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Art Craig’s first Hanahan Hawks football team finished with a 5-2 mark and advanced to the Class 3A playoffs in 2020, a four-win improvement from a year earlier.

The second group of Hawks hit the ground running in preparation for a new season next month. Spring practice was productive and it ran right into summer weight lifting and conditioning.

It won’t be long until August rolls around and football season cranks up for real.

Craig is not replacing a large senior class but there were some key players in there who helped put down the foundation last season.

“School got out late so last week was our first week,” Craig said. “We pretty much had everybody here who we needed to have here. We had some kids go on vacation but our core group has been here.”

Physical progress is noticeable. Many returning players are bigger and stronger, and they’re optimistic about the next campaign.

“There are not a lot of them I can fuss at,” Craig said. “We’ve made great strides in the weight room. We feel good about where we are. I know our kids understand what we’re trying to do. Having a full year under our belt for the kids to know how we want them to move and our terminology, the growth from last summer to this summer has been tremendous.”

Craig reeled off a list of names he’s impressed with, starting with running backs Josh Shaw and Kevon Rivera, who figure to be as productive a tandem as any in the Lowcountry.

Both bench press over 300 pounds and squat at least 500 pounds to go along with good power clean numbers. Shaw is a senior and Rivera a sophomore.

Craig also mentioned sophomore WR/LB Ashton Drayton, senior OL/DL Parker Dykes, senior OL/DL Justin Torres, senior OL/DL Carson Logue, junior DB/WR Prince Shepard and sophomore WR/DB Jay Meadows as hard workers in the weight room.

The Hawks return a large number of younger players. Twenty-eight on the roster of 40-plus players are juniors or below but they’ve been dialed in, not taking for granted the extra year or two of eligibility they have left.

“They’re still coming into their own,” Craig said. “This group has done as good a job as I’ve seen with taking the things we want them to get better at and running with it.”

Chances are the Hawks will go to battle with a freshman under center in Jaden Cummings. He was the junior varsity quarterback last year.

“I haven’t done that too many times in my career but we’re very pleased with the progress he’s made and how he retains things,” Craig said. “I told him if you’re going to be a freshman quarterback, there’s not too many better than Josh Shaw and Kevon Rivera you would want back there in the backfield with you.”

In addition to Craig, four Hawks assistant coaches have at least one state championship ring for football. Craig won two at Timberland along with current Hanahan assistants Steve Blanchard (DC), Rick Taylor (OL) and Chris Pond (OLB).

Joe Bowers (DL) was an assistant at Goose Creek High School when the Gators captured their lone state crown.

Additional Hanahan assistant coaches are Brian Mitchell (DB), Dylan Price (WR) and Zack Evans (OL).

“The strength of this coaching staff is you’ve got a group of guys willing to help each other even if it’s to cross over to the other side if somebody is not here,” Craig said. “This group is on the same page with each other. They know what the common goal is. I get to go out there and let those guys coach. I don’t have to worry about what’s going on with the linebackers or the secondary. I will take that group over anybody.”

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CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame’s advisory committee has released its candidates for the Class of 2021, and enshrinement will be conducted by voting from local fans. The Charleston RiverDogs will host an online vote on their website beginning today and in-stadium voting during the team’s upcoming homestand July 27-August 8. Voting is limited to 5 total votes per participant.

The Committee also announced that fan-voting will select the two individuals that collect the most votes while the committee may vote in one additional member. Fans can click here to vote on the official ballot or visit riverdogs.com to place their vote.

Voting will conclude on Sunday, August 8 at 8:00 p.m. The individuals with the most votes will be inducted prior to the August 22nd RiverDogs’ home game against the Columbia Fireflies.

The Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame is coordinated and operated by the Charleston RiverDogs. An advisory committee consisting of knowledgeable local volunteers was created to cultivate names as potential nominees. The Hall of Fame is located inside Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The finalists, in alphabetical order, for the Class of 2021.

