Iron Horses, Bishops named top sports programs in the state

Teamwork breeds success as Iron Horses win state’s Carlisle Cup for Class AA

Dan Minkin, Philip Simmons High School’s athletic director, crunches numbers as part of his job. But don’t worry, he’s not turning into a bean counter.

 

The first numbers Minkin crunches are the student-athletes’ grade point averages. He happily and recently reported that the Iron Horse athletes had the highest GPA in the school’s brief history.

 

He then crunches the number of points his teams have tallied toward the Carlisle Cup, an award given annually by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators to the overall top athletic programs in each classification, which is based on a points system to determine the winners.

 

For example, teams earn 100 points for a state championship, 80 points as state runners-up, 60 points for a third place, etc. Points are also awarded for region titles as well.

 

This year, the numbers look fantastic.

 

The Iron Horses won the Carlisle Cup as the first-place athletic program in Class AA, while Academic Magnet finished second, and Clinton High School earned third.

 

Minkin is a believer that success in the classroom translates to success on the playing field.

 

“It’s a good way to measure success, but for us, it’s more of what we do off the field as well,” Minkin said in a recent interview. “We ended the year with the highest GPAs we had in school history, thanks to our mandatory study hall program.” 

 

The Iron Horses had time to study. They also had time to compete and win.

 

They won four state championships – girls’ and boys’ cross country, boys’ golf, and girls’ track and field – while claiming state runners-up in boys’ track and field and baseball in the just-completed 2024-25 season. In addition, the Iron Horses won 10 Region 6-AA championships.

 

Bishops snap 3-year drought, win Carlisle Cup as best AAAA sports program

Bishop England High School’s drought of not winning the Carlisle Cup didn’t exactly reach biblical proportions. It may have seemed that way to the most ardent Battling Bishops boosters.

 

In reality, it lasted only three years.

 

Either way, the drought has ended. The Bishops won the 2024-25 Carlisle Cup for Class AAAA schools, finishing with 1,160 points. 

 

A.C. Flora High School was second in the standings, while May River High School was third.

 

The Carlisle Cup is given annually by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators to the overall top athletic programs in each classification and is based on a points system that determines the winners.

 

For example, teams earn 100 points for a state championship, 80 points as state runners-up, 60 points for a third place, etc. Points are also awarded for region titles as well.

 

The three-year drought might have seemed like a long time because the Bishops used to own the award, which was given out for the first time at the end of the 1999-2000 academic year. The Bishops won the Carlisle Cup every year until the 2021-22 school year.

 

In 2024-25, Bishop England won three state championships and finished as state runners-up in six other sports. 

 

In addition, the Bishops were crowned Region 6-AAAA champions in 14 sports, highlighting their success in the just-completed school year.

 

“A year ago, there was a lot of fear in the community with the jump to 4-A,” Bishop England athletic director Bill Warren said in an earlier interview. “However, our coaches and student-athletes never lowered the expectations and accepted the challenge. It was a phenomenal year, and kudos go out to our coaches and athletes on their ability to compete against larger schools – some with 1,600 students.”