SCHSL decides state titles in girls soccer
David Shelton • May 24, 2025
Columbia – State championships in girls soccer were decided at Memorial Stadium in a three-day event that featured 11 state title games.
Here is a recap of the championships. (will be updated)
Oceanside Collegiate won a fifth consecutive state championship in girls soccer, claiming the Class AAA title with a 3-0 win over Christ Church on Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.
For the third straight season, Oceanside Collegiate faced Christ Church in the championship and for the third straight year the Landsharks won by 3-0 scores.
“All three years the matches went pretty much the same,” said coach Mark Meyer. “It was 0-0 all three years at half. We were able to get control early in the second half and it just carried over. Once we got that first goal, we settled down and pretty much played our game.”
Neither team scored in the first half but a more settled OCA dominated the final 40 minutes, doing their damage over an 11-minute span.
OCA took a 1-0 lead on sophomore Hailey Piesner’s goal midway through the second half. Junior Ella Petry added a goal six minutes later and junior Hayden Wamboldt scored five minutes after Petry for the commanding 3-0 lead.
“We lost 11 players, nine that went to play in college, so I don’t think anyone expected us to be here,” Meyer said. “We’re a young team but we are talented. With our youth we feel like we can be back next year.”
Academic Magnet’s girls team capped off an impressive playoff run with a 5-0 win over Dixie High School in the Class AA championship. The Raptors out-scored their playoff opponents 32-1 during their run to a seventh state title in school history. It was their first since the 2018 season.
“We had 13 seniors who had not experienced this so I am really happy for them,” said coach Alister DeLong, who won his third title. “Some of them have been four-year varsity players and they’ve worked so hard to reach this point. We had a great day, a great playoff run.”
Academic Magnet dominated early play, getting off numerous shots on goal with any success. However, Bridget Lee scored in the 15th minute of play and the rout was on. Hanna Ismail scored off a rebound five minutes later for a 2-0 lead.
The Raptors looked to have scored on a corner kick later in the first half but the goal was nullified by the officials.
Sophia Benich found the back of the net two minutes into the second half for a 3-0 lead. Just minutes later, Madeline Moye made it 4-0 and Mattie Vermette closed out the scoring in the 63rd minute of play. DeLong began to empty the bench for the final 10 minutes of the contest.
J.L. Mann and Wando met for the girls title in AAAAA Division I. It was the ninth time the two powerhouses had clashed in the state finals, each team having four wins.
J.L. Mann took the series advantage, posting a 3-1 win to claim their fifth title in school history and their first since 2019.
“We started out a little shaky to the season but when it really mattered they went out and won games,” said Mann coach Anastasios Georgopoulos. “It’s an amazing feeling. We finished the season with a great moment.”
Mann scored all three goals in the first 21 minutes of the contest, the first coming on an own goal when an Ashley Gonzales corner kick bounced off a Wando player’s leg and into the net.
Minutes later, freshman Caroline Ray tallied her 14th goal of the season for a 2-0 lead. Laney Keith’s header, her 15th goal of the season, made it 3-0.
Wando avoided the shutout late with a goal from sophomore Mikayla Humplik.
Wando finished 21-6 on the season with only one senior. The roster included 11 sophomores and four freshmen.
“We weren’t expected to be here,” said Wando coach Shannon Champ. “We lost eight seniors, six of them went on to play collegiately. To me this was a rebuilding year, just bring them along and maybe get here in a year or two, but here we are playing for the AAAAA Division I state championship. I couldn’t be prouder of the work they put in.”
