Mortgage Broker in Berea, SC

The South Carolina High School League announced Dec. 17 its proposal for realignment -- a shakeup that determines the region and classification for each team competing in the SCHSL. Realignment occurs every two years.

The SCHSL uses each school's enrollment in grades 9 through 11 on the 45th day of the school to determine its classification. In the current proposal, the 36 schools with the largest enrollment would be placed in Class AAAAA; the next 41 were placed in AAAA, 43 in AAA, 44 in Class AA and 55 in A.

There are opportunities for a school to appeal its proposed placement to the SCHSL. The first occurred this week; others occur Feb. 9 and Feb. 16 before realignment is finalized Feb. 22.

On Monday morning, Berea High athletic director Andrew Chisholm and principal Mike Noel appealed the Bulldogs' proposed placement in Class AAAA to the Class AAAA and AAA executive committees.

The Bulldogs, who have competed in Class AAA for the past two years, are proposed to head back up tp AAAA, the classification they competed in during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

"If you take a look at our financial situation as well as the students that come to us that, for lack of a better word, are not going to be able to participate," Noel said during the appeal to the AAA executive committee, "then we should be in AAA."

REALIGNMENT:See what the proposed realignment could look like for the next two years

The Class AAAA executive committee voted 5-4 against allowing Berea to remain in Class AAA; the Class AAA executive committee voted 6-3 in favor of Berea. Both committees have to vote in favor for the appeal to be approved, so the appeal now goes to the Feb. 9 appeal date, where Chisholm and Noel will again appeal their proposed placement in AAAA.

Berea appealed the proposed placement in Region 1-AAAA and hopes to be placed in Region 3-AAA with Blue Ridge, Broome, Carolina, Chapman and Travelers Rest.

Berea is the only school in Greenville County among the seven that are proposed to move classifications that would placed in a higher classification by the SCHSL.

In its letter of appeal, Berea stated that, "Berea High School sits at the center of a multiculturally diverse community. Many factors in the surrounding community skew an accurate count of the real time enrollment of Berea High School."

That statement is key to Berea's appeal. According to a copy of the appeal filed to the SCHSL, Berea's 45th-day enrollment count was 1,025, a total that deems the school large enough to be placed in Class AAAA, but barely. Another Greenville County school, Travelers Rest, has an enrollment count of 976 -- 49 fewer students than Berea in grades 9 through 11 -- but Travelers Rest is proposed to moved down from AAAA to AAA next fall.

Noel and Chisholm argued to the AAA and AAAA executive committees that Berea should be placed in AAA, too. The main reason being the makeup of its community and its impact on enrollment. According to the letter, "121 students included in our 45th day count ... are not eligible to participate in athletics in the next realignment."

Those 121 students would put Berea's 45th-day count below that of Travelers Rest. According to the filing, the high school has experienced the withdrawal of 283 students since Aug. 17, 2021 – the first day of school – while enrolling 192 since the start.

"Our uniqueness skews our numbers," Chisholm said during the appeal to AAA Executive Committee.

That uniqueness includes two programs and two types of students who attend the school that make up the 121 students that are ineligible to compete in athletics.

The school has 15 students with intellectual and physical disabilities, that "do not possess the mental or physical abilities to compete in athletics," according to the filing. There are 37 students in Berea's Newcomer Program that is for "for new immigrant children to enroll in public school," who do not have the proper education background or paperwork to be eligible to compete in athletics, according to the appeal filing.

There were 21 students who graduated early in 2020 and 48 who are in their fourth or fifth year at Berea but not on the grade levels that were counted as 9th- through 11th- graders on the 45-day count provided to the SCHSL.

Keep reading:

The SCHSL has not publicly announced the cutoff numbers for each classification and did not respond to an email and voicemails requesting specific numbers as of Thur. Berea's appeal filing states that their 45-day count "is only 49.17 students above the cutoff line between AAA and AAAA."