Steve Arrington (Player) - A Lowcountry native, Steve Arrington was a right fielder/pitcher who was the 1973 Southern Conference baseball player of the year as he led the league in strikeouts (93 in 65 innings), home runs (6) and RBI (28). Named to the South Carolina College Coaches All-Star team at both positions, Arrington was a member of the 1971 SoCon Championship team (22-9) under Coach Chal Port. He had a pair of one-hitters, and held the school single-season record for total strikeouts (213 in 196 innings in 1973), complete games (8 in 1972), and shutouts (3 in 1971), and was second in ERA (0.96 in 1973). After graduation, he spent nearly 30 years in the U.S. Air Force in worldwide assignments, and attained the rank of full colonel. He was enshrined in The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. Resides in Hanahan, SC.

Rhame B. “Chip” Cannon (Player) - Hailing from North Charleston, the versatile first baseman/pitcher earned All-America honors from Baseball America in 2004 prior to being drafted in the eighth round by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was an All-Southern Conference selection in 2003 and ’04, and Baseball America listed him among the best pro prospects in the league while also labeling him with “the best raw power” in the SoCon. He played on two Southern Conference championship teams and made a pair of NCAA Regional appearances. After his graduation in 2004, Cannon was second all-time in school history with 40 home runs and his three grand slams were tops in the league that year. Cannon walked 156 times, recorded 169 RBI and tallied 399 total bases, all of which ranked him among the school’s all-time leaders. Pitching in the weekend rotation, he won eight contests in 28 appearances and posted a 4.00 ERA. He had three complete games and fanned 107 batters in 153 innings. Enshrined in The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

Ralph Ciabattari (Coach)- Ralph Ciabattari’s served as head baseball coach at Charleston Southern (then Baptist College from 1983-88) and College of Charleston (1991-99) for 15 seasons and finished with a 378-311-2 overall record. During his tenure at CSU, Ciabattari posted a 163-94 record including wins over nationally-ranked South Carolina and North Carolina. Ciabattari led the Cougars to a 22-12-1 record in 1991, the program’s first season since 1948, and 215 overall wins (215-217-2). As a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) from 1992-98, Ciabattari’s teams competed against some of the nation’s top programs. He led the College of Charleston into Southern Conference play in 1999 and helped them to a 31-24 overall record, 19-10 league mark and a second -place SoCon regular season finish. His record at College of Charleston included wins over South Carolina, North Carolina State, Michigan State, Boston College, Seton Hall and a 3-0 win at top-ranked Florida State on March 8, 1994. While at CofC, he coached 12 all-conference honorees, one All-American and four Academic All-Americans. The Bugettstown, Pa., native attended Burgettstown High School before earning his bachelor’s degree from Charleston Southern in 1977. He was a four-year letter winner at third base for the Buccaneers from 1973-77. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Charleston Southern head coach Bill Bustle in 1982.

Oscar Fordham (Coach) – Oscar Fordham began working for the City of Charleston Department of Recreation in 1960 as a playground leader in the downtown area. Mr. Fordham served as a youth sports coach for thousands of children during his 61 (and counting) work history. Many of those years were spent at Harmon Park on fields that are now named in his honor and he still works today at McMahon Playground Hampton Park). Mr. Fordham was a wonderful coach and teacher and always had youth teams in baseball as well as football and basketball. Mr. Fordham has retired twice from the city but has come back to work because he loves it and he loves working with young people as a sport baseball coach.

Augustus “Gus” Jimmy Holt (Coach/Organizer/ Historian) - Gus Holt spent the last 25 plus years bringing attention to the Cannon Street All-Stars, an all-black youth baseball team from the 1950s.who shed a national spotlight on an African American Little League baseball team from Charleston, He was a tireless advocate for youth baseball. In 1994, Augustus Holt succeeded in bringing Little League back to Charleston. Holt became president of the Charleston American Little League, overseeing the sports program and organizing a celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars baseball team.

Bo Parks (Player) – A Summerville baseball standout, Parks was inducted into the Dorchester School District 2 Hall of Fame in 2000. He played on Summerville’s 1978 and 1979 state championship baseball and football teams. On the mound, he posted a 56-6 career record, with seven no-hitters and also holds the state record for consecutive wins in a season with a 16-0 record in 1979. In the all-time state rankings, Parks is tied for third in consecutive shutouts (4), fifth in consecutive wins (20) and tied for second in single-game strikeouts (20).

