High school sports highlights from 2019

It’s the end of the year and we are on the cusp of a new decade.

What’s in store for the coming year? I don’t know. This enterprising reporter doesn’t have 2020 vision.

But when we look back at 2019, we see more of the same, a lot of success from the high school teams despite a new cast of characters. Bishop England was as bold and successful as ever while Philip Simmons continued to make strides in its sports program despite being one of the youngest schools in the state.

Here’s a look back at some of the top high school stories of 2019 on a month-by-month basis, based on one person’s opinion.

January

Bishop England’s Paul Runey became the sixth coach in South Carolina girls’ basketball history to record 700 career victories when the Bishops defeated Hanahan. The 63-year-old Runey could become the state’s all-time winningest girls’ basketball coach if he continues to coach for a few more years. Anne Long, who coached at Dutch Fork and Spring Valley, is the all-time winningest coach with 824 victories.

February

Andrea Dussault moved to the Lowcountry from Connecticut, and she brought field hockey to Daniel Island. The program began with clinics and pleas for coaches and officials, and her lobbying paid off. She is the founder of the Charleston Field Hockey Association. Bishop England fielded a team that competed at the club-sport level. There were 45 players on the team when play began in late winter, despite being a sport that is usually contested in the fall.

March

The Bishop England girls’ basketball team topped Keenan for another state championship and another claim for a dynasty. The victory gave the Bishops their sixth state championship in the last eight years and they finished with a 28-1 record. Katie Brooks concluded her career with 20 points, hitting 12 of 13 from the foul line while grabbing six rebounds in the final game.

April

The Bishop England girls’ lacrosse team continued to win, win and win. They posted a 15-4 victory over Christ Church in the Class AAAA state championship to win their 41st straight match and claim a fourth straight crown. Both are state records.

May

Geoffrey Gilbert concluded a brilliant baseball career at Bishop England. He was a member of three state championship teams and earned a scholarship to Clemson. His three-year totals are 26-1 with a microscopic ERA of 0.63. He pitched in 175 2/3 innings and struck out 278.

June

Austin Scott, a rising junior at Bishop England and a Daniel Island resident, won the 61st annual South Carolina Golf Association (SCGA) Junior Championship, which was held at the Country Club of Lexington. It was his first major individual title as he edged J.T. Herman of Hilton Head in a 2-hole playoff in a water-logged and rain-shortened tournament.

July

Snee Farm, based in Mount Pleasant, rolled to its sixth consecutive championship at the City Swim Meet with a victory over the Daniel Island Flying Fish. The Flying Fish 7-8 girls won the overall points standing for their age group. Lilah May captured gold in the 25-yard freestyle and finished eighth in the 25-yard butterfly. The 7-8 100-yard freestyle team of Charlotte Good, Willa LeVeen, Sarah Ligon and May finished in first for another gold medal.

August

The Bishop England High School athletics program has been No. 1 in South Carolina at least since 2000-01. But the Bishops went national this year as well. MaxPreps, a website dedicated to high school sports from sea to shining sea, revealed its 2019 MaxPreps Cup results, and the Bishops earned the No. 4 ranking nationally.

September

Philip Simmons High School volleyball coach Jay Watterworth gained his 200th career victory as the Iron Horses swept Stall 3-0. The following night, Watterworth took his first step toward 300 as the Iron Horses topped Georgetown 3-0. “It was a special moment,” Watterworth said. “But this just wasn’t about me. It was about the players as well. We celebrated together.”

October

Philip Simmons football team upped its game significantly in 2019, qualifying for the playoffs and pulling a big 40-18 win against N. Charleston. It was the Iron Horses’ most complete game of the season as they rushed, passed and defended the Cougars, capped off by an impressive second half.

November

The Philip Simmons boys’ and girls’ cross country teams shone at the High School League’s State Championships. Noah Ward led the boys’ team to a second-place finish. He captured first in the 5K run with a personal best time of 15:36.84. The girls’ team also fared well with a third-place finish. Hailey Meyers led the Lady Iron Horses with a sixth-place time of 19:30.43. She was one of five eight-graders on the team. Meanwhile, the Bishop England girls’ tennis team won another state championship with another perfect season, posting a 22-0 record. The Bishops topped Chapman. It was the ninth state title in a row for the Bishops and 24th overall, both state records.

December

It isn’t Orwellian. But the Bishop England boys’ basketball team got off to a great start, opening the season with seven consecutive victories. The last time Bishop England got off to such a sizzling start was 1984 when the Bishops, who played at the old gym on Calhoun Street, began the season with an 11-0 record.