If Berea's appeal is denied Feb. 9 by the overall SCHSL executive committee and again on Feb. 16 by the SCHSL appellate panel, the Bulldogs will be one of the smallest schools competing in AAAA.

The filing also cites the immense struggles of Berea High's athletic teams while competing in AAAA. The boys soccer program at the school has been highly competitive for several years. Berea's boys soccer team won state titles in Class AAA in 2017 and 2018.

"Traditionally, my last point is, we struggle every time we're placed in AAAA," Chisholm said during Berea's presentation to the Class AAA Executive Committee. The SCHSL has not said it takes competition into account while realigning regions and classifications.

Joe Dandron covers high school sports for The Greenville News. Contact him at jdandron@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @JoeMDandron. You can send in scores, stats and story tips to 864Huddle@gannett.com.

Scotty Hammett, a Berea High School coach for 30 years, remembers Jim Mattos had a saying to keep things in perspective when times got tough.

"Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a banquet."

Those words rang through throughout the Berea community Thursday, and it faced a very difficult day.

Mattos, a legendary coach and physical education teacher at Berea High, died at his home Wednesday night, his daughter Cindy Mattos-DeHart confirmed Thursday. He was 88 years old.

Mattos taught at Berea from 1957 to 1985 and coached the boys basketball team as well track and field and cross country. His basketball teams won 13 conference titles, his track teams nine and cross country teams five.

He had stints coaching girls basketball and baseball and junior varsity football at the beginning of his career and also served as the school's athletic director.

He is a member of multiple athletic hall of fames, including Greenville High Schools, Greenville County school district, Berea and the South Carolina Coaches.

When Mattos retired in 1987, his mission turned to public service. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1985 to 1994.

Hammett met Mattos when Hammett was a sixth-grader attending a Bulldogs football game. They had almost daily interactions until Hammett graduated from Berea in 1983.

Hammett will retire after being on the coaching staffs of the football, baseball and golf programs at Berea for 30 years. He said it was the guidance of his mentor that took him down that path.

"He was our driving force. You wanted to do everything you could to please him," Hammett said of Mattos. "His secret of coaching that we learned from him is knowing when to push and knowing when to pull an athlete or a student. It’s an art form that isn’t something you learn in the textbook. It’s something you learn from dealing with people on a daily basis."

Hammett said his phone had been ringing off the hook all day Thursday, with people looking to be consoled after learning of the death of the man whom so many of them credit for their development.

"It’s probably the first man I’ve ever told that I loved, and everyone who came in contact with him would say the same thing," Hammett said. "There are hearts hurting all over the Southeast today, because they’re finding out that we’ve lost the guy who influenced our lives."

The son of a Greek immigrant, Mattos grew up in downtown Greenville. After graduating from Greenville High, he was the first athlete to earn a track and field scholarship to Furman University.

Following his time at Furman, he began teaching and coaching at Berea. His three children graduated from the high school as well.

His daughter, Cindy Mattos-DeHart, went on to coach the girls basketball team at Eastside High for 38 seasons before retiring in 2019. While growing up, she said, the household was always focused on helping other people.

"Whenever he did anything, he went full steam ahead," she said. It was not 'what I can’t do,' it was 'how can we get this done.' He had that drive, and he had that connection with young people. He touched so many young people’s lives, in so many different ways. That’s what God called him to do.

"He was a wonderful father who was a very humble man."

Mattos-DeHart remembers her father getting calls from his students or players saying that they were in trouble and his leaving the house to help them.

He also spent time working with special needs children at the Meyer Center and with the Friends of Berea program, which gives financial assistance to Berea students who want to go to college.

In 1978, he was selected the South Carolina Teacher of Year, an honor rarely given to physical education instructors.

"He earned that title because of his interaction with people," Hammett said. "He always found a student in a classroom that would serve as his project for the year, someone that might have been an underachiever. He always took them under his wing."

