Mobile Home Sales in Lone Star, SC

South Carolina is home to a vast array of pesky critters, but ticks are almost in a class by themselves.

They’re creepy and crawly, but they also bite for the sole purpose of gorging themselves on your blood.

With summer starting, chances are more people will encounter the arachnids as they venture out to enjoy the many outdoor activities South Carolina has to offer. And while there are several tick species in the state, some stand out as being far worse than others because of their ability to cause harmful illnesses in humans.

Here are four of the worst tick species in South Carolina and how to identify them.

The blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick, poses significant health risks. According to clemson.edu, this small but dangerous arachnid is a vector for Lyme disease, a debilitating illness that can lead to severe complications if left untreated. Found in wooded areas and grassy regions, the blacklegged tick has a distinctive reddish-brown body and darkened legs.

Recognizable by the distinctive single white dot on its back, the lone star tick can transmit various diseases, including ehrlichiosis and Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), MUSC Health states. It can also cause a red meat meat allergy in humans called alpha-gal syndrome. The Mayo Clinic states that a lone star tick bite can transmit a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into a person’s body. In some people, this can trigger “an immune system reaction that later produces mild to severe allergic reactions to red meat, such beef, pork, lamb or other mammal products.”

Known for infesting dogs and other domestic animals, the American dog tick can also bite and cause harm to humans. This tick species carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a potentially fatal disease if not treated promptly. Recognizable by its brown body with white or gray markings, the American dog tick is commonly found in grassy areas, wooded regions and along hiking trails.

Preferring warmer and more humid climates, the Gulf Coast tick is a common resident of South Carolina. This species poses a risk of transmitting Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, a disease that leads to fever, headache, and rash. The Gulf Coast tick often targets humans and animals alike and it can be found in grassy and wooded habitats. They are fairly easy to identify because of the ornate markings on their red bodies. Adult males have clean, white lines in a web-like formation on their entire bodies. Adult females have bright, white markings on their dorsal shields.

According to MUSC, if you think you’ve been bitten by one of the above ticks, over the next 30 days watch for symptoms such as fever/chills, aches and pains in the joints or a rash around where the bite occurred. All tick borne diseases can be effectively treated with antibiotics but, the sooner the treatment the better, MUSC states.

Given the potential health risks associated with tick bites, it makes sense to take preventive measures when venturing into areas where they thrive. Here are some recommendations:

This story was originally published May 27, 2023, 7:00 AM.

Red meat fans beware.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that alpha-gal syndrome — a tick-borne illness that causes a red meat allergy — is an emerging public health concern.

There have been more than 90,000 suspected cases documented between 2017 and 2022, yet nearly half of clinicians have never heard of the condition, according to a pair of CDC reports released on Thursday.

Because many providers aren't aware of alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS, which also requires a diagnostic test, the agency estimates that as many as 450,000 people may have been affected since 2010.

Scientists first connected the dots between red meat allergies and tick bites more than a decade ago, when they identified patients who got allergic reactions such as hives or anaphylaxis after eating beef or pork. Most had been bitten by Lone Star ticks.

Now, doctors' understanding of these allergies has evolved.

"What's new is that we have patients who really just have GI symptoms," explains Dr. Sarah McGill, a gastroenterologist at the University of North Carolina. McGill says some alpha-gal syndrome patients feel sick to their stomachs after they eat red meat, but never develop more typical allergic symptoms, such as a rash, swelling or trouble breathing.

McGill has co-authored new guidance for the American Gastroenterological Association to raise awareness about the GI-only onset. She has diagnosed AGS in people who experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting about 2 to 6 hours after eating red meat.

That's exactly what happened to Randy Rayborn, 72, who lives in a rural community in Caswell County, North Carolina. "I figured it was food-poisoning," Rayborn recalls thinking after his first alpha-gal attack in the fall of 2019. "I woke up in the middle of the night with severe pain and nausea. I had to rush to the restroom," Rayborn recalls.

