A salute to seven seniors who will leave PSHS as champions

The Philip Simmons High School boys’ basketball team was crowned Class AA state champions on Thursday, March 5, thanks to an impressive victory over High Point Academy. 

On the first day back to school, the members of the team were treated like kings. 

The school celebrated the program’s first state title in its nine-year history at noon on March 9, with a “Walk of Champions.” Coach Garrett Campbell’s squad marched through the school as the students and staff cheered them on. 

“The Walk of Champions was a great way for the entire student body to stop and celebrate,” Campbell said. “For everyone to pause their day and give our team some love shows how Philip Simmons High School cares about our athletes and how much we celebrate them.” 

The celebration culminated almost a year’s worth of hard work, whether it was lifting weights, running endless sprints, shooting free throws or simply developing an esprit de corps. For some of the players, the state title was something they had dreamed of since their first game back in the youth-league days. 

While the Walk of Champions was fun and festive, it might have been somewhat bittersweet for the seven seniors on the roster: Hayden Exum, Montrell Mungin, Josiah Young, Matthew Cook and starters Palmer Driggers, Dylan Morris, and Hopper Afman. 

“It felt great to have support from the whole school,” said Afman, one of the stars of the Iron Horses’ dramatic 50-46 victory over High Point Academy at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. “It was great to walk down the halls with the guys one last time.” 

Afman’s story is one of the best of the players around the country who competed in March Madness. He celebrated two incredible victories the day the Iron Horses won the state title. 

His mother, Jacki Stocker, who was diagnosed with cancer, was a regular in the stands during the early part of the 2025-26 season. But she had to miss a good portion of the schedule because of her health. But she was sitting in the stands at Colonial Life Arena, happy and healthy. 

“The day was pretty surreal,” Afman said. “And it meant everything to me. For her just to be there was great. But for her to see us win makes it even more special.” 

Afman and his mother shared a hug and joyous tears after the Iron Horses won the school’s first state title in a revenue sport and 19th overall. 

The victory over HPA, which entered with a 27-game winning streak, included plenty of drama including rebounding from an 8-0 deficit early in the contest. 

“But we had been there before,” Driggers said. “We fell behind early (against Mullins) in the Lower State, so we were less nervous. It served as a wakeup call. After going down 8-0, we sort of refocused and hit the restart button. We hit a couple of 3-pointers and things started to go our way. 

“Winning the state championship was very special, obviously,” Driggers added. “It’s something we won’t forget. We started working for this in June because that was our goal.” 

Dylan Morris and the Iron Horses were in the stands at Colonial Life Arena watching a title game that preceded their showdown against HPA. 

“Watching that game, you realize the obvious: Colonial Life Arena is a lot bigger than The Phil,” Morris said. “It took us a few minutes to settle down, but by the second quarter, we were dialed in. We played hard and wanted it more. 

“Coach Campbell did a great job of keeping us calm, keeping us focused,” Morris added. “We are so glad he’s our coach. He’d do anything for us. He’s part of our family, basically.”