hut.

We would work hard to earn our Book It certificates (but not too hard, since we both loved reading, and we naturally devoured books). My favorites were series—I loved The Babysitter’s Club, Judy Blume, Sweet Valley, and the Chronicles of Narnia. My sister, Caroline, and I would go to the library, check out stacks of books, and tear through them whenever we had a spare moment.

Each time we read enough to earn a certificate, we would convince our parents to take us to Pizza Hut. I remember my father grumbling that pizza was not real food, but grudgingly taking us there for dinner anyway. As we grew up, we were able to go more often, even without the certificates. The Book It program accomplished two things: 1) it inspired us to read, and 2) it introduced pizza to our family as a meal option. I am forever grateful.

The Book It program was brilliant because it both encouraged reading in young children and brought families to Pizza Hut for meals together.

Though I say this in a tongue-in-cheek way, programs like Book It, which are partnerships between corporations and schools, can be powerful tools for inspiring kids to learn.

Today, many decades later, I am the CEO of Ancestry, the leader in family history and genomics, and I’ve been lucky to connect with classrooms in a new way. The Ancestry Classroom initiative allows kids to delve into their family history and learn about their origins and the experiences of their ancestors. Since 2010, we have maintained a philanthropic program that provides educators with access to classroom resources, professional learning tools, and Ancestry historical record collections at no cost to help students find their personal place in history. This is available for free to over seven million students in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand to help them learn more about themselves, navigate the world around them, and become more resilient.

Like the Book It program, we understand the power of private-public partnerships in order to change kids’ lives and fuel their curiosity through education. As a child, I would read books about the incredible adventures of kids all over the world, but few of the kids in those books looked like me. I hope that through Ancestry Classroom, children will discover the people who helped shape who they are and brought them to where they are today.

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Deb Liu is the President and CEO of Ancestry. With over 19 years in the tech industry, she has been named one of Business Insider’s most powerful female engineers and one of PaymentsSource’s most influential women in payments. She was previously a senior executive at Facebook, where she created and led Facebook Marketplace. Actively involved in promoting diversity in tech, Deb founded Women In Product, a nonprofit with over 30,000 members, with the goal of connecting and supporting women in the product management field. She is a member of the Committee of 100, a group of prominent Chinese Americans, and was named an A100 by Gold House, an honor recognizing impactful Asian Americans. Deb received a BS in Civil Engineering from Duke University and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Each week, she posts her thoughts in Perspectives, her Substack newsletter. She lives in California with her husband and three children, and enjoys chronicling their family adventures in her Mommy School comic strip.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Four Lowcountry high school baseball teams punched their tickets to division championship games in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament on Wednesday.

In the Steadman Division Championship game, James Island will face Ashley Ridge. That game is set for 5 p.m. on Thursday at Hanahan High School.

In the Hatfield Division Championship game, Summerville will face Wando. That matchup is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, also at Hanahan High School.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13TH, 2022 Scores:

STEADMAN DIVISION

SITE: HANAHAN HIGH SCHOOL

GAME 37: 5:00 OCEAN LAKES, VA 1 VS. PROVIDENCE, NC 3

GAME 38: 7:30 HANAHAN, SC 2 VS. HICKORY GROVE, NC 1

SITE:

JAMES ISLAND CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

GAME 39: 5:00 LUCY BECKHAM, SC 17 VS. OLYMPIC, NC 7

GAME 40: 7:30 OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE, SC 0 VS. JAMES ISLAND, SC 10 – SEMIFINAL

SITE:

GOOSE CREEK HIGH SCHOOL (SEDGEFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL)

GAME 42: 5:00 STRATFORD, SC 12 VS. PINEWOOD PREP, SC 13

GAME 43: 7:30 GOOSE CREEK, SC 4 VS. TIMBERLAND, SC 1

SITE:

ASHLEY RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

GAME 44: 5:00 WOODLAND, SC 2 VS. REAGAN, NC 14

GAME 45: 7:30 ASHLEY RIDGE, SC 10 VS. ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE, DC 6 – SEMIFINAL

HATFIELD DIVISION

SITE:

SUMMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL (GREGG MIDDLE SCHOOL)

GAME 46: 5:00 HICKORY, VA 0 VS. ARDREY KELL, NC 10

GAME 47: 7:30 CATAWBA RIDGE, SC 2 VS SUMMERVILLE, SC 9 – SEMIFINAL

SITE:

WEST ASHLEY HIGH SCHOOL

GAME 48: 5:00 FORT DORCHESTER, SC 7 VS. HILTON HEAD, SC 2

GAME 49: 7:30 WEST ASHLEY, SC 6 VS. NANSEMOND RIVER, VA 7 9 INNINGS

SITE:

BISHOP ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL

GAME 50: 5:00 BEAUFORT, SC 4 VS. RANDLEMAN, NC 7

GAME 51: 7:30 BISHOP ENGLAND, SC 6 VS. MAMARONECK, NY 3

SITE:

WANDO HIGH SCHOOL

GAME 52: 5:00 PHILIP SIMMONS, SC 5 VS. BAMBERG EHRHARDT, SC 4

GAME 53: 7:30 WANDO, SC 12 VS. ST. EDWARDS, OH 10 – SEMIFINAL

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The curtains come up on the college football seasons at The Citadel and Charleston Southern Sept. 1 and 3.