He describes the episode as "the most violent upheaval" he'd ever experienced.

Deer and ticks are prevalent near Rayborn's home. He recalls pulling several ticks off his body in the months before his illness began, but he didn't realize the bites had triggered the illness. Nor did he imagine that the hamburgers or bacon he'd eaten had anything to do with it.

When he had a similar attack a few weeks later, he went to see his doctor, who referred him to McGill. A blood test showed he had Immunoglobin E, or IgE antibodies to alpha-gal, the sugar molecule that he was exposed to from the tick bites, suggesting he was positive for the allergy. "I'd never heard of it," Rayborn says, so he was very surprised.

McGill advised him to eliminate all red meat from his diet. "I miss bacon, I miss hamburgers, " Rayborn says. But after suffering through such painful episodes, "I don't miss them that much," he says. He remains symptom-free after several years on the diet.

Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule found in most mammals, including cows, lambs and pigs. It can also be found in the saliva of ticks. Humans don't make alpha-gal, so it's foreign to us, explains Dr. Scott Commins, an allergist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. When tick saliva goes through a person's skin and transmits alpha-gal it can be a potent inflammation trigger.

"Our immune system can be tricked into making an allergic response to this sugar," says Commins. Then, after a person is sensitized to alpha-gal, they can get a reaction every time they eat red meat. Alpha-gal can be found in beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, deer meat as well as other products from mammals including milk and gelatin, according to the CDC.

Commins has published a new research paper on tick bites and the risk of developing the alpha-gal allergy. People who get multiple tick bites (four or more) and spend a lot of time outdoors in wooded areas are at higher risk.

And the new recognition that alpha-gal syndrome leads some people to have only GI symptoms, without any traditional allergic symptoms, is a paradigm shift. "It was a surprise," he says. Blood tests show that these patients have the same allergic antibodies as other AGS patients. "We did not know that we were missing these patients," Commins says.

During her medical training as a gastroenterologist, McGill says she was taught that allergies don't present with GI symptoms alone. But her clinical experience treating patients who didn't experience any hives or rashes led her to a different conclusion. "This flies in the face of what I learned about GI distress and allergies," McGill says.

Her change in thinking came after she saw a patient, similar to Randy Rayborn, who had experienced several episodes of nausea and GI distress. Each time it happened a few hours after eating a hamburger. "I did an endoscopy on that patient and it was normal," McGill says. But a blood test showed the patient was positive for AGS.

"I started checking for it more often," McGill says and she identified a string of patients who were also positive for alpha-gal antibodies. She advised all of them to go on the Alpha-Gal Elimination Diet.

Early in the pandemic, when her endoscopy lab was shut down, she had time to do some research and check in with patients she'd diagnosed with AGS. She found that patients who had eliminated red meat told her they felt better. They also reported getting sick again if they went off the elimination diet. "I was surprised," she says. It was a confirmation that her diagnosis had been correct, and that avoiding these foods was an effective treatment.

Cases of alpha-gal syndrome have been concentrated in southeastern states, but the range extends from New York and Iowa to Texas and Florida. There have been cases reported on every continent (except Antarctica), and doctors say other types of ticks, beyond the Lone Star tick, may cause the syndrome.

A report in the New England Journal of Medicine, documents the case of a 47-year-old man in Ann Arbor, Michigan who stumped doctors in the E.R. who were not familiar with the condition.

In the new guidelines for gastroenterologists, McGill and her colleagues say it's important for GI doctors to be aware of alpha-gal Syndrome and "be capable of diagnosing and treating it in a timely manner," pointing to the importance of the elimination diet. The evidence from recent studies show roughly 75% of AGS patients improve when they follow an alpha-gal–avoidance diet.

The 2023 edition of the Girls Academy Champions Cup kicks off on Thursday, March 9 down in Florida at IMG Academy.

Starting with a Round of 16, five age groups contest a knockout-style tournament. U13, U17 and U19 age groups begin on Thursday, while U14-U16 action kicks off on Friday.

