Iron Horses, Bishops athletic programs peak near SC’s top

Dan Minkin will never forget his first year as athletic director at Philip Simmons High School. Minkin signed on in time for the 2019-20 academic year.

 

That academic year will be remembered at PSHS as the year of the first graduating class in the school’s history. It will also be known as the year the COVID-19 pandemic shut down high school athletics around the country.

 

“Obviously, I was disappointed,” Minkin recalled. “It wasn’t a great start, but I knew we had the talent and coaches on campus. We also had the support of the school and community.”

 

Minkins’ disappointment didn’t last long. The next year, Philip Simmons earned the Carlisle Cup for Class AA schools in the Palmetto State.

 

The Carlisle Cup is an award given by the South Carolina Athletic Administration Association to a high school in each of the five classifications with the winningest athletic department. The award recognizes the top athletic programs in the state based on championships and playoff success.

 

Since then, the Iron Horses have been among the top athletic programs on an annual basis, including the just-completed school year. The Iron Horses finished tied for second with Wren High School in the team standings, as both teams accumulated 820 points. D.W. Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina, was on top of the Class AAA mountain with 1,030 points.

 

Bishop England High School’s success in the Carlisle Cup standings is one of lore. The Battling Bishops won the cup every year since it was given out, beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year and continuing until the 2021-22 school year.

 

The award was originally called the Directors’ Cup, but the name was changed in time for the 2016-17 academic year. The award was not given out for the 2019-20 academic year because the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out spring sports.

 

The Carlisle Cup employs a points system to determine the winners. For example, teams earn 100 points for a state championship, 80 for runner-up, 60 for a third place finish, all the way down to 10 points for a 32nd-place finish in the state. 

 

The Bishops are still standing strong with a third-place finish for 2023-24. Oceanside Collegiate won the top spot with 1,120 points. Gray Collegiate was second with 940 points, and the Bishops were third with 920.

 

The Iron Horses claimed state championships in girls’ cross-country, girls’ tennis, boys’ cross-country and boys’ track and field. The Iron Horses won 11 of the 16 region championships awarded.

 

“Obviously, we wanted to win,” Minkin said. “But to finish second is quite an accomplishment. We want to win, and accept the pressure associated with winning. We love having that target on our back.”

 

Bishop England also had a big year with five state championships, three state runner-up teams, and nine region crowns. The Bishops’ state titles were in girls’ sports: track and field, lacrosse, swimming, volleyball, and cross-country.

 

Bill Warren, who served as Bishop England’s co-athletic director along with Paul Runey in his first year at the school, knew of Bishop England’s excellence.

 

“I was Co-AD with Paul Runey, and that was an experience,” Warren said. “He’s a legend, and I got to work with a guy who has been through just about everything.”

 

“My biggest memory from my first year was seeing so many student-athletes who didn’t specialize in one sport. We have some kids who play two and even three sports. That’s great.”