TheState.com: MidlandsPreps

Cardinals discover repeat formula

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22 EDT

The Cardinal Newman girls had a long road back to the 2012 SCISA soccer final, but on May 12 at South Carolina’s Stone Field, the Cardinals finished their journey, defeating Porter-Gaud to win their second consecutive SCISA Class 3A title.

First-year coach Kathleen Pollard talked to The State about setting the bar high.

So, what was it like taking over an already successful program?

I felt a lot of pressure. I had been the junior varsity coach the year before, but I didn’t know any of the varsity girls or their parents really. It’s only my second year coaching out of college, but everybody was really supportive. When I first started, I was pretty strict. I wanted to get a point across that I was serious, that I may be young but I know soccer. I was just trying to push it to another level, giving them a perspective they’ve never had before from a coach, especially as a female. Once I felt like I had earned my spot and respect and the players were buying in, some of that pressure went away. It was a great opportunity.

What was the most important thing you wanted to bring to your team?

Attitude sends Falcons to top

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22 EDT

On May 16, The A.C. Flora Falcons went to Fort Mill as contenders, and came home as Class 3A baseball state champions.

Spurred by big plays from players such as Everett Eynon and Jake Lewis, the Falcons defeated Fort Mill 3-0 and 13-6 to take the title for the first time since 2007.

Coach Andy Hallett talked to The State about being king of the hill again.

How did you feel about the team you had at the start of the season?

Everyone contributed to Gilbert’s title run

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22 EDT

On their home field on May 16, the Gilbert Indians captured the 2012 Class 2A baseball championship.

The Indians (30-2) posted a 8-3 win at Hanahan in the first game of the best-of-three series, and with pitching from Mike Morrison and Connor Owings, won game two 3-2.

The championship is the Indians’ first since 2008.

In between being recognized by the state legislature and grilling up some celebratory steaks, coach Ashley Burnett spoke with The State about the championship.

Dreher breakthrough

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22 EDT

At Spring Valley on May 12, the Dreher High boys track and field team accomplished a feat the Blue Devils had not achieved in decades. The Blue Devils dominated the field in the Class 3A state finals, claiming the championship with a score of 88, 30 points above runner-up South Pointe.

The team’s victory highlighted the importance of teamwork, underscored the successes of outgoing sprint star Brandon Sanders and signaled a bright future for the Blue Devils’ program.

Hall of Fame coach Daniel Brooks spoke to The State about the long-awaited championship.

DComing into the season, did you feel like your team had the tools to win the state championship?

Wildcats roar in Oberly’s debut

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22 EDT

On May 12, the Lexington Wildcats snagged their first boys track and field state championship. The Wildcats opened the meet at Spring Valley by setting a state record in the 3,200 relay and sealed their victory with a third place finish in the 1,600 relay — run by four athletes who were appearing in the state final for the first time.

Lexington edged Spring Valley by 10 points to earn its place in the record books.

First-year coach Matt Oberly talked to The State about the achievement.

Did you know going into this season that your team could win the state title?

It was probably a project that I didn’t think would happen my first year. We had a lot of kids from cross country that had experience running in the big meets. But my goal at the beginning of the season was to win region championship, and a lot more kids were involved in that. But we were able to do that, and then with the qualifiers we tried to get as many people out as we could. There were a lot of other teams and a lot of other variables, and I definitely was not sure that it would happen this year.

Q&A: Rodgers revels after Chapin tennis three-peat

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22 EDT

Three years ago, Chapin tennis coach John Rodgers was celebrating the first Class 3A state championship of his career.

That victory opened the floodgates.

This year, Rodgers and the Eagles can tout a third consecutive title after defeating Nation Ford 6-0 on May 12.

Rodgers answered some questions from The State about the experience of claiming a three-peat.

What was the biggest difference from last year’s championship to this?

Falcons back on top

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:32 EDT

It took five hours — including a long lightning delay — for A.C. Flora to complete a Class 3A baseball state championship series sweep and a perfect 8-0 run through the 2012 playoffs on Wednesday in Fort Mill.