It was a practice that inspired Hammett to do the same thing as a physical education teacher at Berea.

"He stood for what was right," he said. "His accomplishment was seeing his kids be successful in what they were doing 10, 15 years later."

Mattos retired from Berea High in 1985, but not the community. He was elected as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in the 26th District.

It wasn't the quiet retirement many would have taken after a decorated career in athletics, but it fit his personality and mission.

"He just wanted to do something to help anyone who came his way. People in his district would call him and he would help them, and he would do what he could to help them," Mattos-DeHart said. "He looked out for his people, and he looked out for the Berea community. That was another opportunity to fulfill what he thought we was called to do, which was help."

He served in the House until 1994 but still couldn't stay away from Berea.

He stayed involved with Friends of Berea and was a constant at the school. Hammett said at the beginning of the current school year, Mattos stopped by his first gym class of the year to say hello.

"He wasn’t the type of man who could retire and sit at home and do nothing," Hammett said. "The man was an artist and people were his medium."

The gymnasium at Berea bears his name, and his presence is still felt throughout the halls of the high school.

"It’s a hard day for the entire Berea community," Berea High principal Mike Noel said. "Our gym is named after him. He has been an integral part of Berea High School his whole adult life. He’s meant so much to us as part of the Friends of Berea fundraising and alumni organization, not just in monetary support but emotional support.

"He’s been in the building a lot, and it’s good when you have someone who is such an icon and continues to be an integral part of our school community."

Hammett said still being a part of the Berea community is what will be the biggest part of his legacy, as well as the lives he shaped and coaches he made throughout his career.

"To the end, he was the kind of man that wanted to think about others over himself," Hammett said. "He wanted to see our community prosper, and more importantly, he knew coaching went way beyond wins and losses.

"His job was to build men, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he did that."

BEREA, S.C. (WSPA) – The community came together Tuesday night to show support for a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The trooper was injured in a hit-and-run while on the job.

Multiple agencies and community members came out to show their support for Trooper Devin Kugler. He was injured on October 16 when officials said he was trying to conduct a DUI stop. His wife, Mandie Kugler, said they’re praying for a full recovery.

“On October 16^th at 3:15 in the morning, the knock on the door was the most terrifying experience of my life,” said Mandie Kugler.

She said when she opened her door, she saw four uniformed officers.

“Standing on my porch telling me that my entire world has been shaken,’ she said. “That my best friend was in the hospital fighting for his life.”

Her husband, Trooper Devin Kugler, was one of two injured during a hit-and-run. Now, he’s been on a ventilator for 16 days and was just moved to a rehabilitation facility Tuesday morning.

“While my husband has put 7 surgeries behind him and has started the process of mending and healing an incredibly broken body,” said Kugler.

She said the journey ahead won’t be easy.

“We face permanent disfigurement, permanent disabilities, and future surgeries in the months and years to come,” she said.

Trooper Kugler is a father of five and has more than six years behind the badge.

“Devin, he’s recovering and he needs our support and we’re going to give him that, but it’s also nice to see support from our brothers and sisters from our surrounding agencies,” said Sergeant Joe Hovis, with SCHP.

The Light Em Up event brought together dozens of first responders, troopers, firefighters and EMS crews. There were lights, fireworks and a fundraiser for the family.

“We cannot accurately express the depth of our gratitude and the love for everyone we have met through this challenge,” said Kugler.

“It just takes a special person to be someone like Devin, I’m proud to know him and I’m proud that he works for the South Carolina Highway Patrol,” said Sergeant Hovis.

Kugler said her family is beyond grateful for all the donations, services, and most importantly, all the prayers.

Officials have set up a fundraiser to support Kugler and his family. To learn more about the fundraiser or to donate, click here.

Throughout the month, 5% of all the proceeds from the Big Clock of Berea will go to the Kugler family.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Caught on camera! One Upstate woman said Black bears keep showing up on her property.

