Electrician Contractor in Camden, SC

Sam Kendall's and Battle Arena are two businesses in downtown Camden hoping to help students with a job.

KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Good news for students looking for work while school is out this summer. According to the SC Department of Employment Workforce (SCDEW), seasonal or part-time work is more abundant than it has been in recent years.

Several shops in Kershaw County are putting the help wanted sign up for kids as the school year ends.

Sam Kendall's restaurant in Downtown Camden is hoping to welcome students to the food industry. Owner Jonathan Bazinet said they are looking to fill several positions.

"I would say we're hiring for all positions -- sever, host, bar, kitchen. There is a little opportunity everywhere," Bazinet said. "You're going to work hard and work fast, but you are going to make a few bucks."

Bazinet hopes those entering the food industry to serve will treat others how they want to be treated. "You learn about how you want to be treated and how you want to treat other people."

Sam Kendall's is not the only business in the city looking to hire.

Battle Arena, a new game site in Camden, is ready to get kids to work, too. Manager Patrick Lee said they have several different sections students can work in.

"We got two nerf gun arenas where they can be an attendant to a host up to twenty people. We also have laser, tag where they can also be a host to those individuals, as well," Lee said. "We have a kid zone as well for children under six, where they can host and monitor. We will be opening opportunities soon. We have extended our hours."

Lee said employees will gain several skills from their time working at the arena, including "leadership, managerial skills, being able to motive others, energize and stay positive, that's the main thing here."

Battle Arena employee Olivia Richie, who is still in high school, said she has learned a lot from her first job, including "how to better work with young children, and work with co-workers since this is my first job."

Lee says Battle Arena looks to have six positions ready soon.

Top 15 defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod is fresh off visit to LSU and Georgia, and he will be at Michigan on an official visit at end of this week.

Those are three of the schools to make the top six for the Camden (S.C.) High prospect.

"Not in (any) order but LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida, Michigan and South Carolina.

The 6-foot-4, 324-pound McLeod is the No. 13 defensive lineman in 247Sports' rankings, and he has made his share of unofficial visits, including several trips to Georgia and South Carolina as well as unofficials to Texas A&M and Florida. The trip to LSU was his first official, and Michigan is next.

McLeod broke down each of his top six schools:

Florida: "Florida is the one of the best visits but it was professional. I understood where I stand and how I can impact the program where I can play and it’s good to be informed on these things because your not trying to feel unwelcomed in a school's atmosphere or environment so I try feel as comfortable and be myself as much as I can."

Georgia: "Georgia (defensive line) coach (Tray) Scott is a hard working coach and he’s definitely putting guys in the league that want to work hard for it and achieve goals. He's a great guy outside of football and we have a really good relationship since sophomore season really."

LSU: "LSU is a good program that I think I can fit into a scheme and play early and make an impact on the game there. Same with all the schools that I’m dealing with."

Michigan: "Michigan have been working hard for me to come up and they have been on me hard in the recruiting process.

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South Carolina: "The home school has the advantage. You will always be loved by your home town and I think coach (Shane) Beamer is really building a program, and that’s a good environment to be in."

Texas A&M: "They are a great program all around, up front, defense-wise and I already know where I stand with them so I’m pleased with what I’ve been hearing. And possibly could also be a fit and last but not least."

2023 defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod out of Camden (SC) released his top six teams late on Wednesday, including the Florida Gators among the pack. The team has seen plenty of recruits giving them high marks and McLeod is the latest to do so.

Currently, McLeod, 6-foot-5, 319 pounds, is ranked as a four-star athlete and the No. 27 defensive lineman in the country, according to On3 consensus. He is also ranked as the No. 205 player nationally and the No. 3 player in the state of South Carolina.

Along with Florida, McLeod included LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Michigan and South Carolina among his top teams to decide between. With recruiting visits and the like slowing down, these top-team lists will become ever more prevalent as many recruits have been making their decisions earlier than not.

McLeod first received an offer from Florida on March 14, 2022, becoming a later addition to the program's perceived recruiting board. He's taken at least one unofficial visit to the university since the new staff got on board and is currently being recruited by Florida defensive line coach Sean Spencer.