But the Falcons and hundreds of their fans who rode up I-77 in three chartered buses didn’t mind that the celebration began at midnight.

“People are going to remember this for a lot of different reasons,” A.C. Flora coach Andy Hallett said.

At the top of the list is the 13-6 win against host Fort Mill that brought an end to the third championship season in school history. A.C. Flora’s previous titles were in 2001 and 2007.

“Every (championship) team is different, but this one is pretty special because it started and ended the season at No. 1 and was able to bounce back from a rough patch there in the middle of the season when we lost five of six games coming out of spring break,” said Hallett, who is 327-130 in 15 seasons as the Falcons coach.

Flora powerhouse garners another title

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:33 EDT

The use of the word “dynasty” in sporting circles often is overused.

But not in the case of the A.C. Flora boys golf team, which has won three consecutive Class 3A state championships, five of the past six and seven in the past 10 seasons under coach Harry Huntley.

The bad news for the rest of the classification is that with no seniors and one junior in the starting lineup, the Falcons figure to keep the beat going for the foreseeable future.

The most recent triumph came at the expense of Chapin in a one-hole playoff after the Region 6 rivals finished the two-day, 36-hole season finale on Tuesday at Hackler Course on the Coastal Carolina campus with identical team scores of 607.

Flora prevailed in overtime for the second year in a row with a birdie on the extra hole by sophomore Will Marter.

Pitching, timely hitting lift Indians to title

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:23 EDT

As Gilbert baseball coach Ashley Burnett pointed out, “it’s all about the kids,” and Wednesday night at Gilbert, the kids were all right.

The Indians got a strong pitching performance from Mike Morrison to go with solid defense and timely hitting to beat Hanahan 3-2 and win the Class 2A state championship with a two-game sweep in the best two-of-three series.

“It’s exciting for our kids,” Burnett said. “I’m tickled to death. It’s sweet every time.”

It was Gilbert’s third state championship since 2006 and the first since 2008.

“We’ve been battling for four straight years to get this done, and it’s everything we heard it would be,” Morrison said.

Gilbert falls just short of berth in state title game

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:36 EDT

Indian Land secured the Upper State title and a slot in Saturday’s Class 2A boys soccer championship game with a 3-2 defeat of Gilbert in overtime on Tuesday.

The host Gilbert Indians (22-3) faced an Indian Land squad determined not to have a repeat of their 2011 meeting.

In 2011, the Indians defeated Indian Land 4-2 on the way to their state runner-up finish.

This year, Indian Land clinched its first state title berth after two minutes of overtime play, when Nick Outen scored on a crossing shot. When lightning struck close to home, with 4:43 left in the second overtime half, Gilbert coach Kevin Darlington urged the Indians not to hang their heads.

In the final minutes, the Indians continued to battle, getting off a half-dozen glancing blows, but could not land a shot to force penalty kicks.

A.C. Flora tops Chapin in playoff

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:20 EDT

Chapin’s Will Stark won medalist honors with a 138, but A.C. Flora outlasted the Eagles in a playoff to win the Class 3A boys golf state championship Tuesday at Coastal Carolina’s Hackler Course.

Team scores – AC Flora 607, Chapin 607, Ft. Mill 625, Hilton Head 627, Nation Ford 628, Greenville 633, St. James 635, Hartsville 639, Traveler’s Rest 639, Eastside 642, Bluffton 651, South Pointe 652, York 655, Daniel 657, North Myrtle Beach 677, Midland Valley 685.

Individual Scores – Will Starke (Chapin) 138, Will Hicks (Camden) Nick Eberhardt (Ft. Mill) Wick Andrews (A.C. Flora) 145 (3-way tie), Hunter Nichols (Clinton) 147, Andrew Orischak (Hilton Head) 149, Wes Stancell (Pickens) 150, Drake Cassidey (Hartsville) 150, Alan Crum (St. James) 151, Briar Herd (South Pointe) 152, Will Marter (A.C. Flora) 152

Pendleton holds to claim title

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:21 EDT

The Pendleton boys golf squad held onto its first-day lead to walk away from Indian River Golf course with the Class 2A championship on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs scored a two-day 610, edging runner-up Bishop England by four strokes.

