FRIDAY SPORTS: HS football kicks off tonight; 5 Gamecocks on All-SEC list; Clemson hoops schedule released

*The 2013 high school football season gets underway Friday night for the West-Oak Warriors. The Warriors will host the Travelers Rest Devildogs at 7:30 PM at Warrior Field in Westminster. Elsewhere, the Daniel Day Jamboree is Friday night in Central at Singleton Field. Walhalla will take part, facing Blacksburg. Daniel will face Spartanburg and Liberty plays Christ Church. The games begin at 6:30 PM.

*The season gets underway on the national stage Saturday afternoon for the Byrnes Rebels from Duncan. Byrnes will host Apopka High School from Florida on ESPN beginning at 12:00 PM.

*Five USC players earned preseason All-SEC honors in from the league’s coaches. Heisman-favorite Jadeveon Clowney made the first team. Bruce Ellington as an all-purpose sepcialist on the first team. Ellington also made the third team as a return specialist. Tight end Rory Anderson and offensive lineman A.J. Cann made the second team offense, and tackle Kelcy Quarles made the second team defense.

*The 2013-14 Clemson men’s basketball schedule was released Thursday by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clemson’s non-conference schedule will include games against Arkansas and Auburn. Clemson has played Arkansas just once in its history, in 1961-62. The schedule also features a trip to the Lowcountry for the Charleston Classic in November. One interesting note is the November 17th game against South Carolina. It will mark the first time in modern history the two have played on the hardwood before playing in football. The full schedule can be viewed online at clemsontigers.com.

*Furman baseball coach Ron Smith announced Thursday that Landon Powell has joined the program as the Paladins’ volunteer assistant coach. Powell, a former All-America catcher at South Carolina, was a 2004 Major League Baseball First Round Draft selection of the Oakland Athletics who spent six seasons in professional baseball, including three years with the Athletics

*In the majors on Thursday, St. Louis took a 6-2 win over Atlanta. The series continues Friday night at 8:10 PM.

*NFL preseason play on Thursday saw Carolina defeat Baltimore 34-27 thanks to three defensive scores for the Panthers.

*The Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun finally admitted Thursday that he’d taken performance-enhancing drugs during his National League MVP season in 2011. Braun, who’s currently suspended, said in a statement released by the Brewers that he took a cream and a lozenge containing banned substances while rehabilitating an injury.

*Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was indicted Thursday on first-degree murder and weapons charges in the death of a 27-year-old friend whose body was found in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez’ home. Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player, had been dating the sister of Hernandez’s girlfriend.