Linda Chambers lives in Berea. She tells Fox Carolina News, bear sightings started this time last summer. Chambers has lived in her home for almost 20 years and has never been afraid of going outside until now.

“It’s terrifying, I’m 75 years old or will be, where in the world would I go? I can’t run from one. I used to walk up and check our mail cause it’s up on the road, and I would walk up there and check it and come back. But now I’m too scared to even walk up the driveway during the day.”

In the security video from her property, you can see a young bear coming up to her door, down her porch, and leaving behind a big mess. She said the bears come out at various times of the day, and it makes her scared to go outside, even if it’s just to walk her dog.

“I opened the door this morning and my porch it was torn to pieces,” said Chambers. “My chair was overturned, my bird seed in that can was everywhere the flowers were knocked over like they were trying to eat them or something I don’t know. I’m terrified.”

The Department of Natural Resources tells us that bear sightings are common around Spring and Summer. They said bears are looking for food and it’s important to be “Bear Wise.”

According to DNR’s website:

To help South Carolina residents better coexist with bears, Waldrop and the BearWise program offer these “Six At-Home BearWise Basics.”

While people may be excited about seeing a bear, SCDNR wants them to remember that bears are wild animals and should be respected. Black bears are usually shy, evasive, and non-aggressive toward people. People and black bears can live in the same area with little conflict by following some basic rules. For more information on living responsibly with

Copyright 2023 WHNS. All rights reserved.

Ever since playing his college football at North Greenville University, a return to Greenville County has been on Andrew Chisholm’s mind.

On Wednesday at Berea High School, the return became a reality.

At the high school’s faculty meeting, Chisholm was introduced as Berea’s new athletic director. He had spent the past 12 years as an assistant and then, beginning in 2013, a head football coach at Blacksburg. He also had stops at Wren and T.L. Hanna.

He played football for North Greenville from 1995 to 1999 and said he always felt at home in Greenville County. The Chesterfield County native and McBee alum knew coming back one day would be a possibility.

“There must be something in the water, because I’ve had it in the back of my head for years when I left after graduating. It’s good to come full circle that way,” he said.

The attraction was not only to Berea, but also working in the largest school district in the state, the Greenville County School District.

“If you’re going to do things on a big scale, why not do it in an opportunistic place like this?” he said. “There’s a lot of good sports teams in Greenville County, and I want some of them to be wearing Berea Bulldogs on the front of their jerseys.”

Although he said it was hard to leave Blacksburg, the opportunity to be involved in the community at Berea was too good to pass up.

“I think the raw material is here. It seems like a school where the people like each other, that’s easy to see when walking up and down the halls,” he said. “The teachers care about the students; the students know they are cared for, and when you have those things ... you do things right and when you work hard the winning takes care of itself.”

Berea’s athletic department underwent changes last October, former athletic director Jeff Maness resigned for personal reasons and football coach Julius Prince was suspended following a driving under the influence charge.

Chisholm said he didn’t know the status of any sport and that his first job as athletic director will be to evaluate where each program stands.

He said during his experience at Hanna, Wren and Blacksburg he has had to navigate changes in the athletic departments, which makes him feel he is equipped for Berea.

"Each school's been a rebuild in its own right," Chisholm said. "I feel like it's it a good fit for me here because they're looking for a kind of rebirth in the athletic department and I've been a part of that several times."

In the big picture, he said he hopes to be someone the coaches at Berea can lean on.

“I’m here as a resource to the coaches,” he said. “A lot of times the athletic director is in a position to coach the coaches and make sure everyone is in the right place and everyone has a grasp of the common vision.”

If that’s accomplished, he thinks that can make Berea not only a good example to the Berea community but to Greenville County.

“We want to be first class and do things the right way, and eventually we want to be trend-setters in everything we do,” he said. We want people to call Berea High School and ask what we’re doing, because whatever we’re doing is working.”