Pendleton had held a 10-stroke after the first 18 holes.

Bishop England pushed hard for a comeback, and was two strokes off the lead in the final four holes.

“I tried not to let the team see the nervousness in my face, but I was nervous,” Pendleton coach Tim Wood said.

Matz and Thomas join Lower Richland team

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:20 EDT

At Lower Richland, the Diamond Hornets are preparing for a successful 2012-13 athletics season, beginning with two new appointments to the athletics staff.

Bob Matz, who began his career at Lower Richland from 1989 to 2001, returns as athletics director; 22-year veteran coach Willie Thomas takes the helm of the Diamond Hornets’ boys basketball program.

“We’ve got two gentlemen that are going to help the kids and the school immensely,” principal Kelvin Wymbs said. “The tradition here is that athletics have always been strong and I’m looking forward to both of these men working with our program to continue that.”

Both will begin their duties in June.

“I guess I call it home, and I’m excited to be back here,” said Matz, who spent the past few years as Spring Valley softball coach before deciding last year to focus on administration.

Bearcats bow out + photo gallery

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:18 EDT

Hilton Head emerged from The Cage victorious on Monday night, defeating host Brookland-Cayce 5-2 to advance to the Class 3A soccer championship.

Photo gallery

“I’m just proud of the season they’ve had,” Brookland-Cayce coach Katie Smith said. “What’s so great about this group of seniors is they give it their all.”

The Bearcats fought hard against a fast and physical Hilton Head squad, but the Seahawks posted three second-half goals to cement their victory.

Brookland-Cayce senior Noel McDaniel scored in the final minute to set the final score.

Early slam sets the pace

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:32 EDT

For the second time in three years, the Hanahan Hawks baseball team hosted Game 1 of the Class 2A state championship series.

And for the second time in three years, the Hawks fell behind 4-0 early in the game and could not recover.

Gilbert catcher Collins Shirley staked his team to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning Monday night when he hit a Kyle Dyson fastball over the wall in left center for a grand slam, which ignited the Indians to an 8-3 victory before a standing-room-only crowd at Sportsman Field.

Two years ago, Chesnee traveled to Hanahan and took a 4-0 lead in the second inning en route to an 11-0 victory. Chesnee claimed the state crown in three games in 2010.

Gilbert (29-2) can win its third title since 2006 with a victory at home on Wednesday.

Gilbert twins never far apart

Sat, 12 May 2012 21:00 EDT

Jenna and Jared Williams were born one minute apart, and ever since that has been the most distance between them.

The twins have been on a parallel course for most of their lives, and it continued on Friday when both contended for Class 2A Upper State titles — older twin Jenna with the Gilbert softball team, Jared with the Gilbert baseball team.

Both were playing games at the same time on nearby fields.

“It’s disappointing when we can’t watch each other’s games, we can’t even see each other’s scoreboards,” Jenna said.

In between cheering for her Indians’ teammates on the softball diamond, Jenna listens for Jared to be called up to bat.

Sanders, Devils finish with a flourish

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:42 EDT

Dreher sprinter Brandon Sanders handed off the baton one last time in the Class 3A track and field finals at Spring Valley on Saturday.

Sophomore Bradford Lemmons took that baton and sailed on the anchor leg of the 1,600-meter relay, sealing the Blue Devils’ first team state title since 1960.

“It felt great, it was such an emotional moment,” Lemmons said. “We had to do this for Brandon.”

Sanders helped power the Blue Devils by notching individual championships in the 100 and 200 meters. The future USC runner has won both events in each of his four years with Dreher. Meet officials believe Sanders is first runner in state history to accomplish that feat.

But coming off the track after his 21.40 second finish in the 200, Sanders was more excited about Lemmons’ silver medal in the event and his team’s impending victory.

Gracious in victory: reborn Cards claim title

Sat, 12 May 2012 22:24 EDT

Cardinal Newman’s 2012 girls soccer record will go on the books at 4-20.

But the Cardinals still are the reigning SCISA power after clinching their second straight Class 3A championship with a 2-0 win against Porter-Gaud on Saturday at Stone Stadium.