The Bulldogs travel to Campbell for a 6 p.m. start in Buies Creek, N.C., on Thursday while Charleston Southern opens up at home against Western Carolina Saturday at Noon.

Citadel placed four players on the preseason All-Southern Conference teams, led by senior defensive back Destin Mack, who shared the conference lead with five interceptions in 2021.

Three other Bulldogs were on the all-conference second team. Citadel, 4-7 last fall, was picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Southern Conference. Citadel begins its home slate at 4 p.m. Sept. 10 against East Tennessee State.

The Bulldogs have five players from Berkeley County: DB Melvin Ravenel (Goose Creek), QB Tripp Williams (Philip Simmons), LS Steele Judy (Berkeley), WR Nai’Ryan Bookert (St. John’s Christian) and WR Will Ramey (Philip Simmons).

Charleston Southern was picked to finish third in the Big South behind North Carolina A&T and Campbell and three Buccaneers earned preseason Big South nods: wide receiver Cayden Jordan, linebacker Garrett Sayegh and safety Hombre Kennedy.

Jordan, a redshirt junior, is one of four returning starters on offense after grabbing 53 passes for 752 yards and a touchdown. Sayegh, a graduate student, recorded a team-high 96 tackles last season. Kennedy, a graduate student, snagged three interceptions.

The Buccaneers, who return seven starters on defense, travel to North Carolina State Sept. 10 for a 12:30 p.m. start against the nationally-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference squad. The Wolfpack was ranked No. 13 in the preseason Associated Press poll.

Charleston Southern has one player from Berkeley County, defensive lineman Cooper Dawson (Hanahan).

The Buccaneers finished 4-6 last season.

CSU Cross Country

Charleston Southern men’s cross country team will run this fall as a marked squad when it returns to the trails for four regular-season meets leading into the conference championships and postseason. The Buccaneers have won the Big South title each of the last two seasons and were picked by coaches in the league to claim a third straight conference title.

The campaign begins in the Lowcountry, with the Bucs hosting the CSU Buccaneer XC Invitational Sept. 2.

CSU’s women were picked to finish third in the Big South. They also begin their season Sept. 2 at home. Schedules listed below:

Men’s XC Schedule

Sept. 2 – CSU Buccaneer XC Invitational – 9 a.m.

Sept. 16 – adidas XC Challenge (Cary, N.C.)

Sept. 30 – Chanticeer Challenge (Conway)

Oct. 14 – Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational presented by Under Armour (Madison, Wis.)

Oct. 29 – Big South Championships (Farmville, Va.)

Nov. 11 – NCAA Southeast Regional (Louisville, Ky.)

Nov. 19 – NCAA Championships (Stillwater, Okla.)

Women’s XC Schedule

Sept. 2 – CSU Buccaneer XC Invitational (Charleston, S.C.) – 9 a.m.

Sept. 16 – adidas XC Challenge (Cary, N.C.)

Sept. 30 – Chanticleer Challenge (Conway)

Oct. 14 – VertCross (Kernersville, N.C.)

Oct. 29 – Big South Championships (Farmville, Va.)

Nov. 11 – NCAA Southeast Regional (Louisville, Ky.)

Nov. 19 – NCAA Championships (Stillwater, Okla.)

South Carolina Stingrays

The South Carolina Stingrays are set to host Fan Fest Sept. 10 at the North Charleston Coliseum from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Stingrays, who play in the ECHL, are counting down the day to their opening night at home, Oct. 22. Featured activities include a locker room tour, select a seat event, merchandise table, equipment sale and a kids corner.

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming to Charleston for preseason camp, after all.

The NBA squad will be working out at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House, the military school confirmed on Aug. 26.

The 76ers will be in town from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, the school said. The team’s roster includes NBA stars James Harden and Joel Embiid. Former College of Charleston star Grant Riller played with the 76ers’ during summer league action this year.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to host the 76ers,” said athletic director Mike Capaccio. “This will be a great opportunity to show off our campus and our great city of Charleston.”

