Woodruff High School Athletic Alumni Association, Inc.

09/05/2026

So proud of our newest members of the Woodruff High School Athletic Hall of Fame!🎉

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

2026 Night of Champions
Coach Mike Morris, Athletic Director, wrote a synopsis of each of these teams:

1966
Coming off a perfect 12-0 state championship season in 1965, the 1966 Wolverines finished with an 8-2-2 record. The Wolverines would again claim another region title with a 16-12 win over the Clinton Red Devils. The Wolverines would travel to Daniel for the upper-state title game and lose 7-6 in a hard fought matchup. Captains of the 1966 Wolverines were Wayne Sloan and Jerry Landrum. Coaches for the 1966 Wolverines were W.L. Varner, Melvin Bouknight, Keith Richardson, and Dennis Varner. 60 years!

1976
Coming off a state championship in 1975, the 1976 Wolverines did not disappoint. Regarded as one of the finest teams to ever wear the Wolverine uniform, the 76 team would finish 13-0-1 and claim its 2nd straight state title. The team would set a school record with 512 points for the season and only allowed 40 points in 14 games. The Wolverines would shut out all 4 playoff opponents including the Lake View Gators 31-0 in the state championship game. Coaches for the 76 Wolverines were W.L. Varner, Shell Dula, Larry Minish, Steve Candler, and Jerry Houston. 50 years!

1986
Coming off a strong season in 1985, the Wolverines would finish 5-5 during the 1986 campaign. The Wolverines would post wins over Traveler’s Rest, Crescent, Liberty, Pendleton, and Chesnee. The team played hard and Coach Varner stated, “This team was in 9 of our 10 games and had chances to win several more games.” Coaches for the 1986 team were W.L. Varner, Gordon Godfrey, Sam Sloan, Rick Southgate, and Dick Williams. 40 years!

1996
Playing a tough schedule and injuries to multiple key players hurt the 1996 Wolverines. The team started 0-4 and finished with a record of 4-7 and a 3rd place finish in the region. This would be Coach Varner’s final season at the helm of the Wolverine football program. He would record his 383rd and final victory over Woodmont 14-6. Coaches for the 1996 team were W.L. Varner, Doug McNairy, Mark Dempsey, Randy Grant, Scott Lawson, and Gordon Godfrey. 30 years!

2006
The 2006 Wolverines were much improved after a 5-6 record in 2005. The Wolverines would finish the season with a 9-3 record. They would defeat the Broome Centurions for the region title before falling to Batesburg-Leesville in the playoffs. Coaches of the team were Freddie Brown, Mike West, Bennie Gibson, Will Lanford, Sheil Wood, Scott Adkins, Chip Hitchcock, Curtis Nash, Chip Hitchcock, and Rodney Bridges. 20 years!

08/30/2026

Congratulations, Diego!🏈

08/29/2026

It was a great reunion!

08/29/2026

“Night of Champions” honoring the football players from ‘66, ‘76, ‘86, ‘96 and ‘06 as they walked onto the field at halftime

08/29/2026

Tonight at halftime was “Night of Champions” honoring the football teams from 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996 and 2006. It proved to be a great reunion!!🏈

08/29/2026

Tonight was a very special night at WL Varner Stadium! Pregame we got to honor Ruthie Sheffield, our 2026 “Spirit of Champions” Scholarship recipient. This year we celebrate our 42nd year awarding this scholarship. Ruthie was accompanied by her parents, Rob and Nicole Sheffield.

The following former scholarship recipients were present to welcome Ruthie and show their support:
Tony Davis 1985
Travis Casey 1994
Jennifer Perry Smith 1996
Cody Halloran 2017
Brooke Bailey 2021

The $2000 scholarship was sent to Clemson University where Ruthie plans to major in engineering. While at WHS she excelled in volleyball, softball and strength. She was 4 time All Region in volleyball and softball. She was Power Clean State Champion in 10th, 11th and 12th grades, power cleaning the top weight for all females. Ruthie was Female Strength State Champion for 2025 lifting 170 pounds and she was the SC Strength Coaches Association Female Athlete of the Year.

Congratulations to Ruthie and we wish her great success at Clemson University and in her future career.

Former athletes, WHS alumni, and Wolverine fans may join the Woodruff High School Athletic Alumni Association in support of this scholarship program. Dues are $25 a year and checks payable to WHSAAA can be sent to Beth Grant, Secretary-Treasurer, 2040 SJ Workman Highway, Woodruff, SC 29388 or by Venmo -AthleticAlu

08/13/2026

Jim Rentz (WHS Class of ‘59) was cofounder of this organization in 1984. His legacy lives on as we continue to provide college scholarships for Woodruff High School athletes. This is the 42nd year that the “Spirit of Champions”Scholarship has been awarded. We are grateful for Jim’s insightful contribution to WHS athletics by setting up a way for Wolverines of the past to support and honor our Wolverines of the present. We are grateful for Jim’s outstanding leadership through the years; he will be missed, but never forgotten!
“Once a Wolverine, always a Wolverine!”

View Rev. Dr. James Norman Rentz, Sr.'s obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

01/21/2026

Due to the high probability of severe weather conditions, we have decided to cancel the event for Saturday, January 24th. We do not have plans to reschedule. Thank you to all who have given their support.