Bishops, Iron Horses top soccer polls heading into the season
It’s a case of deja’ two.
For the second straight year, the Bishop England High School girls’ soccer team is ranked No. 1 in the South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association preseason poll, which was released on Jan. 23.
But the Bishops are far from being alone in the poll when it comes to the locals.
The Bishop England boys, the defending state champs in Class AAAA, are ranked No. 2 in their classification, while the Philip Simmons boys and girls are ranked No. 2 in the Class AA and Class AA-A polls, respectively.
The Bishop England girls, coached by Netha Kreamer, are coming off a 21-5 season that included a trip to the Class AAAA state championship. However, the Bishops were denied their 13th state crown in their illustrious history as A.C. Flora posted a 1-0 win in the title game.
The Bishop boys, who checked in at No. 2, ended a nine-year state championship drought by defeating Daniel High School 2-1 last May to win their 19th state championship, the most in state history. Daniel begins the season as the coaches’ pick as the No. 1 team.
The title came in Drew Costa’s second year as head coach. He also played on three state championship teams during his high school days.
The Philip Simmons girls’ team, ranked No. 2 in the Class AA-A poll, has become a state power under the guidance of coach Jeffrey Collins. He was the program’s third coach in four years when he took over in 2024. Since then, the Iron Horses have experienced stability and success.
Last year’s team included 10 sophomores, and the experience makes the Iron Horses girls’ squad a serious title contender.
The team went 13-9-1 in 2024 and followed that up with a 12-7-1 record last spring. The Iron Horses reached the Class AA Lower State championship, dropping a 4-0 decision to Academic Magnet. The Raptors begin the season in the top spot.
Patrick Gunderson has turned the Iron Horse boys’ program into a state power.
The Iron Horses set a school record in 2024 when they won 20 games against four losses. The team bettered that record last spring, posting a 21-3 record. The Iron Horses reached the Class AA Lower State championship last spring but lost a 2-0 decision to Academic Magnet. The Raptors hold down the No. 1 ranking heading into the season.
IRON HORSE HOOPS
The Philip Simmons High School boys’ basketball team remains in the hunt for a Region 6-AA championship title following a 73-33 victory over league leader Burke High School on Jan. 30 at the Phil.
The Iron Horses own a 13-7 record, including 5-2 in region play, heading into the penultimate week of the regular season.
The lopsided victory over the Bulldogs came 17 days after Burke posted a 70-65 victory on Jan. 13. The Bulldogs jumped to a 42-31 halftime lead in that game, and the Iron Horses couldn’t recover.
The Iron Horses’ other conference loss was a 53-52 upset at the hands of Academic Magnet.
The Iron Horses are scheduled to play the Raptors again on Feb. 13.