Bishops ready for new region foes as practice gets underway

Logan Hall inherited a program at its crossroads when he was named the coach of the Bishop England High School football team in time for the 2024 season. 

The Battling Bishops won back-to-back Class AA state titles beginning with the 2011 season, but a little over a decade later the team struggled to score points, let alone win games. 

Hall’s rebuilding project was even tougher because the Bishops were classified at Class AAAA thanks to a multiplier used by the South Carolina High School League to create a competitive balance. Basically, every BE student who attended the school from outside their assigned geographic attendance zone counted as three students. 

Hall refused to use the classification as an excuse, although his team faced opponents that had two to three times more students than Bishop England. 

The results? The Bishops posted a 17-7 record in their two-year stint at Class AAAA. The Bishops won the Region 6-AAAA championship in his first season and reached postseason play both years. 

Not only did the Bishops win games, but Hall helped many players reach the next level as they continued their careers at the college level. 

Hall, who proved to be an offensive guru at Pinewood Prep High School before accepting the BE job, didn’t go unnoticed. 

Late last year, the American Football Coaches Association announced its 2026 Leadership Institute’s 35 Under 35, a program designed to identify and develop premier future leaders in the football coaching profession under the age of 35. Hall was the only coach selected from the high school ranks. 

The Bishops begin practice this week, and the landscape has changed. They will compete at the Class AAA level for at least the next two seasons. The foes will still have an advantage in the numbers category. But don’t be surprised if the Bishops prove bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. 

Hall expects to greet 14 returning starters and about 40 lettermen. The team created energy during summer workouts. Now, it’s time to keep the momentum flowing. 

“Summer is going great,” Hall said. “Attendance and consistency have been great. Max-outs are this week with some guys pushing to get on the all-time board, which is awesome.” 

The team has talent – and depth. But there are positions to be filled, including quarterback. Now that Quinn Mahoney and his 3,907 yards and 37 TD passes have graduated. 

“The biggest concern is getting our young players in the right spot to go make plays on Friday nights. We have talent, just lack gameday experience.” 

William Donato, who passed for 337 yards and five TDs last fall, and Banks Luton, who transferred from Oceanside Collegiate, are the top candidates to replace Mahoney. 

The passing and running games should benefit from an offensive line that has talent and experience. 

Five players on this season’s roster are getting recruited to play at the next level. They include Matthew Ponkow (Penn, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Charleston Southern, and Newberry); Finn Corley (Hampden-Sydney); Chase Tonon ( ETSU, Citadel, App State, and Miami of Ohio); Trevor Tonon (ETSU,  Citadel, App State, and Miami of Ohio) and John Diliegro (Gardner-Webb, Lafayette, and Anderson). 

The Bishops will compete in Region 5-AAA against the likes of three-time defending state champ Oceanside Collegiate Academy, Hanahan, North Charleston, and Georgetown. 

“We are excited to match up with everyone and see how we match up as a school with the smallest enrollment out of the group,” Hall said after his team’s spring game. “We are excited for the opportunity to prove we can compete with anybody, anywhere.”