Can Byrnes, Catawba Ridge defend AAAAA crowns?
Catawba Ridge sophomore Keira O’Brien.
By Dennis Brunson
hssr.com Associate Editor
Sumter – The obvious goal for any high school athletic team entering its season is to win a state championship. However, that is only going to happen to one team each season.
The more realistic goal – and one that is literally within every team’s grasp at the start of the year – is winning a region championship. And when you’re playing in a classification that crowns two state champions like the South Carolina High School League’s AAAAA, winning the region title takes on a bit more significance.
With the class split in two between the larger schools and the smaller schools but still sharing regions, the opportunity exists for a region to have two state champions. However, there is only going to be one region champion.
So let’s examine the AAAAA regions and see which eight teams are likely to get those region title trophies.
REGION 1
Seven of the eight teams in Region 1 are in Division II, the smaller schools. The lone interloper is J.L. Mann.
Woodmont had control of the region with an 8-0 mark. However, T.L. Hanna, ranked fifth in the High School Sports Report Division II Top 10 poll, was 6-1. Hillcrest was 6-2 and DII No. 10 Greenville was 5-2.
REGION 2
Five of the teams in Region 2 are Division 1 while three are DII. At the top of the region is defending DI state champion and perennial power Byrnes.
The Rebels, ranked second in the DI poll to the team it beat for the state title in Summerville, was 8-0. DI No. 3 Boiling Springs was 7-1, while DII No. 9 Riverside was 6-3.
REGION 3
Clover and Rock Hill are the only DI schools in this 7-team region which houses the defending DII state champion in Catawba Ridge. This region title is up for grabs with four teams legitimately in the hunt.
Clover, ranked fifth in DI, is in first place at 7-1. However, Catawba Ridge, Nation Ford and Indian Land are all just one game back in the loss column.
All three of those teams are ranked in the DII poll, Indian Land at No. 2, Catawba Ridge at No. 4 and Nation Ford at No. 6.
REGION 4
This 6-team region is evenly split with three DI teams and three DII teams. Division 1 schools Lexington and River Bluff have set themselves apart from the rest of the region.
The sixth-ranked Wildcats were 6-0 while unranked River Bluff was 5-1. White Knoll and Chapin were the closest to them at 3-3.
REGION 5
With Annie Ruth Eliason taking to the circle each game for West Florence, the Knights likely have the region crown already wrapped up. They are 12-0 overall and 6-0 in region play as Eliason had yet to allow an earned run coming out of spring break.
West Florence, ranked third in the DII poll, is one of three DII teams in the 7-team region. Blythewood, 6-2 in the region with both of the losses coming to West, is ranked ninth in DI.
REGION 6
St. James, which played for the Division II title last year, has the Horry County region title secured at 10-0. It is ranked first in the DII poll.
The only Division I school in the region is Carolina Forest. The Panthers, ranked fifth in the DI poll, are second in the region at 6-3.
REGION 7
The first of the two Lowcountry regions, the 6-team Region 7 has an even split on DI and DII schools. This region is still completely up for grabs as most of the region contests are being played after spring break.
Berkeley, Stratford, Wando and Cane Bay each had one loss. Stratford was the only ranked team at No. 10 in DI.
REGION 8
All five of the softball-playing Region 8 teams fall in the Division I classification. Top-ranked Summerville and No. 7 Fort Dorchester were at the top of the region in the early going with 2-0 records.
Eighth-ranked West Ashley was 1-1.
