Wildcat Marching Band Finishes Second in the State

Congratulations to our students, parents, and David Vickery and his staff. Job well done!

RESILIENCE IS KEY

10/30/2012 RESILIENCE IS KEY Ninety Six's Watson finds success with what he's given

Ninety Six’s Hunter Watson was named Index-Journal Player of the Week after the team’s victory against Abbevlle last Friday night. (Index-Journal } file) By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX - Hunter Watson was handed the reins to the Ninety Six High School starting quarterback job as a freshman. Now a junior, he engineered the winning drive Friday against Abbeville, which was then ranked No. 1 in Class AA (the latest media poll has the Panthers sixth). After throwing two interceptions Friday, Watson - the Index-Journal's Player of the Week - responded with a 53-yard drive in 2:13 while completing four passes in a row. He finished off that drive by scrambling into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown with fewer than 10 seconds remaining in the game. Trailing Abbeville 20-19, Ninety Six then tried a two-point conversion designed to be a pass from receiver Jo-Jo Chaney to none other than Watson. "The (Abbeville defensive back) sunk back on (Watson), and Jo-Jo was able to run it in," Ninety Six coach Chris Liner said Monday, recalling the play. And that was the game. Ninety Six 21, Abbeville 20. Watson, despite the two interceptions, finished the contest with 202 yards on 12-of-24 passing and completed a career-long 92-yard touchdown pass earlier in that game to Ryan Booker. "It was just an awesome game to play in; the atmosphere was great," Watson said. "We just fought until the end and came out on top." Sometimes, when a quarterback is declared the on-field leader, he tries to do too much. If there is maybe a defender - or two, or three - with a crucial play needed to be made, Watson has, at times, tried to complete that pass, anyway. MORE IN TODAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL

Wildcats dominate at region meet

10/18/2012 12:58:00 AM Wildcats dominate at region meet Humphrey, Scott take top individual honors as Ninety Six claims 2-AA cross-country crown

By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX - Ninety Six High School freshman Kaley Humphrey put an extra kick into her motion during the final few meters of Wednesday's Region 2-AA championship meet. As one who also often commutes to Spartanburg this fall for soccer practice, developing a kick is nothing new. Because of that, she helped contribute to the Wildcats' first girls region cross-country title in years. Humphrey, timed at 22 minutes, 24 seconds in five kilometers, paced a team effort to first place with 33 points at the Ninety Six National Historic Site.

Leading down the stretch

10/24/2012 12:41:00 AM Leading down the stretch Senior Jaquon Louden provides spark and experience for young Ninety Six team

Jaquon Louden By JORDAN ANDERS janders@indexjournal.com NINETY SIX - Ninety Six High School running back Jaquon Louden entered 2012 as one of only 10 seniors on the Wildcats' roster. As injuries riddled the squad and coach Chris Liner saw six of his seniors suffer season-ending injuries, he looked upon those remaining four to lead his team down the stretch. Perhaps no player has answered the bell better than Louden. "(His leadership) is huge right now," Liner said of his do-it-all workhorse. "With that limited amount of experience (in our younger players), Jaquon has been at the forefront of trying to lead this team, having been there and done that." Louden agreed, saying as one of those seniors, it falls on him to provide a spark for his teammates. "Sometimes when you lose seniors," he said, "(the younger players) feel like they can slack off. But when you lose seniors, the other senior leaders have to step up and be big." While Liner lauded the leader Louden has blossomed into, almost as impressive is the job he has done this season in filling positional holes on the depth chart created by injury. SEE MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

Wildcats take on Newberry

10/12/2012 12:09:00 AM Wildcats take on Newberry

Chris Liner By SCOTT CHANCEY Tonight is pivotal for the football teams at Ninety Six and Newberry high schools. They are both 1-1 in Region 2-AA after losses last week, and need a win tonight to be considered a contender during the Class AA playoffs. Pressure? What pressure? Wildcats coach Chris Liner, whose team lost 38-20 against Batesburg-Leesville, insisted his team feels none. "We're focusing on things one week at a time," Liner siad. "We put last week's loss behind us and are concentrating on Newberry, and that's kind of where we're at." Newberry coach Phil Strickland, whose Bulldogs lost 38-27 against top-ranked Abbeville last week, said he can identify with what Ninety Six is going through. "I know they're unhappy with their loss; they've been up and down," Strickland said. "We just hope (tonight) they'll be down and we'll be up." SEE MORE IN FRIDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL. www.indexjournal.com

WILDCAT PRIDE

10/12/2012 12:29:00 AM WILDCAT PRIDE Ninety Six upsets Region 2-AA volleyball champion Abbeville