HANAHAN — S.C. Department of Revenue agents arrested an owner of a Charleston County convenience store and gas station on Aug. 3 and charged him with three counts of tax evasion.

Ravi Dudhela, former operator and part-owner of Rivers Mart, was charged with underreporting sales for tax years 2018 to 2020. Dudhela is from Hanahan, according to the Department of Revenue.

Dudhela, 42, admitted to Revenue Department agents he had knowingly underreported his sales to reduce the amount he paid in sales taxes, according to Dudhela’s arrest warrants.

Dudhela is charged with evading $14,227 in 2018, $26,339 in 2019 and $24,359 in 2020 in sales tax owed to South Carolina, according to Dudhela’s arrest warrants. The total amount owed equates to more than $64,900.

Dudhela was booked into the Charleston County jail about 11 a.m.. He received a personal recognizance bond set at $10,000 later that afternoon, according to the Charleston County Bond Court.

The city of Charleston is bringing back some measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus as case counts continue to rise in the Holy City and throughout the rest of the state.

Since the spring, the city has been reopened essentially without countermeasures. But based on indicators like hospital capacity, growth of new cases and the percentage of positive tests for the virus, Charleston will regress one step back to phase three of its reopening plan, the city announced in a release on Aug. 10.

The phase means:

More information on specific changes to city functions can be found at innovate.charleston-sc.gov/covid/reignite/matrix.htm.

Public health measures that were ditched months ago are coming back as case counts are rising from the more-infectious delta variant of the virus. At the same time, children under 12 are unable to receive a vaccine, and the start of the school year in Charleston County is fast approaching, Aug. 18.

On Aug. 2, Charleston County started requiring masks for residents and employees in all public buildings.

The city of Columbia also moved to mandate masks in middle and elementary schools and day cares, though state attorney General Alan Wilson said that measure runs afoul of state law. Cities in the Charleston area have so far shied away from a similar mandate. And Gov. Henry McMaster also continues to oppose masking rules.

But Charleston City Council is expected to pass a resolution on Aug. 11 encouraging both masking for younger residents and vaccinations for those old enough. About 45 percent of eligible South Carolina residents were fully vaccinated by the end of July.

HANAHAN, S.C. (WCSC) - Hanahan Middle School is hiring a new, first year principal from within the Berkeley County School District.

Kelli Roberson has been with Berkeley County Schools for 20 years, and the district says she starts her first school year as a principal on Monday.

Roberson did her student practicum at Hanahan Middle when she was a student at the College of Charleston. So she says her new role as principal is a full circle moment.

This year she’s launching “flex time.” she says it’s an allotted amount of time after lunch for intentional and purposeful intervention. This allows teachers to assess where students are in their education, as well as socially and emotionally. Roberson says it also gives teachers time to discuss areas they would like to improve.

The Hanahan Middle School guidance department is also implementing what they call minute meetings, Roberson says. Guidance counselors will meet with every student for at least one minute at the beginning of the year, making sure kids have a one-on-one conversation with a counselor.

“Well, for some of our kids, they haven’t been inside a school building in 18 months. So, it’s just, you know, not only are we going to be thinking about their academics, but we’re having to re-teach the norms of being around people and being connected to others,” Roberson said. “I’m sure they’ve missed that, I think teachers, adults missed it when we were not in a building with one-another, so it’s just a way to continue to build those connections.”

She adds that there are some learning methods that were advanced during the pandemic that they plan to keep in place.

“I think just using technology as a means of, especially when students are out and absent, knowing that we can still provide that instruction when students aren’t present in the building, whatever that reason might be,” Roberson said. “And it’s also just using the tools that are available just to make sure all students have access to notes and any kind of resources they can use to go back and re-learn something or just as a reminder, it’ll help them do the work that they need to do.”

Roberson says there’s a lot of history and community support around Hanahan Middle School which is encouraging for this first-time principal.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Fred regained its tropical storm status in the Gulf of Mexico early Aug. 15 and was making its way to the Florida Panhandle.

