Sports Standouts
Story and photos by Justin Jarrett
The first state championship of the spring high school sports season set the tone for a flurry of state titles, deep playoff runs, and individual accolades for area teams and athletes.
The boys golf teams from Hilton Head Christian Academy and Hilton Head Prep lapped the field at the SCISA 3A golf meet — and met for dinner afterward — in a showdown for the state title at Coastal Carolina University’s Hackler Course. Behind freshman individual medalist Sage Bradshaw (68-68) and sophomore runner-up Gabe Schmitz (70-67), the Eagles held off a second-round surge from Hilton Head Prep, shooting 581 to edge their rivals by two shots for the title. The third-place team finished 44 shots behind the runner-up Dolphins.
“I think we surprised ourselves a little by throwing a 1-under-par in there on day one,” Bradshaw said on the LowcoSports Lowdown podcast. “I think we knew we had it all year. It was just a matter of us being able to put it together.”
The SCISA 1A title also came home to the Lowcountry, as Heritage Academy cruised to a 36-shot win behind individual medalist Michael Gavin (74-73). Heritage Academy claimed another crown when its boys tennis team won the state 1A-2A title.
The Hilton Head Prep boys tennis team kept the trophies coming to when it doused Spartanburg Day 5-1 to claim a Class 3A state title — the Dolphins’ third in a row and their ninth in the last 10 years.
“This is one of the largest senior classes that we have ever had and they really made my job very easy,” Dolphins coach Clint Van Aswegen said. “I wish them the very best in the future, but we have one year to reload and coach up the next group of teammates to step up and defend our championship next year.”
The Dolphins added one more title to cap off the school year, as the girls soccer team finished the season with 11 consecutive wins, culminating with a 6-0 victory over Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach to capture the SCISA 3A title.
Coach Risa McMillan tested her team early with matches against quality Georgia squads, and the Dolphins began the season 3-4.
They didn’t lose again.
Sophomore Callah Dando (three goals in the title game) and eighth-grade phenom Ashley Brothers led a dominant flurry to close out the season.
And there was still more hardware likely to come home with deserving student-athletes from the Lowcountry when the S.C. High School League state golf and track meets were held later in May, after our deadline.
Senior Shoutouts
Whitt Beebe, MRHS BOYS LACROSSE: Beebe earned the nickname “Crease Monkey” for his ability to wreak havoc on opposing goalies at point-blank range, which led to 95 points (62 goals, 33 assists) as a senior and earn the opportunity to continue his career at North Greenville.
Josh Elam, MRHS BOYS SOCCER: The Sharks’ leading scorer racked up 13 goals to go with three assists as a senior and earned a spot on the Class 4A All-state team.
Bill Fielding, HHIHS BOYS LACROSSE: The senior leader, Fielding was part of a lethal three-headed attack along with Brady Saba and Sam Thibodeau, finishing his senior campaign with 91 points (58 goals, 33 assists) and 118 groundballs.
Anthony Hill and Jackson Ogden, JPII BOYS SOCCER: The Golden Warriors’ dynamic duo combined for 23 goals and 13 assists to lead JPII to the SCISA 3A semifinals in their swansong.
Casey Laing, MRHS SOFTBALL: The Belmont Abbey-bound Laing was a rock at third base and a lethal bat in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, helping a young Sharks team advance further in the playoffs than any other softball team in southern Beaufort County.
Bryn Miller, HHP GIRLS SOCCER: Somewhat overshadowed by goal-scorers Callah Dando and Ashley Brothers, Miller was a key facilitator for the Dolphins with 14 assists along with 13 goals going into the state championship game.
Abby Peduzzi, HHCA GIRLS SOCCER: The centerpiece of the Eagles’ girls sports dynasty over the past several years helped lead one last surge in the playoffs before ending her illustrious high school career with a rare postseason loss in the semifinals.
Jake Richardson, HHIHS BASEBALL: An arm injury kept him off the mound and prevented him from being behind the plate in the second half of the season, but the USC Lancaster commit still finished with a .380 batting average and .500 on-base percentage with eight doubles and 16 RBI. He was 5-2 with a 2.73 ERA on the mound with 47 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings.
Katie Ryan and Alyssa Rose, BLUFF SOFTBALL: It was a rough season after losing pitcher and leadoff hitter Parker Ray to a season-ending injury, but the remaining duo from Bluffton’s triple threat both ended up hitting over .500 with a combined 17 extra-base hits.
Brooks van Esselstyn, MRHS BOYS LACROSSE: It was quite a senior year for the Florida Tech-bound van Esselstyn, who not only was named a National Merit Scholar but also earned Class 4A Lower State Player of the Year honors after leading the Sharks with 98 points (57 goals, 41 assists) and 147 groundballs while winning 74.3 percent of his faceoffs.
