High school roundup: which local soccer, baseball teams start 2019 season ranked?

The South Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association released its preseason polls and five area teams are on the list.

Fort Mill and Nation Ford were selected in 5A, while York and South Pointe were chosen in 4A, and Great Falls was named in 1A.

5A - 1. Boiling Spring, 2. River Bluff, 3. Dorman, 4. Dutch Fork, 5. Blythewood, 6. Riverside, 7. Chapin, 8. Lexington, 9. Fort Mill, 10. Nation Ford/Mauldin.

4A - 1. A. C. Flora, 2. South Aiken, 3. Greenville, 4. York, 5. Wren, 6. North Myrtle Beach, 7. Belton-Honea Path, 8. Airport, 9. Myrtle Beach, 10. South Pointe/Eastside.

3A - 1. Bishop England, 2. Cheraw, 3. Seneca, 4. Gilbert, 5. Hanahan, 6. Powdersville, 7. May River, 8. Strom Thurmond, 9. Camden, 10. Pelion/Crescent.

2A - 1. Latta, 2. Blacksburg, 3. Andrew Jackson, 4. Landrum, 5. Barnwell, 6. Saluda, 7. St. Joseph’s, 8. Ninety-Six, 9. Abbeville, 10. Bamberg-Ehrhardt.

1A - 1. McBee, 2. Lake View, 3. Lamar, 4. Ridge Spring-Monetta, 5. Whitmire, 6. Dixie, 7. Green Sea-Floyds, 8. Branchville, 9. Great Falls, 10. Wagener-Salley.

SOCCER

BOYS’ SOCCER

The South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association has released its pre-season poll and four local teams are included.

Nation Ford, Clover and Northwestern were picked in 5A, while Indian Land was chosen in 3A.

5A - 1. Wando, 2. Dutch Fork, 3. Nation Ford, 4. Clover, 5. River Bluff, 6. Chapin, 7. J. L. Mann, 8. Northwestern, 9. Socastee, 10. James Island Charter.

4A - 1. Eastside, 2. A. C. Flora, 3. Greenville, 4. Daniel, 5. Hilton Head, 6. Dreher, 7. Wren, 8. Aiken, 9. Myrtle Beach, 10. St. James.

3A - 1. Academic Magnet, 2. Bishop England, 3. May River, 4. Seneca, 5. Gilbert, 6. Powdersville, 7. Waccamaw, 8. Walhalla, 9. Indian Land, 10. Hanahan.

2A - 1. St. Joseph’s, 2. Oceanside Collegiate, 3. Christ Church, 4. Gray Collegiate, 5. Southside Christian, 6. Brashier Middle College, 7. Andrew Jackson, 8. Buford, 9. Greer Middle College, 10. Columbia.

1A - 1. Governor’s School, 2. Dixie, 3. Palmetto Scholars, 4. Charleston Math and Science, 5. Denmark-Olar.

GIRLS’ SOCCER

The South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association has released its pre-season poll and three local teams made the list.

Clover and Fort Mill were included in 5A, while Indian Land made the 3A ranking.

5A - 1. J. L. Mann, 2. Clover, 3. Wando, 4. River Bluff, 5. Mauldin, 6. Dorman, 7. Chapin, 8. Lexington, 9. Riverside, 10. Fort Mill.

4A - 1. Hilton Head, 2. South Aiken, 3. Eastside, 4. Myrtle Beach, 5. A. C. Flora, 6. Greenville, 7. Dreher, 8. Berkeley, 9. Beaufort, 10. Colleton County.

3A - 1. Bishop England, 2. Academic Magnet, 3. Indian Land, 4. Waccamaw, 5. Swansea, 6. May River, 7. Woodruff, 8. Pendleton, 9. Hanhman, 10. Powdersville.

2A/1A - 1. Southside Christian, 2. St. Joseph’s, 3. Oceanside Collegiate, 4. Gray Collegiate, 5. Christ Church, 6. Brashier Middle College, 7. Saluda, 8. Batesburg-Leesville, 9. Buford, 10. Landrum.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Nation Ford 94, Clover 47

The Nation Ford Falcons routed the Clover Blue Eagles 94-47 in a Region 3-5A contest at Nation Ford Tuesday night.

Nation Ford raced to a 21-9 after one period and exploded for 26 points in the second quarter to take a 47-20 at halftime. They outscored Clover 47-27 in the second half to complete the one-sided win.

