Newberry school teams hailed at commission meeting

NEWBERRY – At the start of Monday night’s City of Newberry Commission meeting, there wasn’t a seat empty. Those who couldn’t find a chair sat on the floor around the perimeter of the room. High school athletes, coaches and parents waited for their team to be recognized.

The Newberry High School’s girls basketball team and cheerleading competition team were presented with a proclamation from the City of Newberry recognizing the teams’ success in their respective seasons.

The cheerleading competition team was runner-up in their division in the state competition on Feb. 4. Coach TiAnn Stark said the coed team finished with a record of 23-4 in the season.

The team also has a collective GPA well over 3.0, she said.

The girls basketball team was also runner-up in the FSHAA Class 1A state finals in late February.

Coach Ray Parrish commended the girls on their success in this year’s season, but urged the city and the commission to remember these teams as the city’s sports tourism industry begins to take off.

“You can’t leave these kids and the community,” Parrish said