GA Champions Cup Previews: U19 | U17 | U16 | U15

Scores and matchups will be updated below over the next week as the competition kicks into high gear.

U13

Round of 16 (March 9)

TopHat SC 9-0 Spokane Sounders

TSJ FC Virginia 2-0 Albion SC San Diego

Florida United 4-2 Utah Celtic

Nationals Blue 3-1 NEFC

Lonestar SC 11-0 Lamorinda SC

Houston Dash Youth Soccer 5-0 Colorado Rush

Cincinnati United 1-2 City SC San Diego

PA Classics 1-0 STA

Quarterfinals (March 11)

Nationals Blue 0-1 Lonestar SC

TopHat 3-0 City SC

PA Classics 1-2 Houston Dash

TSJ FC Virginia 1-0 Florida United

Semifinals (March 12)

TopHat Gold 2-0 TSJ FC Virginia

Houston Dash 2-3 Lonestar SC

Final (March 13)

TopHat Gold 1-0 Lonestar

U14

Round of 16 (March 10)

Colorado Rush 2-1 Albion SC San Diego

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 1-0 Florida United

Cincinnati United 9-1 Utah Celtic

Nationals Blue 2-1 TSJ FC Virginia

South Shore Select 1-0 South Carolina Surf

TopHat SC 3-1 Lonestar SC

NEFC 0-1 Spokane Sounders

Houston Dash Youth Soccer 3-0 STA

Quarterfinals (March 11)

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 0-1 Houston Dash Youth Soccer

Nationals Blue 1-0 Colorado Rush

Spokane Sounders 0-3 South Shore Select

TopHat 0-2 Cincinnati United Premier

Semifinals (March 12)

Houston Dash Youth Soccer 1-0 Nationals Blue

South Shore Select 1-2 Cincinnati United

Final (March 14)

Houston Dash Youth Soccer 1-2 Cincinnati United

U15

Round of 16 (March 10)

NEFC 2-3 Cincinnati United

Albion SC Las Vegas 2-1 IMG Academy

Nationals Blue 3-1 City SC

STA 1-0 PA Classics

TSJ FC Virginia 1-0 Lonestar SC

TopHat SC 6-1 Michigan Jaguars

Colorado Rush 1-2 Florida United

Utah Celtic 4-1 Albion SC San Diego

Quarterfinals (March 11)

Nationals Blue 3-1 Albion SC Las Vegas

Utah Celtic 1-0 Cincinnati United

Florida United 0-2 STA

TSJ FC Virginia 1-3 TopHat SC

Semifinals (March 13)

Nationals Blue 1-0 STA

Tophat 2-0 Utah Celtic

Final (March 14)

Nationals Blue 2-1 TopHat Gold

U16

Round of 16 (Mach 10)

TopHat SC 3-0 City SC San Diego

Nationals Blue 5-0 STA

Cincinnati United 3-0 Utah Celtic

PA Classics 1-7 NEFC

Chicago FC United 0-2 Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals

TSJ FC Virginia 3-0 Nationals Gray

Lonestar SC 2-1 Colorado Rush

Houston Dash Youth Soccer 4-3 Florida United

Quarterfinals (March 11)

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 1-0 Lonestar SC

TopHat SC 0-1 Cincinnati United Premier

Nationals Blue 1-0 NEFC

Houston Dash Youth Soccer 3-2 TSJ FC Virginia

Semifinals (March 12)

Nationals Blue 4-3 Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals

Cincinnati United Premier 4-0 Houston Dash Youth Soccer

Final (March 14)

Nationals Blue 3-4 Cincinnati United Premier

U17

Round of 16 (March 9)

South Shore Select 1-2 Albion SC San Diego

TopHat SC 3-2 Colorado Rush

STA 0-1 Cincinnati United

Florida United 1-0 Chicago FC United

TSJ FC Virginia 2-1 Nationals Blue

NEFC 2-1 Las Vegas Sports Academy

Lonestar SC 3-2 Lamorinda United

IMG Academy 2-0 PA Classics

Quarterfinals (March 10)

