Who is the Midlands’ best boys high school sports team this year? Cast your vote now
It was a successful year in the Midlands with more than 20 teams winning state championships.
Now, it’s your turn to vote for the area’s top boys team of the year. To qualify, a team must have won a state championship in the 2025-26 school year.
Voting runs through June 30 at noon (you can vote as many times as you like), and winners will be announced on Lou Bezjak’s X/Twitter page that afternoon.
High School Boys Team of Year
AC Flora baseball: The Falcons captured the Class 4A championship by sweeping Airport in head coach Andy Hallett’s final season. Hallett won eight titles in his 29 seasons at the school. AC Flora finished the season by winning its final 17 games, the longest winning streak in Hallett’s tenure at the school.
AC Flora boys tennis: The Falcons defeated Bishop England 6-0 for their second-straight Class 4A state championship. It is the boys program’s sixth state title. AC Flora is the first program since Oceanside Collegiate, a public charter school in Mount Pleasant, to win boys and girls tennis titles in the same year.
CA Johnson basketball: The Green Hornets defeated Bethune Bowman 72-64 for the Class A championship. It was CA Johnson’s third title in program history and first since 2014.
Cardinal Newman soccer: Quade Wilson scored the game’s only goal as Cardinals defeated Porter-Gaud 1-0 for the program’s seventh-straight SCISA championship and 14th overall. The Cards finished the season with 14 shutouts, including seven in the final eight matches.
Cardinal Newman wrestling: The Cardinals captured their third-straight SCISA championship with a 54-22 win over Ben Lippen.
Chapin baseball: The Eagles won their 12th state championship and first since 2018 after sweeping TL Hanna. The title came in head coach Dell Lever’s first season. Chapin has won baseball championships in four different classifications: 2A, 3A, 4A and now Class 5A Division II.
Dutch Fork football: The Silver Foxes (13-1) captured their fourth-straight title and 10th state championship overall with a 40-20 win over Summerville in the Class 5A Division I title game. The championship was head coach Tom Knotts’ 17th overall and 10th in South Carolina.
Hammond golf: The Skyhawks won the program’s ninth SCISA championship and first since 2018 with a seven-shot victory over Trinity Collegiate.
Hammond tennis: The Skyhawks won their first championship since 1989 with a 5-3 win over Ben Lippen in a match that lasted five hours. It was Hammond’s ninth title in program history.
Heathwood Hall track and field: The Highlanders won their second-straight state championship by 14 points over Wilson Hall. Meet MVP Jack Wilcox won the 1,600, 3,200 and was second in the 800.
Ridge View basketball: The Blazers (28-3) defeated Ashley Ridge View 68-44 for their third-straight state championship and seventh in the last nine seasons. Ridge View finished the year on a 15-game winning streak, and their seven state championships are tied for fourth most in state history with Columbia, Olympic, Eau Claire and Hemingway.
River Bluff golf: The Gators won their second straight Class 5A Division I championship by 15 strokes over James Island. River Bluff had five golfers finish in the top 20, led by runner-up Howie Vroon and third-place Maddox McAmy.
Westwood basketball: The Redhawks rallied from a 14-point deficit to win the program’s first state championship and just the second for the school in a team sport by defeating Greenville, 55-50.