Cardinal Newman was informed late in the regular season that — unknowingly — it had been using an ineligible player and would have to forfeit all of its wins.

Given the situation, Cardinal Newman needed a helping hand to qualify for postseason play.

The aid came from Augusta Christian, which finished in fourth place ahead of the Cardinals in region play after the two forfeit wins were factored in. But the Lions graciously declined the playoff invitation, opening up the final spot in the bracket for the Cardinals.

Wildcats go long to claim state crown

Sat, 12 May 2012 21:15 EDT

A few weeks ago, first-year Lexington coach Matt Oberly was laying out a plan for piloting the Wildcats’ track and field program to a state championship.

On Saturday at Spring Valley, Oberly’s plan worked out to a T — as in title. Lexington snagged the Class 4A title with 69 points to edge runner-up Spring Valley and third-place Dutch Fork.

The Wildcats, who always have had a strong foundation in distance races, received the added performance they needed from their sprinters to take home the crown.

Lexington picked up big points from Curtis Walker’s silver medal finish in the 400 and Erik Wendt’s fourth-place in the 800.

But through 13 events, Lexington had a one-point lead over Dutch Fork. The Wildcats opened the gap with a big performance in the 3,200 meters. Tony Morales led the Wildcats with a silver medal in the event. Teammates Blake White and Colby Coulter finished third and fourth respectively, earning Lexington 19 points.

Track and field state finals scoreboard

Sat, 12 May 2012 22:26 EDT

Class 4A Boys

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS: Lexington 69, Spring Valley 59, Dutch Fork 48, Spartanburg 47, Northwestern 42, Summerville 42, Richland Northeast 41, Wando 36, Beaufort 32, Stratford 30.

100: Kenny Waring (Wando) 10.70; Michael Thomas (Summ) 10.77; William Heggs (Aiken) 10.77. 200: DAvon Anderson (Summ) 21.69; Jeff Jones (Bwood) 21.80; Chavarrius Curry-Felix (RNE) 21.82. 400: Jarad Jeter (Gwood) 47.81; Curtis Walker (Lex) 48.64; Terrell Simmons (SV) 48.73. 800: Nate Gordon (Spart) 1:55.07; Connor McCormack (SV) 1:56.12; Chad Fennell (NWst) 1:56.48. 3,200: Sage Kosiorek (Boil) 9:30.72; Tony Morales (Lex) 9:32.79; Blake White (Lex) 9:33.33. 400h: Matthew Lights (Gwood) 53.67; Isaiah Lewis (Hill) 55.67; Dennis Crawford (Clo) 55.94. 400 relay: Summerville 41.56; Dorman 42.14, Richland Northeast 42.20. 1,600 relay: Spring Valley 3:17.71; Spartanburg 3:17.81; Lexington 3:20.15 HJ: Craishaud Foulks (RNE) 6-8; Taquan West (Lex) 6-6; Xzavier Killings (Dor) 6-4 Shot: David Sutton (DF) 54-7; Jaquille Oden (Spart) 53-1; Anthony Friday (SV) 51-7 Vault: Tyler Marsengill (Nwst) 14-6; Zack Connell (LE) 14-6; Richard Fish (SV) 13-6. Discus: Mathew Aleruchi (Hanna) 171-10; Dezmon Venning (Wando) 165-1; Alvin Deveaux (Strat) 158-9. 3,200 relay: Lexington 7:48.95; Spartanburg 7:54.12; Spring Valley 7:58.96. LJ: Phillipe Williams (DF) 23-10.5; Kenny Waring (Wando) 23-9; Chavarius Curry Felix (RNE) 23-9. TJ: EJ Reddick (Mauldin) 46-11; Phillipe Williams (DF) 46-4.5; William Ray (Nwst) 45-4.

Class 3A Boys

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS: Dreher 88, South Pointe 58, Hilton Head 52, Darlington 48, Daniel 42, Lower Richland 42, Chapin 30, N. Myrtle Beach 23, Myrtle Beach 21, Greer 18, Seneca 18