SCHSL reverses course, keeps Lancaster in Region 3-AAAA

By Akilah Imani Nelson - The (Columbia) State

COLUMBIA -- Irmo athletics director and football coach Bob Hanna is making his 2010 football schedule one last time.

Wednesday's unanimous decision by the Executive Committee of the South Carolina High School League to deny an appeal from Lancaster and stick with the realignment plan it approved on Nov. 11 moved Irmo back to Region 4-AAAA for the 2010-2012 seasons.

On Nov. 24, the committee had granted Lancaster's request to be moved into Region 4 from Region 3. That move bumped Irmo from Region 4 — which also includes Spring Valley, Ridge View, Dutch Fork, Richland Northeast, Blythewood and Lugoff-Elgin's non-football sports — to Region 5, and moved Boiling Springs from its current Region 2 to Region 3.

Lancaster had requested to be in Region 4 to avoid travelling some treacherous routes through the Upstate to Region 3 competitions.

Boiling Springs protested the fact that its officials were not notified that Lancaster's appeal would effect its assignment and had no chance to speak to the matter at the earlier hearing, which is required by the organization's constitution.

The procedural error nullified that decision and necessitated Wednesday's hearing.

Lancaster athletics director Mark Strickland said he didn't quite understand what happened to the appeal that was approved two weeks ago and that Boiling Springs was indeed notified.

“When we laid it out in our first appeal, we said up front that Boiling Springs would have to travel in Region 3, but on better roads than we would have to travel on S.C. 9,” Strickland said. “The problem was we got overruled because of a procedural technicality.

“Boiling Springs called the high school league and said they knew nothing of this appeal and received nothing in writing. We sent, in writing, to every school involved in our appeal, which included four regions, that this is what we wanted to do. Boiling Springs admitted today that they did know about the appeal, which means them saying they knew nothing about it is untrue.”

Boiling Springs athletics director Bruce Clark told the committee Wednesday, “If we are forced to make this transition, it is going to punish us financially.”

He said the Bulldogs' transportation costs would nearly double, reaching an estimated $60,000. Clark also noted that Region 3 does not have a full slate of girls golf teams, while the Bulldogs and principal Chuck Gordon also raised concerns about student spectators' inability to make the longer trips to support their teams, and breaking up rivalries in their current region.