Three SCISA defending state champions going after titles in higher classifications as playoffs are set
Pinewood Prep after AAAA championship after claiming AAA crown last year
Defending AAAA football state champion Northwood Academy and 8-man champion W.W. King will be the only two of the five 2025 winners crowned by the South Carolina Independent Schools Association to have a chance to repeat in this year’s playoffs.
It’s not because AAA winner Pinewood Prep, AA winner Bethesda Academy and Class A champion Williamsburg Academy didn’t make the playoffs. It’s just that none of them made the playoffs in those classifications.
Each one of them moved up a class following SCISA’s reclassification, thus they will be in search of another state title, just at a higher level. They will do so by hosting first-round games.
The brackets for each of the 8-team playoffs were released on Saturday. The first-round games will be played on Friday, November 6, with the semifinal games on November 13. The 8-man title game will be played on November 20 at a neutral site while the AAAA championship game will be played on November 20 at 7 p.m. at Charleston Southern University’s Buccaneer Field in North Charleston. The AAA, AA and Class A games will be played on Saturday, November 21, at Buccaneer Field, starting with the Class A game at noon. The AA game is set for a 3:30 p.m. start with the AAA game set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
Northwood, the Region 2-AAAA champion, will play host to the team it beat in the championship game last year, Heathwood Hall, in the first round. The other game in that half of the bracket will have Pinewood playing host to Ben Lippen.
Perennial power and Region 1 winner Hammond, which had its run of nine straight state titles snapped last season, will be at home against Augusta Christian School. The other game will have Laurence Manning Academy at home against Porter-Gaud.
The region champions in AAA are Region 1 winner Wilson Hall and Bethesda in Region 2. The Barons, who have been the AAA state runner-up for three consecutive years, will open at home against Spartanburg Christian Academy. First Baptist will welcome in Northside Christian Academy in the other game in that bracket.
Trinity Collegiate will travel to Bethesda for a first-round game. Florence Christian School will play host to Hilton Head Christian Academy in the other first-round game.
In AA, Williamsburg and Colleton Prep Academy, who played each other for the Class A title last year, are the two region champions. The Stallions will play host to Cross Schools in the first round. The other half of the bracket will see Greenwood Christian School visiting Calhoun Academy.
CPA will be at home against Orangeburg Prep. The other first-round game will have Pee Dee Academy welcoming in Patrick Henry Academy.
Dorchester Academy and Dillon Christian School are the two region champions in Class A. DA will be at home against Carolina Academy with the other game in the bracket having Thomas Heyward Academy visiting Clarendon Hall.
DCS will play host to Holly Hill Academy, and Beaufort Academy will be at home against Lee Academy.
The 8-man region champions are undefeated Jefferson Davis Academy and Newberry Academy. NA got the top spot in Region 2 after Laurens Academy suffered its first loss of the season on Friday, falling to Richard Winn Academy 28-24.
JDA will be at home against Cambridge Academy in the first round. It will face the winner of the game that has LA playing host to Wardlaw Academy. Newberry will welcome in Andrew Jackson Academy, while RWA will play at King in the other first-round game.
SCISA
First Round
November 6
AAAA
Augusta Christian at Hammond
Porter-Gaud at Laurence Manning
Heathwood Hall at Northwood
Ben Lippen at Pinewood Prep
AAA
Spartanburg Christian at Wilson Hall
Northside Christian at First Baptist
Trinity Collegiate at Bethesda
Hilton Head Christian at Florence Christian
AA
Cross Schools at Williamsburg
Greenwood Chrsitian at Calhoun Academy
Orangeburg Prep at Colleton Prep
Patrick Henry at Pee Dee
Class A
Carolina Academy at Dorchester
Thomas Heyward at Clarendon Hall
Holly Hill at Dillon Christian
Lee Academy at Beaufort Academy
8-Man
Cambridge at Jefferson Davis
Wardlaw at Laurens Academy
Andrew Jackson Academy at Newberry Academy
Richard Winn at W.W. King
