Palmetto Cup offers tough spring break tests
For many schools in the area, classes are back in session. But Brookland-Cayce’s annual Nike Palmetto Cup is keeping the feeling of spring break going.
The 23rd annual boys soccer tournament begins on Wednesday and runs through Saturday.
“The biggest thing for this year was trying to find teams to compete because of spring break. There are about four different spring break schedules just in the schools in the area, so getting three games for each team if they’re not on spring break, it’s tough,” Brookland-Cayce coach Kevin Heise said.
“And schedule-wise, there are only so many 6 or 8 p.m. time slots that a team, like Hartsville, can play when they are in school this week.”
This year’s Palmetto Cup includes has 16 teams, and the Midlands representatives includeSCISA No. 1 Cardinal Newman, Class 4A No. 4 Irmo, Lexington and Heathwood Hall. Two out-of-state teams are in the competition, First Colonial of Virginia and Puerto Rico’s Immaculate Conception Academy.
The Immaculate Conception, out of Mayaguez, is the No. 1 ranked team on the island, and comes to South Carolina after a year of fundraising to make the trip possible. First Colonial has played one regular season game in Virginia, so the Palmetto Cup competition will give them a leg up on their in-state opponents.
“Top to bottom, it’s probably the most diverse tournament that we’ve ever had,” Heise said. “For the teams that are on break, it’s a way to stay sharp. For a team that’s struggling in the first half of the season, it’s a chance to correct some things.”
The tournament features four groups of pool competition through Friday. On Saturday, the top teams from each pool compete for slots in the 2:15 p.m. championship match.
The host Bearcats, ranked No. 5 in Class 3A, open the tournament on Wednesday against Class A No. 5 Calhoun County at noon.
“We’re looking forward to getting them on campus and, hopefully, everybody has a great time and gets some great games in,” Heise said.
This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 12:35 AM with the headline "Palmetto Cup offers tough spring break tests."