Columbia – The 2025 state championships for boys soccer were contested May 22-24 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. Two titles in class AAAAA, as well as titles in AAAA, AA, AA and Class A were decided. The championships included one team finishing with an undefeated season and another win its first title in school history. Here’s a recap of the weekend. (will be updated) Dixie coach Brian Gamble expects a slow start to most seasons. Many of his players participate in basketball and wrestling so time is needed early on to get the team chemistry right. The chemistry was right in 2025 as Dixie won the Class A state title with a 2-1 victory over Hardeeville. It was Dixie’s first title since 2019. “We graduated eight seniors from the team last year so we knew we needed some time to get these kids some experience,” Gamble said. “We definitely got better as the year went on and we thought we had a shot to have a great finish.” Garrett Atkins gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead, finishing off a nice pass from Josh Beiler . Hardeeville tied the game with six minutes gone in the second half but Beiler broke the tie with his game-winner just two minutes later. Both teams battled cramps as the temperatures began to rise and Dixie had just enough to hold off a frantic Hardeeville finish. “We were hanging on by a thread, running on fumes at the end,” Gamble said. “I remember thinking we’d be in trouble if they got the equalizer. But we were able to hang on and survive.” Riverside made history in the AAAAA Division II championship, winning their fifth consecutive state title, 3-1, over Lucy Beckham . It was Riverside’s 17 th boys state title, which tied Bishop England for the most in SC prep history. Will Knight scored two goals inside a minute of each other to break a 1-1 tie about 15 minutes into the second half to give the Warriors the lead for good. Lucy Beckham scored first as Thomas Smith gave the Bengals a 1-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half but Riverside’s Gavin Weidman tied the game with :42 left in the half. Riverside was just 10-8 during the regular season but won five playoff games to win the title. Riverside's history-making win lasted only a few hours. Bishop England defeated Daniel, 2-1, in two overtimes to break the tie with their 18th state championship. It was the first title for second-year coach Brendan Costa. Despite dictating the pace of play for most of the game, Bishop England trailed, 1-0, after Daniel's :Luka Gasic scored in the fifth minute of play. The Lions, seeking a fourth consecutive state title, opted to play defense for the rest of the night and it worked until late. The Bishops got their equalizer when J onah Cook headed a ball in with 6:04 remaining in regulation. The teams went scoreless through the first 10-minute overtime and appeared to be headed for golden goal extra play. However, with 1:06 left in the second overtime, Rowan Pennell was able to toe up a rebounded shot off the hands of the keeper, sending the Bishops to the 2-1 win. The Academic Magnet boys team capped a 23-1 season with an impressive 4-0 win over Andrew Jackson in the Class AA finals. Coach Jason Hamil won his fourth state title with the program, their first since 2018. “It’s incredible, these seniors and what they overcame after Covid and all the restrictions, this is the group that sort of brought us back,” Hamil said. “ I can’t say enough about this senior class in particular, batting through all and culminating with this.” Jaden Daley scored six minutes into the match and later added a second goal in the first two minutes of the second half. Cesar Ramirez added a goal off a free kick 21 minutes into the match. Aiden Ruggiero closed out the scoring late in the match. Two-time defending state champions Oceanside Collegiate was unable to capture a third crown as Powdersville won their first title in school history with a 1-0 victory in the Class AAA boys finals. Powdersville was in their first final after losing in the Upper State championship twice prior to this season. The play was physical as both teams battled for an edge. The lone goal of the contest came with 12 minutes remaining in the contest as Ethan Piel found success. Piel also had the only goal in a 1-0 win of the Upper State championship. Powdersville was 23-3 this season. “I am super proud of this group,” Coach Jeremy McCall said. “These boys, they deserve it. It’s a dream come true for them and for me.” OCA appeared to have scored the equalizer as time expired but the goal was waved off by the official, who said the ball touched a player’s hand. The Patriots also lost a goal in the first half when J.P Spearman’s header was nullified due to offsides. “It was a good season,” said OCA coach Collin Phillips . “We didn’t have our best game today but that’s what the game is. You have to show up every day. I wish we could have sent our seniors off with another championship but that’s the way it goes.” Seeking a perfect season, the J.L. Mann Patriots took on Ashley Ridge for the AAAAA Division I title. Ashley Ridge was seeking its second state title in three years after winning their first title in school history in 2023. The Patriots were impressive throughout, building an early lead on their way to a 5-3 victory. The Patriots finish with a 26-0 record while Ashley Ridge was 22-4. Mann scored two goals in the first 18 minutes to take early control of the contest. Timmy Reardon tallied two of those goals and Pietro Bono added a score as the Patriots led 3-1 at halftime. Josh DeSouza scored two goals for Ashley Ridge to keep his team within striking distance but the nation’s third-ranked Patriots had an answer each time. Austin Fuller found the net late to bring Ashley Ridge closer but Smith Darby sealed the deal for J.L, Mann. It was Mann’s first state title since 2015. “All credit to the boys. They worked hard all season,” said J.L. Mann coach Brendan Jones , a former player at Mann. “They don’t quit and that’s something they can hang their hats on. This is something historic for this program, something these kids will never forget.”
Berkeley players storming the field after their hard fought win!
Congratulations to all these student athletes!