Zeb Graham led the Falcons with 29 points. Malik Bryant added 15 and Sean McCabe chipped in 12. Heze Massey paced Clover with 12 points. Dom Campo added 11, while Markus Nastase tossed in 10.

Nation Ford improved to 20-4 overall and 6-0 in the region. Clover fell to 12-11 in all games and 0-6 in region play.

Fort Mill 62, Rock Hill 59 (OT)

The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then edged the Rock Hill Bearcats 62-59 in overtime in a Region 3-5A contest at Rock Hill Tuesday night.

Rock Hill took a 17-14 lead after one period and was in front 33-28 at the break. Fort Mill cut the deficit to 43-39 after three quarters, and they outscored Rock Hill 15-11 in the fourth period to tie the contest at 54 and send it to overtime. The Yellow Jackets won the extra session 8-5 to earn the hard-fought victory.

Jacobi Wright led the Yellow Jackets with 33 points and Carson Morton joined him in double digits with 15. Malachy McGuirt led the ‘Cats with 21 points, while Saiveon Williams and M. J. Wildy chipped in 15 and 10 points respectively.

Fort Mill improved to 19-3 overall and 4-1 in the region. Rock Hill fell to 10-10 in all games and 1-5 in region action.

Northwestern 73, Elevation Prep 63

The Northwestern Trojans toppled Elevation Prep 73-63 in a non-region game in Charlotte Tuesday night.

Mason Grigg led the Trojans with 17 points. Zay Martin and Ashton Parker added 16 and 11 respectively to the winning effort.

Northwestern improved to 18-4 with the win.

Westwood 80, York 43

Westwood ripped the York Cougars 80-43 in a Region 3-4A game at Westwood Tuesday night.

Westwood took a 16-7 lead after one quarter and scored 29 points in the second stanza for a 45-24 advantage at halftime. They continued the onslaught in the second half by outscoring the Cougars 35-19 to complete the one-sided win.

York dropped to 2-18 in all games and 0-7 in region play.

Keenan 70, Chester 49

Keenan topped the Chester Cyclones 70-49 in a Region 4-3A game at Keenan Tuesday night.

The Cyclones are 7-10 overall and 4-2 in the region.

Lee Central 47, Lewisville 42

Lee Central pulled away in the final period and defeated the Lewisville Lions 47-42 in a Region 4-2A game at Lee Central Tuesday night.

Lee Central took a 15-11 lead after one quarter and improved the margin to 27-18 at halftime. The Lions regrouped and got back in the game in the third period. When it was over the contest was tied at 35 heading to the final eight minutes.

Lee Central outscored Lewisville 12-7 in the fourth period to claim the win.

The Lions are 14-9 in all games and 6-3 in region action.

Great Falls 86, Camden Military 46

The Great Falls Red Devils blasted Camden Military 86-46 in a non-region game at Great Falls Tuesday night.

The Red Devils are 13-3 overall on the year.

York Prep splits two games

The York Prep Patriots divided a pair of games earlier in the week.

They edged High Point Academy 71-70 in a non-region game at High Point on Monday night and lost to Comenius 69-59 on the road on Tuesday night.

Against High Point the Patriots ran out to a 21-11 lead after one period. High Point cut the deficit to 32-27 at halftime. When the third quarter ended, York Prep was in front 58-55, and they hung on down the stretch for the win.

In the Comenius game the Patriots fell behind 24-16 after one quarter. They trailed 36-29 at halftime. York Prep rallied in the third period to cut the deficit to 46-45, but Comenius pulled away in the final eight minutes for the victory.

York Prep is 8-15 overall on the year.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Nation Ford 60, Clover 46

The Nation Ford Falcons toppled the Clover Blue Eagles 60-46 in a Region 3-5A contest at Nation Ford Tuesday night.

Kelci Adams led the Falcons with 28 points.

Nation Ford is 18-5 overall and 6-0 in the region. Clover dropped to 17-7 in all games and 4-2 in region action.

Rock Hill 43, Fort Mill 25

The Rock Hill Bearcats topped the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets 43-25 in a Region 3-5A game at Rock Hill Tuesday night.

The Bearcats improve to 10-11 in all games and 3-3 in region action. Fort Mill dropped to 14-8 overall and 1-4 in the region.

