Top cross-country runners carry game ball in Shrine Bowl Relay
Neither Philip Simmons nor Bishop England had players selected to play in the 89th Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, but the Daniel Island schools were represented in the pregame festivities of the Dec. 20 football game that featured the top seniors from North Carolina against the top seniors from the Palmetto State.
Iron Horse cross country individual Class AA state champ Avah Mallek and Bishop England standouts Jackson Muller and Nora Brahim took part in the Shrine Bowl Relay, a tradition where some of the top senior cross country runners carry the official game ball from Greenville's Shriners Hospital to the Spartanburg High School football stadium.
The relay covered 28.5 miles, with each runner carrying the football 1.5 miles while promoting camaraderie and helping boost awareness of the Shriners Hospitals, culminating with the oldest high school football all-star game in the United States.
Mallek, a six-time all-state selection, capped a brilliant career with her third straight individual gold medal to help the Iron Horse girls capture their third straight state championship, winning the Class AA title.
Brahim led the Bishop girls to a second-place finish in Class AAAA with a bronze-medal performance to earn all-state honors for the sixth time. She will run for Samford University in Alabama.
Muller helped the BE boys finish second place in the team standings with a fifth-place finish.
South Carolina defeated North Carolina 17-7 at Spartanburg’s Viking Stadium.
PSHS GIRLS' BASKETBALL
The Philip Simmons girls’ basketball team has shown much improvement in coach Allen Gethers’ second season as coach.
The Iron Horses finished the non-region portion of their schedule with a 5-4 record, including an impressive victory over Bishop England. The Iron Horses have played a demanding schedule, losing to Wando High School twice and Goose Creek once. The Class AAAAA powers have a combined 23-3 record.
Gethers, who replaced Dustin Williams last season, inherited a team that had only two players with varsity experience.
The Iron Horses opened the season with only one victory in their first eight games last winter, struggling with fundamentals such as layups and free-throw shooting.
The team showed improvement as the season progressed, posting a 10-15 record and qualifying for the Class AA playoffs by finishing in third place in Region 6-AA with a 6-4 record.
Three players who formed the nucleus of last year’s squad are having impressive seasons so far: Germany Moore, Kenira Holmes, and Harper Cohen.
Moore, who set a single-season school record with 301 rebounds last winter, is having another solid season. The senior center is averaging 9.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Her rebounding totals place her in the top 30 in the state, according to MaxPreps.com.
Holmes, a senior forward, is averaging 8 points and 8 rebounds per contest. She is strong on defense with 1.8 steals per contest.
Cohen, a junior guard, is averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 steals per contest.