TopHat SC 1-2 Albion SC San Diego

Florida United 1-0 Cincinnati United Premier

Lonestar SC 0-1 NEFC

IMG Academy 3-2 TSJ FC Virginia

Semifinals (March 12)

NEFC 2-5 IMG Academy

Albion SC San Diego 1-0 Florida United

Final (March 13)

Albion SC San Diego 4-3 IMG Academy

U19

Round of 16 (March 9)

TSJ FC Virginia 0-1 Colorado Rush

Florida United 2-0 STA

NEFC 4-3 Lonestar SC

Cincinnati United 1-2 PA Classics

Oakwood SC 4-1 St. Louis Development Academy

SC Wave 4-1 Lamorinda United

TopHat SC 3-2 Nationals Blue

Utah Celtic 3-1 City SC San Diego

Quarterfinals (March 10)

Florida United 2-1 Colorado Rush

NEFC 0-1 SC Wave

Oakwood SC 3-1 Utah Celtic

TopHat SC 1-2 PA Classics

Semifinals (March 11)

PA Classics 1-3 Florida United

SC Wave 2-1 Oakwood SC

Final (March 13)

Florida United 3-1 SC Wave

Year after year, Hanahan High School’s softball program produces players equipped to make a jump to the next level.

The latest is shortstop Brooke Jones, who has started at shortstop for the Hawkettes since eighth grade. The senior infielder is headed to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after graduating near the top of the 2023 class in the spring. Hanahan softball coach Katrina Moffett praised Jones for being the consummate high school athlete.

“We always talk about the most important thing is being a student before being an athlete,” Moffett said. “She’s around number six in her class. She’s a leader to the younger girls in the program and loves giving back. She’s the first to volunteer. Hands down, she’s one of the best kids all-around I’ve had the opportunity to coach. She goes above and beyond.”

Jones impresses on the diamond, too. The two-time all-state selection batted .385 last spring and drove four pitches out of the park as the Hawkettes captured their seventh straight region crown. Jones tripled five times, scored 33 runs and knocked in 20 more.

“She’s held down shortstop over the years,” Moffett said. “She’s a great vocal leader and a very dependable fielder. We can count on her to make tough plays. She’s able to hit for power and average and also lay down a bunt and leg it out.”

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is a NCAA Div. I program that competes in the Southland Conference.

The 2022 Stratford High School football team may not have owned a record that sparkled but those Knights did compete for the better part of four quarters in essentially every game.

They dropped five contests by a touchdown or less and their first-round playoff loss to eventual Lower State champion Fort Dorchester by 16 points was a three-point game in the fourth quarter. In the end, though, Stratford could only muster a 2-9 mark.

Finishing is the focus of the 2023 Knights as a new football season dawns.

“We learned a lot,” said Dennie McDaniel, Stratford coach, about the handful of close calls this past fall. “They know you’ve got to play 48 minutes of football and that sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way. It’s amazing how the teams who eliminate penalties and mental mistakes are the ones who get the ball to bounce their way. We’ve been focusing on that in practice. Hopefully, it translates on the field. We fought hard last year. This year we want to finish.”

The Knights open a rugged non-region slate Friday, Aug. 18, at home against James Island, the No. 7-ranked squad in Class AAAA by SC Prep Media. After an open date, Stratford hosts Lexington Friday, Sept. 1, before heading Friday, Sept. 8, to defending Class AAAAA champion Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes are ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA and the Wildcats No. 9.

Later in September, the Knights host another ranked squad in Summerville. The Green Wave are No. 4 in Class AAAAA.

Stratford begins the Region 6-AAAAA slate Friday, Oct. 6, at home against Cane Bay.

“I think we’re capable of competing for the region championship as long as we continue to develop,” McDaniel said. “Obviously, our non-region schedule is tough but that could prepare us for the region. If the kids continue to buy in, continue to be coachable and continue to give good effort I think we have a chance to have a pretty good ball club.”

