Spartanburg spoils Lexington girls lacrosse repeat bid. AC Flora boys fall in finals
Spartanburg and Lexington were back in the Class 5A Division II girls lacrosse state championship and once again battling it out for ultimate bragging rights.
In the end, Spartanburg got revenge for last year’s title loss to Lexington. The Vikings beat the Wildcats 8-4 in the title game on Saturday at Irmo High’s W.C. Hawkins Stadium.
“It’s like a redemption year,” Spartanburg head coach Aubrie Lauderdale said. “We saw them earlier this year and we knew how hard it is to beat somebody twice. They’ve definitely improved, and they’re well-coached, and they put a good squad out there. So it’s equally as impressive that they made it back. And I think if we wanted to see anybody, it was them, so we could really get our redemption today.”
Both teams scored a goal apiece in the first two quarters of play. Spartanburg’s Evers Morris scored the first goal of the game, giving the Vikings a 1-0 lead with 6:35 remaining in the first. Lexington was able to knot the game up at 1-1 with 3:35 left in the first quarter thanks to a goal from Charleigh Taylor.
Spartanburg regained a lead (2-1) shortly into the second quarter with a goal from Addie Usry. The Vikings’ lead was short-lived. A goal from Lily Sundell tied the game for Lexington at 2-2 before halftime.
Lexington got its first lead of the game thanks to an early goal from McKenna Bowen in the third quarter. The Wildcats’ lead lasted just 55 seconds.
The Vikings scored three unanswered goals to end the third quarter (two of which came from Addie Usry) to take a 5-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
Spartanburg continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter. The Vikings scored three goals in the final five minutes of the game to clinch the victory. Lexington had a few opportunities late but could only score once with 57 seconds left on the clock.
Usry and fellow senior Virginia Delaney combined for five points in the game. Seniors Saffy Evans and Martha Barre also added a goal each.
“It was a team effort,” Lauderdale said. “We got a leading scorer, we got a second leading scorer, but we had kids step up tonight who maybe don’t score as often and they did what we needed to win the game, so it means everything.”
Bowen was responsible for two of Lexington’s goals. She had support from Taylor and freshman Anna Jane Early.
Oceanside cruises by AC Flora
Oceanside beat A.C. Flora 18-7 in the Class 4A Division I boys lacrosse state championship Saturday. The victory gave the Landsharks back-to-back state title wins and their fourth championship in program history (2018, 2019, 2025 and 2026).
For the first few minutes of the game it looked like AC Flora was going to give Oceanside a run for its money. The Falcons came out hot and took a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes after goals from John Grove and Brycen Gray.
Oceanside proceeded to score seven unanswered goals to take a 7-2 lead early in the second quarter. Flora broke the scoring streak thanks to a goal halfway through the second quarter from Lee Payne. That goal cut Oceanside’s lead to 7-3. The Landsharks scored two more goals in the first half and took a 9-3 lead into halftime.
“I’m really happy with how the boys responded to that, because it could have easily gone the other way,” Oceanside head coach Tom Harris said.
The Falcons struggled to find any momentum in the second half, other than two goals in a minute from Pope Johnson. Oceanside added five more goals in the third quarter and built a 14-5 lead. The Landsharks secured another state title after scoring another four more goals in the fourth.
Sophomore Ian Long (six goals) and senior Titus Gilliam (four goals) combined to score 11 points in the game. Sophomores Miller Seaton (two goals) and Charlie Funk (two goals) also scored multiple times for Oceanside. A.C. Flora was led by Pope Johnson’s two goals.
“Winning back-to-back state titles … it means everything,” Gilliam said.
This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 5:42 PM.
