Two state crowns help Bishops finish second in Carlisle Cup
Bishop England High School just missed winning the Carlisle Cup championship for the second consecutive year, but the Bishops still had plenty of athletic success to celebrate during the 2025-26 school year.
The Bishops finished second in Class AAAA as A.C. Flora High School posted an 1,140-1,110 victory, while May River was third with 860 points.
“We had a fantastic year in athletics,” said Bishop England athletics director Bill Warren. “We finished second in the Carlisle Cup after winning the cup in 2024-25, our first year in 4-A."
The Carlisle Cup is given annually by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators to the overall top athletic programs in each classification and is based on a points system that determines the winners.
For example, teams earn 100 points for a state championship, 80 points as state runners-up, 60 points for third place, etc. Points are also awarded for region titles as well.
“The Carlisle Cup is a measure of the strength of your overall athletic program,” Warren added. “For a school our size (625 students) to be able to compete with schools three times our size is a tribute to the quality coaches we have and the talent and effort of our student athletes.”
The Bishops had eight teams compete in state championship events and won two state crowns in girls’ and boys’ swimming. The Bishops finished as state runners-up in girls’ volleyball, boys’ tennis, girls’ cross country, boys’ cross country, girls’ soccer, and girls’ lacrosse.
The Bishops have won 175 state championships in their illustrious sports history while finishing state runners-up 86 times.
“This past year, our teams went to eight state championships, winning two,” Warren said. “We had 520 students play at least one sport and 169 multi-sport athletes. Twenty seniors signed national letters of intent to play at the next level. We had 89 senior SCHSL Scholar Athletes with a GPA of 3.5 or greater. It was a great year in (Class) 4-A winning nine region championships.”
The Bishops were named the top sports program every year in its classifications from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2021-2022 season.
The Bishops’ Carlisle Cup during the 2024-25 academic year ended a three-year stretch when the Bishops didn’t find themselves in first place. The Bishops won last year’s cup over May River while A.C. Flora finished third.
The Bishops will drop down to Class AAA in time for the 2026-27 academic year and will compete at that level for at least two years. The South Carolina High School’s next realignment will be in time for the 2028-29 school year.
“Next year, moving to Class 3-A will help with travel, and we will compete with some of our longtime Charleston County and Berkeley County rivalries,” Warren said. “Our students definitely gained some confidence and respect playing at the 4-A level over the last two years and are looking forward to a great 2026-27 athletic year.”