Sophomore quarterback Jachin Davis is back for his second season as the starter and enters the campaign with an offer from the University of Cincinnati. He has a strong arm and pretty good wheels. Behind him are junior running back Kerwin Squire, senior Brandon Steele and sophomore Eric McCrary.

Davis’s targets in the passing game will be junior slot receivers Tyler Woodcox and Warrick Yoder, and outside receivers sophomore JQ Crosby, senior Shaun Copeland and junior Derrick Peterson. Woodcox hauled in a touchdown pass from Davis to give the Knights a 7-0 victory against Colleton County Friday, Aug. 11, in the Moncks Corner Lions Club jamboree.

Junior tight ends Jacob Deacon and Makael Wagner will get some looks through the air, too.

“I feel really good about it,” McDaniel said. “We’ve had some young guys really develop over the summer time. I’m excited to see what they’re going to do this season. For the first time since I’ve been the coach here, I feel really good about our offensive and defensive lines. We’ve got a lot of guys who have gotten stronger in the weight room. We’re back to a Stratford standard. We’ve got some guys squatting over 500 and benching over 300.”

McDaniel said the offensive front figures to get more push than it has in a while, with several college prospects in the group. Senior left guard Landon Stradcutter is the anchor and has some scholarship offers. Juniors on the line are left tackle DJ Crawford and right tackle Wes Snowden. Center Ben Jordan and right guard Jameson Pelham are sophomores.

On defense, the Knights are set to start 10 upperclassmen: six seniors and four juniors.

Seniors Tristan Richardson and Silas Carr are on the line along with juniors Cartel Dawson and Otis Gardner.

The second level looks like the strength on this side of the ball. Senior outside linebackers Ahnrei McMillian and Tre Davis have played a lot of ball over the years. Senior Josh Faucett and junior Darrell Holmes are moving to inside linebacker from other spots.

Senior Wes Aleff, a former receiver who picked off a pass late to secure Stratford’s win in the jamboree, is in the secondary along with junior Danelle Wynn and sophomore Francis Lloyd.

“What I like is this group is hardworking and plays for each other,” McDaniel said. “There are no real egos. We’ve had some players change positions and they’re like whatever you need us to do. I think this could be the best team we’ve had (under McDaniel) as long as we stay injury free and keep playing for each other.”

A restaurant brings Texas-style barbecue to South Carolina — and customers can’t get enough.

So much so, it now ranks as the No. 1 place to eat barbecue in the Palmetto State, according to results published March 23.

Lewis Barbecue, located in the popular tourist destination of Charleston, topped the list after the restaurant review website Yelp studied restaurants that serve the smoked staple. It then “ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning” barbecue over time, results show.

Yelp stoked the longtime barbecue debate after users gave Lewis Barbecue more than four out of five stars.

Some customers took to the website to praise the restaurant’s beef brisket, pork ribs and other favorites. And several said they were fans of the barbecue joint’s inviting atmosphere and quality customer service.

While Lewis Barbecue has expanded its footprint to Greenville, its location on North Nassau Street in Charleston is the one that received the honor from Yelp.

John Lewis, who grew up in Texas, started his namesake restaurant in 2016, according to its website. Over the years, he has become known for his “legendary” beef brisket, the restaurant’s most popular dish and one that historically has helped to define barbecue from the Lone Star State.

Meanwhile, South Carolina is a state that boasts a variety of barbecue sauces — but only one smoked meat reigns supreme. As Southern Living reported in January, “winning over a bunch of pork-eating Carolinians” is part of what makes Lewis Barbecue’s success impressive.

“Barbecue in South Carolina means pork and only pork,” the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism said on its website. “Other things, such as beef and chicken, can be barbecued, but only pork is referred to as barbecue.”

The rankings were released after a different Charleston barbecue joint earned the top spot on another statewide list. Southern Living recently named Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ the best in South Carolina after it surveyed its readers, The State reported March 10.