Phillip Ssimmons head Coach Poses With Five Senior Starters After Big Win Over East Clarendon.
Green Wave to face Byrnes for the state title beginning on Monday
Game 2 of the SCHSL Class AAAAA D-1 Softball Regional series, Summerville at Sumter for the decisive conclusion to a fantastic year for both teams. Enjoy this sample of images, click the link here for the full gallery.
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence ---The AAAA Lower State softball playoff game between region foes South Florence and Hartsville was likely a “Good News Versus Bad News” situation for the winner, and that honor goes to the host Bruins, who rallied for a 6-2 win after trailing early in the game. The Good News is the win itself, and the Bad News is that South Florence has to travel to Gray Collegiate later this week, needing to defeat the War Eagles twice in order to advance to the gold medal round that starts next week. The Bruns lost to Gray Collegiate on Monday 8-2 in the double elimination play-off. After the game, South Florence head coach Bobby Jones, drew his comparison of his team versus Gray Collegiate , the top ranked AAAA softball team in the state with these comments. “First of all, Gray has college prospects sitting on their bench who don’t even start,” said Coach Jones. “As a charter school they draw their players from all over Columbia, and our players all come from South Florence. “They have four Division I college prospects starting on their team, and in all my years coaching softball, I have never had a Division I signee,” said Coach Jones. “Gray is strong one through 15, all the way down the line. “We played a tough schedule against teams like Summerville and Catawba Ridge to get ready for them,” said Coach Jones. “We knew at the start of the season they were the team to beat in AAAA. Our goal is be very competitive and paly our best game of the season when we fact them again.” In reflecting on the Bruins win over Hartsville, Coach Jones said. “Our pitcher ( Payton Perry ) had a good night and our batters came through with key hits when we needed them the most,” said Coach Jones. “Our little 8 th grader ( Rylee Rowsey ) got a triple in the bottom of the 6 th that scored two runs when the game had been tied at two. It was a solid team win tonight.” Coach Jones, in his 29 th year of coaching, said the Bruins will miss all three senior starters from this year’s 24-8 team. Perry is headed to Coker College after a solid career . The other two starting seniors are outfielders Alaina Floyd and Riley Owens and they have been hard workers on the team.” Hartsville (23-6) is head coached by Amber Harvey, concluding her 6th season as the head coach at her alma mater . “ Unfortunately, we have averaged one bad inning on defense, in several of our games this season, and that is what happened again in this game, that cost us the game,” said Coach Harvey. “We have a total of four seniors on the team, and three of them start. Carter Shumate starts at first while Allie Bailey is our main pitcher, and Jaysha McCullough is our starting center fielder. Our other senior is Jenna Storm . Shumate came in to the game batting .513. “Allie Bailey really had a good year for us pitching and she sort of waited her turn and it was her time to shine and we are really proud of her contributions this season,” said Coach Harvey. “Carter has helped us on both defense and at the plate and she had a great throw to the plate from first base to get an out, and we practice that throw from first to home a lot in practice and she executed it very well,” said Coach Harvey. “We are proud of our season this year and with six starters returning for next year we are looking forward to further success.” The Red Foxes were led at the plate by junior shortstop prospect Myah Harvey who batted .522 with 8 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 39 RBI’s. Shumate was second at .513 and 28 RBI’s followed by McCullough at .488 with 18 RBI’s. Hartsville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Sophomore Emma Kate Hudson led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by 9 th grader Claire Smith . A ground-out by freshman Aliyah Smith moved Hudson to third. Junior catcher Mary Ellyn Hickey then singled in Hudson to give the Red Foxes an early lead. Hartsville extended the lead to 2-0 after batting in the 4 th inning. Shumate led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Hudson. Two batters later Shumate scored on an RBI ground-out by Smith. South Florence tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 5 th . Riley Rowsey reached on a one-out single. She advanced to second on a walk to Riley Owens . A single by Page White scored Rowsey to cut the deficit to 2-1. Two batters later Ryleigh Hux doubled in White to tie the game. SF was hoping to make it a 3-2 lead but Hux was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw by Shumate. In the bottom of the 6 th inning, the Bruins sent 8 batters to the plate when they broke the game open with four runs. Blakely Blue drew a one-out walk. Ava Black then reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Ryle Rowsey delivered the big hit of the game, a triple into the deep corner of left field that scored Blue and Black to give SF a 4-2 lead. Riley Owens then singled in Rowsey to make it 5-2. Owens scored the Bruins final run on a throwing error to give SF the final margin of 6-2. South Florence has players batting .354 or better. They are Hux (.395 & 24 RBI’s), Perry (.391 & 28 RBI’s) White (.388 & 24 RTBI’s), R Rowsey (.364 & 21 RBI’s) while Black and Owens are hitting .354.