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the 76ers coach Doc Rivers wanted to bring his team to Charleston for preseason camp. A College of Charleston official confirmed that the 76ers were planning to practice at TD Arena, but the deal apparently never happened.

ESPN’s Marc J. Spears had said on the network’s NBA Today show that the Sixers were coming to Charleston, “to get away from family, to just concentrate on basketball and each other as a team, get their camaraderie.

“And along with basketball, Doc wants them to learn some American history. They’re probably going to go to a slave museum and learn about the Gullah culture out there in South Carolina.”

Rivers’ first two Sixers training camps were at the team’s training complex in Camden, New Jersey, but he has taken teams on the road for training camp earlier in his career.

He held his first Celtics training camp in Burlington, Vermont, and the team traveled to Europe ahead of Boston’s 2007-08 championship season. One of Rivers’ Clippers teams went to Hawaii.

“I’m a big proponent of going away for training camp,” Rivers said in a 2007 Boston Globe story by Spears. “We did it the first year when I was here and we had a lot of success that season, so I’m a big fan of getting the group away, especially when there are a lot of changes involved.”

The Red Raiders received 14 of the 19 first-place votes after a 36-20 victory over county rival Denmark-Olar last Friday.

Nick Folk and Omarion Buckmon combined to rush for 274 yards and four touchdowns to lead Bamberg-Ehrhardt against the Vikings.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt spent all of last season ranked second behind Southside Christian, but the Sabres have dropped their first two games, and fell to third in this week’s Class A poll behind Christ Church.

Calhoun County, ranked 10th in last week’s Class A poll, fell out of the Top 10 after a 28-22 loss to Lake Marion last Friday. The Saints were one of five teams receiving votes.

Woodland also received votes in the Class AA poll but has not been able to crack the Top 10 so far this season. The Wolverines opened the year Thursday with a 55-14 victory over Bethune-Bowman.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt puts its top ranking on the line Friday night when the Red Raiders travel to face Barnwell. The War Horses are currently ranked fourth in the latest Class AA poll after victories over Williston-Elko and Blackville-Hilda.

The latest poll results:

Class 5A: 1. Dutch Fork (19) 2. Fort Dorchester 3. Hillcrest 4. Byrnes 5. Dorman 6. Sumter 7. Gaffney 8. TL Hanna 9. Spartanburg 10. Summerville. Others receiving votes: River Bluff, Lexington, Mauldin, White Knoll, Socastee, Clover JL Mann

Class 4A: 1. South Pointe (17) 2. Northwestern (2) 3. AC Flora 4. West Florence 5. South Florence 6. Hartsville 7. Irmo 8. Catawba Ridge 9. James Island 10. (tie) Indian Land 10. (tie) Ridge View. Others receiving votes: York, Wilson, Greenwood, Westside, Greenville, South Aiken, Pickens, West Ashley, Riverside Myrtle Beach

Class 3A: 1. Daniel (17) 2. Camden (2) 3. Dillon 4. Powdersville 5. Clinton 6. Gilbert 7. Seneca 8. Woodruff 9. Hanahan 10. Beaufort. Others receiving votes: Brookland-Cayce, Chapman, Union County, Belton Honea Path, Chester, Crestwood, Lower Richland, Manning, Marlboro County, Pendleton, Wren, Aynor

Class 2A: 1. Saluda (6) 2. Abbeville (2) 3. Oceanside Collegiate (7) 4. Barnwell (3) 5. Fairfield Central 6. Gray Collegiate 7. Wade Hampton 8. Cheraw 9. Buford 10. Silver Bluff. Others receiving votes: Marion, Woodland, Pelion, Pageland Central, Newberry, Chesterfield, Lee Central, Landrum, Andrew Jackson, Crescent, Strom Thurmond

Class A: 1. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (14) 2. Christ Church (1) 3. Southside Christian (3) 4. Whale Branch 5. Johnsonville 6. St. Joseph’s 7. Baptist Hill 8. Lamar 9. Lewisville (1) 10. Lake View. Others receiving votes: Latta, Calhoun County, Estill, Whitmire, Ridge Spring-Monetta

This week's schedule

Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Barnwell

Hunter-Kinard-Tyler at Bethune-Bowman

Branchville at Colleton Prep

Battery Creek at Calhoun County

St. John’s at Denmark-Olar

Columbia at Edisto

Lake Marion at Wagener-Salley

South Florence at Orangeburg-Wilkinson

Andrew Jackson Academy at Cross Episcopal

St. John Christian at Calhoun Academy

Holly Hill Academy at Jefferson Davis Academy

Northside Christian at Orangeburg Prep

Orangeburg Christian at Harvest Christian (Thursday)