A new football tradition has been launched in the community pitting Mount Pleasant high schools Wando and Lucy Beckham against one another as they compete for a unique trophy and local bragging rights.
The inaugural Sweetgrass Bowl was played on Nov. 1, 2024, at District 2 Regional Stadium, with the Wando Warriors winning a tight battle over the Bengals in the first annual contest.
An homage to Mount Pleasant history and the Gullah Geechee cultural tradition of sweetgrass basketmaking, the trophy, made from sweetgrass and other types of grasses and awarded to the winning team by the Town of Mount Pleasant, is a literal work of art.
According to the Town of Mount Pleasant’s communications office, Mount Pleasant sweetgrass basket artisan Lynette Youson handcrafted the football-shaped trophy, which took about two months to complete. It includes coarse sweetgrass, bound with palmetto tree fronds and laced with pine needles, while the stand is made from bulrush and sweetgrass.
Youson, a fifth-generation basket weaver whose work has been displayed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, has been creating sweetgrass baskets and other art for more than 50 years. She learned from her great-grandmother, and now she has taught her daughters and granddaughters the same craft.
Youson dedicates her time at the Sweetgrass Pavilion at Memorial Waterfront Park to weaving baskets and educating residents and visitors about the art form’s history, which dates to the 1700s in the Lowcountry, with origins in West Africa. When West African slaves were brought to South Carolina, they continued their tradition of weaving baskets made from grass. Descendants of those slaves in the Gullah community have passed down the trade over the generations. The town hosts an annual Sweetgrass Festival in July to promote and create awareness of the contributions of Gullah culture and traditions and the sweetgrass basket art form that originated in Mount Pleasant.
Mayor Will Haynie and town council members unveiled the trophy on Oct. 29, 2024, at District 2 Regional Stadium. Later that week on Nov. 1, Wando narrowly defeated Lucy Beckham in a defensive struggle 10-7 to claim the first-ever Sweetgrass Bowl title.
In a nail-biting thriller played before a sellout crowd, the two teams were locked in a 7-7 tie late into the fourth quarter until Wando’s placekicker Jake Huston hit a 37-yard field goal with 4:58 remaining that turned out to be the game’s deciding points. From there, Wando’s defense stood strong and preserved the lead.
Wando blanked Lucy Beckham’s offense in the first half, highlighted by a goal line stand as time expired in the second quarter, allowing them to take a 7-0 lead into the break. The Bengals found some offense on their opening drive of the third quarter, grinding out a long march that culminated in a game-tying 1-yard touchdown run. However, they couldn’t muster any more points after that drive as the late field goal proved the difference.
The budding gridiron rivalry between Wando and Lucy Beckham began in 2022, resulting in a Lucy Beckham victory. With Wando’s win this year, Lucy Beckham now leads the overall series 2-1.
By Colin McCandless
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