HHP rallies from 3-1 deficit with 4-run 6th to win program's first ever baseball championship
Summerville pitcher Ansley Bennett threw a no-hitter against Sumter May 19 during the playoffs. Photo by Roger Lee
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to HSSR Hanahan – Nothing in baseball causes a coach more stress than when his pitching staff can’t find the strike zone as was the case for Fox Creek in the second and third innings Monday night as home standing Hanahan took full advantage by scoring 9 runs and then they had to withstand a Fox Creek rally to advance into the lower state final with a 9-8 win. “I’m proud of our guys. We got down five in the second inning but they didn’t hang their heads. We are a young team but these guys never give up, they never stop fighting and they always compete,” said Head coach Skylar Hunter. The Hawks will take on region rival and the HSSR’s second ranked team Oceanside Collegiate (26-5). The teams have played three times this season with the Landsharks winning all three. The Hawks will have to win twice to advance to their eight state championships series and third in a row. Fox Creek ends the season at 23-7. The Predators will also say good bye to nine seniors that were the backbone of back-to-back region and district champions. “I’m proud of this team. They battled to the end and showed a lot of grit all game,” said Head Coach Roby Gillespie. “This senior class has set the precedent for future teams. We tell the guys ‘Good isn’t good enough, strive to be great’ and this team did that every day.” After an uneventful first inning, the Predators came alive in the second. Bradley Anderson led off the inning with a single. After a strikeout, Will Frischmann stepped to the plate and launched a bomb to right center for a two-run tater and a 2-0 lead. Hanahan starter Chris Polm then walked the next three Fox Creek batters. The first batter that walked Jackson Wright was thrown out by the Hawks Hudson Sprovero for the second out of the inning. Caleb Waters had an infield single for Fox Creek to load the bases with two out. Will Fountain would score on an error and then Anderson plated two runs with a single pushing the lead to 5-0. The Hawks would respond in their half of the second with help from Fox Creek starting pitcher Devin Hillary. With one out Hillary walked Wyatt Muirheid. Zac Jimenez singled to put runners on first and second. Hillary then struck out the next batter before he couldn’t find the strike and walked the next three Hanahan which resulted in two runs cutting the Predators lead to 5-2. In the bottom of the third the Hawks would take the lead with a seven-run inning. It started with a lazy fly out to right. Hillary then walked the next two Hawks. Two wild pitches and a passed ball moved both runners up to second and third. Jimenez singled to scored Polm from third and still leaving the bases loaded. Gunnar Haulbrooks came up next and singled scoring Muirheid and Jimenez and the game was tied at 5. The inning continued as Tripp Gallus had infield single and Joe Furse walked to load the bases. Sprovero came up next and promptly deposited the ball over the left field fence for a grand slam giving the Hawks a 9-5 lead. Fox Creek’s would bring in their fourth pitcher of the game Audyn Randall, who would get Jimenez to ground out to second base to end the inning. Randall pitched the finals 3 1/3 innings for Fox Creek and shutdown the Hawks offense. He struck out the side in the fourth and gave up only one hit to keep the Predators in the game. “Audyn maybe pitched four or five innings for us all. He came up to me and said coach give me the ball, I know I can throw strikes. He got up there and did his job to keep us in the game,” said Fox Creek coach Gillespie. Meanwhile, Hanahan brought in Haulbrooks in the second inning and he pitched well until the fifth inning. “Gunnar did a good job of settling us down in the middles innings and he also a big hit to bring two runs,” coach Hunter said. The Predators would draw closer to the Hawks as they scored twice to cut the lead to 9-7. Chance Weathersbee singled with one out and moved to second when Wright drew two out walk. Will Fountain would score both runners when he hit a triple into the right field corner. Hillary would cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth when he hit a solo shot over the right centerfield fence and suddenly the Predators were down only one at 9-8. The Hawks made a pitching change after the home run going to lefty Nolyn Nickels. Nickels would walk the first batter he faced but then got the final four outs of the game including striking out the last two batters and the Hawks were headed to the Lower State finals.