Ninety Six High School volleyball players celebrate Thursday after winning a point against Abbeville. The Wildcats upset the Region 2-AA champs in four sets. (Matt Walsh | Index-Journal) By CHENG SIO ABBEVILLE - When the volleyball bounced off the hardwood floor for the final time Thursday night, Ninety Six High School coach Kristen Hopkins and the six players who sat near her leaped off the bench in joy and mobbed the six Wildcats on the court. Ninety Six's junior varsity team, many of them sitting behind the referee stand, jumped out from the crowd and stampeded toward their teammates. The Wildcats acted as if they won a region title. One problem, though. They didn't. Two nights after Abbeville beat Mid-Carolina to win the Region 2-AA championship and snap Ninety Six's run of 11 consecutive region titles, Ninety Six showed what kind of pride its program has by handing the Panthers their only blemish on the region schedule with a four-set victory (23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-22) on its archrival's home floor. "We just decided to come out here and played our butts off because they already stole the region title from us," said Quasha Williams, who had a team-high 23 kills. "They was undefeated, so we just went out there and did our thing." Meanwhile, some Abbeville (11-2 overall, 9-1 region) players walked toward the locker room with tears strolling down their cheeks. Others were consoled outside the gym after the postgame meeting. SEE MORE IN FRIDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL.

Wildcat Marching Band Competitions

Wildcat Marching Band Competitions

9/22 Irmo 2A 4th w/ excellent rating

9/22 Newberry 3A 1st w/ superior rating

9/29 White Knoll 1A 2nd w/ excellent rating, Best Drum Major

10/6 Laurens 3A

 1st w/ superior rating, best horn line, and 1A-3A grand champs

Wildcats' Liner is Lakelands FCA coach of the year

10/10/2012 12:43:00 AM MAN OF FAITH Wildcats' Liner is Lakelands FCA coach of the year Ninety Six High School football coach Chris Liner watches a game from the sidelines. (Index-Journal | File) By SCOTT CHANCEY NINETY SIX -- Coaches draw inspiration from others, and Ninety Six High School's Chris Liner is no different. The moments that shaped the Wildcats' football coach, though, did not necessarily involve X's and O's. Take, for instance, his days as a Greenwood assistant coach under then-coach Shell Dula, who guided the Eagles to three state championships. Dula's words mattered to Liner. But Dula's actions mattered more. "You walk into his office at any time during the day, he's going to be reading his Bible about three-fourths of the time," said Liner, who was recently honored as the Lakelands Fellowship of Christian Athletes coach of the year. "I like to watch other people, especially people who are successful and try to emulate them. That was an advantage of growing up in a family environment where being a Christian was first. And working for coach Dula was a blessing for me. And a lot of the guys on his staff were Christians, too. That was a time in my life when I needed that kind of direction, and it's something I can never repay. But I certainly try to pass on what I have learned. And that's what we're doing." Hence Liner's lesson after seeing this quote from legendary basketball coach John Wooden: "You can't live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you." Whether it's helping organize an FCA meeting at Edgewood Middle School, where he works as an assistant principal, or taking his football team to an FCA camp, Liner said an underlying goal of his job is to prepare players for more than just Friday nights. He wants to prepare them for life - a successful one at that. SEE MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S INDEX-JOURNAL. www.indexjournal.com

ESEA Flexibility Community Stakeholder Meetings

TO:                 District Superintendents

FROM:          Mick Zais, State Superintendent of Education

DATE:            September 27, 2012

SUBJECT:     ESEA Flexibility Community Stakeholder Meetings

On October 10, 2011, I emailed to you a copy of a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan informing him of the State’s intent to seek a waiver from certain requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) established a process for States to request such flexibility and deadlines when requests could be submitted.  The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) submitted an ESEA Flexibility Request on February 28, 2012.  It was approved on July 19, 2012.

As part of the SCDE’s continued engagement of stakeholders, the Department will hold a statewide virtual meeting on Wednesday, October 3 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide an update on the implementation of the ESEA Flexibility Request.  The public will have the opportunity to submit questions during the meeting and the Department will answer them, time permitting.

In addition to the statewide virtual meeting, the SCDE will host five regional community stakeholder meetings across the state.  The SCDE will contact school districts when locations for these meetings are finalized.  A final schedule of community stakeholder meetings will be sent to all school districts.

Please share this information with your teachers, principals, administrators, and school board members.  Most importantly, please share it with your students, parents, and the public you serve by posting the following links on your website.

Link to watch the October 3, 2012 statewide virtual meeting and submit questions: http://ed.sc.gov/events/esea/

Link to review all documents and presentations regarding the ESEA Flexibility Request: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/lpa/ESEAFlexibility.cfm