The storm’s upgrade came as parts of the Caribbean were gearing up for Grace, another system that could head toward the United States later this week.

Grace weakened to a tropical depression the evening of Aug. 15, but could restrengthen later Aug. 15 or 16 before hitting land, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Neither tropical systems Fred nor Grace were forecast to head toward the Lowcountry, according to the Hurricane Center.

The Charleston area was forecast to get 1½ to 2 inches of rain late Aug. 16 to Aug. 17, with 3 inches possible in some areas, according to the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office.

There may also be some scattered showers in the Lowcountry region later this week, according to the weather service.

Fred’s upgrade to a tropical storm came a day after it was predicted to be a tropical wave.

The storm is forecast to move across the Gulf before reaching the western Florida Panhandle Aug. 16 into the morning of Aug. 17, according to the Hurricane Center.

Fred’s maximum sustained winds were reported at 45 mph and moving north-northwest at 10 mph at 4 p.m. Aug. 15, according to the Hurricane Center.

At that time, the eye of the storm was about 235 miles south of Panama City, Fla., the Hurricane Center said.

Between Aug. 15-17, Fred could bring heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in the western Carolinas, according to the Hurricane Center.

Parts of Florida, southern Alabama and portions of Georgia were forecast to receive heavy rainfall and flooding as well. A tropical storm watch was issued from the Alabama and Florida border to Ochlockonee, Florida, in light of Fred’s forecast arrival.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the state’s Panhandle in light of Fred’s pending arrival. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said on Aug. 14 her administration was monitoring the weather and would respond to the storm if needed.

From Aug. 17 onward, heavy rain and possible flooding could extend into portions of the Southeast and into the southern and central Appalachians and Piedmont as Fred interacts with a front in the area, the Hurricane Center said.

Last week, Fred had weakened to a depression when it came over Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It knocked out power to some 400,000 customers and caused flooding that forced officials to shut part of the country’s aqueduct system, interrupting water service for hundreds of thousands of people, according to The Associated Press.

Local officials reported hundreds of people were evacuated and some buildings were damaged, according to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Grace was forecast to closely follow Fred and make its way through the Caribbean on Aug. 15.

Grace’s maximum sustained winds were reported at 35 mph and moving west-northwest at 15 mph at 5 p.m. that evening, according to the Hurricane Center.

Both systems could potentially lead to some rain in the Charleston area this week but are unlikely to bring severe weather.

Torrents of rain slowly crawled across the North Area on the afternoon of Aug. 15. A flood advisory was put in place by the Weather Service for Charleston, Colleton, Berkeley and Dorchester counties at various points that afternoon.

Up to 4 inches had fallen near the Charleston International Airport, which breaks the record of 3.41 inches that was set in 1971, according to the weather services. Hanahan also received up to 4 inches in rain.

Goose Creek received up to 3.4 inches. North Charleston up to 2.3.

Fred is unlikely to have much of an impact on local weather this week, said Michael Stroz, weather service meteorologist.

“Some of its far-reaching bands may reach this area, which would bring some rain,” Stroz said. “We potentially may not get any rain from Fred, but rather some typical summertime rain from a cold front that is also heading toward our area.”

Grace’s long-range track remains uncertain among forecasters, Stroz said.

“Grace is currently very far south,” Stroz said. “It’s still unclear whether Grace will hit the U.S. Fortunately for us, it looks like we are not going to get much of anything even if it does.”

Rainfall totals around 3 to 6 inches were forecast from Tropical Depression Grace for the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico between Aug. 15 and 17.

Heavy rain and flash floods were expected over portions of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Aug. 15 and parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti later that evening. Grace was forecast to head toward Hispaniola after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake Haiti’s southwestern peninsula on Aug. 14.

Areas impacted by the tropical depression should expect heavy rain, according to the Hurricane Center. Isolated flash floods and mudslides are also possible.

Grace could hit parts of Florida mid-week, though forecasters said its track is still unclear. The Hurricane Center recommends people monitor updates to the system’s forecast as it progresses.