South Pointe 84, Richland Northeast 23

The South Pointe Stallions routed Richland Northeast 84-23 in a Region 3-4A game at South Pointe Tuesday night.

The Stallions cruised to a 25-2 lead after one period, and by intermission they were in front 41-8. South Pointe coasted from there for the victory.

Trinity Adams led South Pointe with 14 points. Scarlett Gilmore added 13 and Jamia Blake contributed 11.

The Stallions improved to 20-3 overall and 7-0 in the region.

Westwood 70, York 13

Westwood crushed the York Cougars 70-13 in a Region 3-4A game at Westwood Tuesday night.

Westwood took a 10-2 lead after one period and increased it to 34-6 at halftime. They outscored the Cougars 36-7 in the second half to complete the one-sided win.

York fell to 3-17 overall and 1-6 in the region.

Lee Central 56, Lewisville 30

Lee Central downed the Lewisville Lions 56-30 in a Region 4-2A contest at Lee Central Tuesday night.

Lee Central took an 18-2 lead after one period and never looked back. They were front 33-11 at halftime, and they sailed on from there for the win.

Amber Bass led the Lions with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Lewisville is 6-9 overall and 2-7 in the region.

Comenius 59, York Prep 53

Comenius edged the York Prep Patriots 59-53 in a non-region game at Comenius Tuesday night.

York Prep broke an 11-11 tie after one period to take a 27-20 at halftime. Comenius stormed back in the third quarter for a 40-37 advantage when it was in the books. They hung on down the stretch for the victory.

The Patriots fell to 8-12 overall on the year.

WRESTLING

Fort Mill leads Region 3-5A in individual titles

The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets claimed the most individual titles at the Region 3-5A wrestling championships last Friday at Fort Mill.

The Yellow Jackets won six individual weight classes. Rock Hill was second with five, while Clover, Nation Ford, and Northwestern recorded one division championship each. Rock Hill was the only team with all 14 wrestlers in the top three finishes in each weight class.

Ryan Jones of Clover was chosen as the region wrestler of the year. Cain Beard of Rock Hill and Michael Fitzgerald of Clover shared the honor as the region coach of the year.

The individual champions in each of the weight classes are as follows:

106 - Solomon Moore (Nation Ford); 113 - Sebastian Colon (Fort Mill); 120 - Danny Love (Rock Hill); 126 - Jacob Sturgeon (Fort Mill); 132 - Andrew Simpson (Rock Hill); 138 - Bailey Wilkins (Rock Hill); 145 - Ryan Jones (Clover); 152 - Josh Cizmadia (Fort Mill); 160 - Teddy Mauney (Northwestern); 170 - Alex English (Rock Hill); 182 - Dylan Honacker (Fort Mill); 195 - Jack Kelly (Fort Mill); 220 - Bryson Bruning (Fort Mill); HWT - Devon Rice (Rock Hill).

Rock Hill, which won the region regular season title, Fort Mill, and Clover will be in the opening round of the playoffs on Saturday. Rock Hill will host, while the other two will be on the road.

South Point wins the most Region 3-4A individual championships

The South Pointe Stallions dominated the individual championships in the Region 3-4A tournament last Saturday at South Pointe.

The Stallions won nine individual weight classes. York and Lancaster were second with two individual champions and Westwood claimed one. The Stallions were the only team that had all 14 wrestlers finish in the top three in each weight class.

Immanuel Bush of Lancaster was selected as the region wrestler of the year. South Pointe head coach Eddie Cook was tabbed as the region coach of the year.

The individual champions in each of the weight class are as follows:

106 - Spencer Cox (South Pointe); 113 - Kaleem Heard (York); 120 - Jackson Rumfelt (York); 126 - Cole Arington (South Pointe); 132 - Pearson Borders (South Pointe); 138 - Matthew Belk (South Pointe); 145 - Jordan Hightower (Westwood); 152 - Savion White (South Pointe); 160 - Eric Mitchell (South Pointe); 170 - Nygel Moore (Lancaster); 182 - Issac Ekanem (South Pointe); 195 - Justin Corbin (South Pointe); 220 - Tim Dunbar (South Pointe); HWT - Immanuel Bush (Lancaster).

South Pointe, which won the region regular season championship,York and Lancaster will be in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. South Pointe will be at home, while the other two will go on the road.