Eyeing playoffs: Which Rock Hill-area HS soccer teams have state title dreams?

The 2022 soccer season is just past its midpoint, and many area teams are enjoying outstanding campaigns both in and out of the region.

Here’s a look at some of those high school teams from York, Chester and Lancaster counties, plus a rundown of all the local region standings.

Nation Ford boys soccer lead 5A teams

The Nation Ford Falcons are the top team in Region 3-5A. They are currently unbeaten in five outings in the region.

“We have 14 seniors on a veteran team,” Falcons’ head coach Kenny Halas said in an interview. “We got off to a slow start because we had some injuries. However, we have improved every day, and we have played very well lately.”

The Falcons have a good balance between the offense and defense, Halas said.

“That helps us, but we start with defending,” he said. “Our goal in each match is to control the tempo on both ends of the field.”

The Falcons will play three more region matches the rest of the campaign, and Halas knows his team must be ready for every match.

“This is a very tough region,” he added. “You have to be prepared and ready to play every time you hit the field. You can not take anyone lightly.”

The Clover Blue Eagles have won two of three region matches and are in second place in the Region 3-5A standings. Boiling Springs and the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets are tied for third. Each has one win in three region outings. Gaffney is winless in four matches and sits in fifth place.

In Region 4-5A, the Northwestern Trojans and the Rock Hill Bearcats have struggled in the first half of the season. The two teams are tied for third place. Both have won one of three region contests. Blythewood and Spring Valley are first and second respectively, while Ridge View completes the region in the fifth spot.

Catawba Ridge boys are ones to beat in 4A soccer again

The Catawba Ridge Copperheads are at the top of the Region 3-4A standings at this point in the season. The Copperheads have won all five of their region matches.

“We lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, but we have worked really hard thus far to get our younger players involved,” said head coach Phillip McCarter. “The key has been the leadership we have gotten from our returning players.”

Catawba Ridge was defense-oriented last year. And that worked for the team: The Copperheads, after all, made an Upper State title appearance.

This season, though, they have relied more on offense.

“We are playing three freshmen on the defensive half of the field, and we are improving defensively every day,” he said. “We returned two strikers from a year ago, and that has keyed our offense.”

When they go back around the rest of the region the second time, the Copperheads know they need to be ready because everybody will give them their best shot.

“This region is much more competitive than it was last year,” McCarter said. “We need to stay focused on what we are doing and continue to get better every time we practice or play.”

The Indian Land Warriors are second with four wins in five region contests. The Lancaster Bruins are third, and they have split four region battles to date. The York Cougars are currently in the fourth position with the South Pointe Stallions in the fifth spot.

3A, 2A, 1A boys soccer teams on the rise

The Chester Cyclones have struggled thus far in Region 4-3A. The Cyclones are currently in fifth place in the region. Mid-Carolina, which is undefeated in region play, is in first place, with Keenan second and Lower Richland and Fairfield Central knotted for third place.

The Andrew Jackson Volunteers are the only unbeaten team in Region 4-2A. The Vols are perfect in four starts in region play as they prepare for the rest of the season.

“We have a veteran team this time around,” said head coach Will Brice. “We have been balanced thus far, but we really emphasize defense.”

Andrew Jackson is also blessed to have multiple scorers.

“That really helps us, because the defense can not key on just one player,” he added. “We also have done a very good job of distributing the ball.”

With only five teams in the region the Volunteers have looked to non-region matches to improve their skills.

“We have played some good teams,” he added. “I would have liked to have scheduled more non-region teams like we have done in the past, but it did not work out as well this season.”

Buford is second at present with Cheraw third. The York Prep Patriots are fourth, while North Central is fifth.

The Lewisville Lions are the only area 1A team playing soccer. They will compete in the playoffs with the 2A teams. The Lions have been up and down thus far as they have won four of ten matches.

In the girls division Fort Mill has the best overall record of any of the 5A teams in the area. They are tied with Clover for the second spot in Region 3-5A. Both have won two of three region encounters and trail first place Nation Ford, which has won three of four region outings.. Boiling Springs is fourth, while Gaffney is in the fifth spot.

Fort Mill girls see title hopes

Fort Mill has a veteran team with eight seniors and seven juniors leading the way this spring.

“We have gelled into a very good team,” said head coach Joelle Bartomarkle. “We have gotten excellent leadership from our senior captains.”

The Yellow Jackets have had ten different players score goals thus far, and that has really helped.