Speaking with 247Sports, McLeod broke down each of his top six schools, and had this to say about Florida:

"Florida is the one of the best visits but it was professional. I understood where I stand and how I can impact the program where I can play and it’s good to be informed on these things because your not trying to feel unwelcomed in a school's atmosphere or environment so I try feel as comfortable and be myself as much as I can."

The Gators are in the running for several different defensive linemen in this year's recruiting class and have made it a priority to secure at least several of them within the group. Thus far, the team has yet to land a big-body player like McLeod, but has landed a "JACK" or weakside edge rusher in Isaiah Nixon.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

After having three defensive linemen drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Georgia assistant Tray Scott is looking to reload at his position in the 2023 cycle. He could take a massive step in that direction soon, as Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley four-star defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett has set his commitment date for July 19. Jarrett hinted at this timeline when talking to Dawgs247 earlier this week.

"To be honest I might cut down my last officials and make a decision this summer or early or late July," Jarrett said. "These three schools have really set the tone for my family and, UNC, Auburn, and UGA really been on my mind."

The 6-foot-5, 358-pound prospect is coming off an official visit to Georgia last weekend, following trips to North Carolina and Auburn.

"The people stood out of course, and the school," Jarrett said. "Being able to tour the school and being able to see what life would be like for me if I were to go there really stood out to me and made my visit great."

If the Dawgs prevail in Jarrett's recruitment, he says it will be for a multitude of reasons.

"Them knowing my family," Jarrett said. "My family bond is so strong with them. The love I have from the coaches and the staff and the home feeling I have every time I’m on campus."

Considered the nation's No. 176 overall prospect, No. 26 defensive lineman, and No. 3 overall prospect in North Carolina according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Jarrett feels Coach Scott would unlock his tremendous potential.

"I know Coach Scott is gonna work the dog outta me and turn me into the monster the Sec wants and needs," Jarrett said. "I also know that he’s gonna love me like his own and treat me with respect. And I respect the hell outta Coach Scott and Coach Carson Hall."

Scott is hoping to build an interior defensive line class that combines size and versatility, and Jarrett, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic four-star Sydir Mitchell, Montgomery (Ala.) Carver five-star James Smith, Camden (S.C.) four-star Xzavier McLeod, and Jacksonville (Fla.) Westside four-star Jordan Hall all check those boxes. Kamran James, Tavion Gadson, and Kelby Collins all have impressive frames and could also project to anywhere on the defensive front.

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Camden Tennis Center is in preparation mode as the event kicks off Thursday

CAMDEN, S.C. — Camden is getting ready to welcome hundreds visitors and it's first pickleball tournament this week.

What is pickleball, you ask? It's a paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis.

The Tennis Center of Camden will host the 2022 South Carolina Cup, a pickleball tournament sanctioned by the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), which selected Camden as the host city.

Hundreds of fans are expected to be in attendance at the APP South Carolina Open Pickleball Tournament Thursday, April 14 - Sunday, April 17 in Camden.

Rick Martin, Director of Tennis and Pickleball at the Tennis Center of Camden, says they have been preparing for the tournament for quite some time.

"We've been working for weeks now, you know, just beautifying the facility, getting the facility ready we've painted courts," Martin said.

There will be seventeen pickleball courts ready for play.

"We're gonna be lining courts, taping things off, we have portable nets coming in," Martin said.

His crews are also making sure the parking lot will be prepared for the abundance of people coming to the event.

"The parking lot is going to be very very full this weekend," Martin said. "We're also going to be using the Camden High School parking, as well. We have 415 players playing this weekend, and we're expecting 400-500 people daily."

Martin says they are expecting the number of volunteers to grow over the coming days, but they still need assistance.

"We really need to have 150 volunteers, and presently we have about 100, maybe just a little over a hundred, so we're really looking for some volunteers this weekend," Martin said. Volunteers will be doing anything from court monitoring to just helping people find their way around the facility.

Play starts Thursday at 8 a.m. and will run until 5 p.m. daily, ending on Sunday.

To volunteer or get more information, contact the Tennis Center of Camden at (803) 432-0252 or tennispickleball@camdensc.org.