“That gives us a lot of balance, and we move the ball well to give a lot of players opportunities for assists,” she added, “Our defense has also done extremely well. They have created some chances for our offense.”

Fort Mill also has excellent depth.

“I am very confident when I have to substitute during a match or to replace a player who might be out for a match with an injury,” she said. “That has been a big key for us.”

The region is solid from top to bottom, and each team must be ready for every match.

“We go into each match with confidence,” she added. “However, we can not let our guard down against anyone. The big key moving forward is to keep working as a team.”

Rock Hill and Northwestern have had a tough going thus far this spring in Region 4-5A. Northwestern has one region win in three outings and is fourth. Rock Hill has lost all four region contests and is in last place. Blythewood has three region wins in as many tries and is in first place. Spring Valley is second and Ridge View resides in the third spot..

Catawba Ridge taking 4A soccer lead

Catawba Ridge is enjoying yet another outstanding campaign in Region 3-4A. They have won all five of their region contests to date and are the only unbeaten team in the region.

“We only have two seniors this year,” said head coach Brandon Schmidt. “We are getting excellent leadership from them as well as some of the younger players.”

One-third of the roster is composed of freshmen, and they have played extremely well as a group.

“A lot of our girls play club, and our feeder system is already paying dividends for us,” he added. “As a team we need to stay focused on our attacking and continue to use our solid defense to prevent scores as well as start our attacking.”

With such a young team there is one key for continued success.

“We need to stay focused on the small things,” he added. “Also, we need to keep our intensity level high and make the correct preparations for each match.”

Indian Land has four wins in five matches in the region and is second. South Pointe is third, while York is fourth and Lancaster fifth.

Girls soccer 3A, 2A, 1A teams to watch

Chester is tied for the top spot in Region 4-3A. The Cyclones have won all three of their region matches. Mid-Carolina has matched Chester with three region wins to share first place. Keenan, Fairfield Central, and Lower Richland complete the region.

Buford is the top team in Region 4-2A at present. York Prep is second, Andrew Jackson is sitting in the third spot.

Lewisville, which will compete in Class 2A in the postseason, has struggled thus far. They have not won in five outings this season.

BOYS STANDINGS

Region 3-5A: 1. Nation Ford 5-0/11-5-1; 2. Clover 2-1/11-4; 3. Boiling Springs 1-2/2-3; 3. Fort Mill 1-2/4-7; 5. Gaffney 0-4/3-9.

Region 4-5A: 1. Blythewood 3-0/10-2-1; 2. Spring Valley 3-1/5-3-2; 3. Northwestern 1-2/6-6; 3. Rock Hill 1-2/6-9; 5. Ridge View 0-3/4-7.

Region 3-4A: 1. Catawba Ridge 5-0/13-2; 2. Indian Land 4-1/11-3; 3. Lancaster 2-2/7-6; 4. York 1-4/3-6; 5. South Pointe 0-5/1-12.

Region 4-3A: 1. Mid-Carolina 2-0/5-2; 2. Keenan 2-1/2-6; 3. Lower Richland 1-2/5-4-1; 4. Fairfield Central 1-2/1-2; 5. Chester 0-1/0-3.

Region 4-2A: 1. Andrew Jackson 4-0/9-1; 2. Buford 3-1/9-5; 3. Cheraw 1-2/2-4; 4. York Prep 0-2/1-2; 5. North Central 0-3/0-6.

GIRLS STANDINGS

Region 3-5A: 1. Nation Ford 3-1/9-5; 2. Fort Mill 2-1/9-3-2; 3. Clover 2-1/5-6-2; 4. Boiling Springs 1-1/2-6; 5. Gaffney 0-4/6-4-1.

Region 4-5A: 1. Blythewood 3-0/8-4; 2. Spring Valley 3-1/7-4-2; 3. Ridge View 2-2/8-2; 4. Northwestern 1-2/1-5; 5. Rock Hill 0-4/0-13.

Region 3-4A: 1. Catawba Ridge 5-0/9-2; 2. Indian Land 4-1/7-3; 3. South Pointe 2-3/4-3; 4. York 1-4/3-7; 5. Lancaster 0-4/0-9.

Region 4-3A: 1. Mid-Carolina 3-0/7-2; 1. Chester 3-0/3-6; 3. Keenan 0-1/0-4; 4. Fairfield Central 0-2/0-5; 5. Lower Richland 0-3/0-9.

Region 4-2A: 1. Buford 2-0/7-1; 2. York Prep 1-1/3-2; 3. Andrew Jackson 0-2/6-3.