Cane Bay sophomore J.J. Peace took a big step in his young wrestling career over the weekend in Virginia Beach, Va.
Peace, who capped off a perfect 32-0 regular season with a Class AAAAA state championship in the 113-pound weight class in February, became an All-American with a fourth-place finish in the 2022 sophomore national championship tournament hosted by the National High School Coaches Association.
Peace posted a 5-2 record in the tournament, which included 83 wrestlers from 46 states. Peace joins former Cane Bay wrestler Matt Rudy as an All-American. Rudy was the national runner-up in 2014. Peace has yet to lose a match in a regular season or state tournament in South Carolina, posting a 48-0 record over two years.
Bishop England lacrosse
The Bishop England girls lacrosse team is seeking a sixth consecutive Class AAAA state championship this spring and appears to be a safe bet to accomplish that goal.
The Bishops are 9-0 this season, extending their winning streak to 72 consecutive games in the process. Bishop England has attacked a very difficult schedule during the regular season, owning wins over defending AAAAA state champion Riverside, AAAAA contenders Wando and Fort Mill, and fellow AAAA state contenders Eastside and Oceanside Collegiate.
“We have a lot of experience and we have talented players,” coach Jeff Weiner said. “That doesn’t make things easy for us. We play a difficult schedule during the season because we want to be challenged and tested. We take nothing for granted. We want to be at our best come playoff time.”
Leading the charge this season are four seniors. Elisabeth Tausig (24 goals) and Frankie Poch (23) are among the leading scorers. Ryley Dengler is a key defender and Olivia Head just returned from injury.
Sophomore Henley Bredemann leads the team with 34 goals scored.
Bishop England is currently ranked sixth nationally by MaxPreps and will host AAAAA state contender Chapin on April 2. The state playoffs begin on April 19 with the state finals scheduled for April 30.
Boys volleyball
Boys volleyball continues to be a developing sport in the South Carolina high school ranks and a state champion will be crowned for the first time next weekend.
Though not officially a sanctioned sport in the SCHSL or SCISA, there are 16 schools around the state participating this spring. Local teams include Wando, Lucy Beckham, Stratford, Oceanside Collegiate and Hanahan. The schools participate in the S.C. Boys High School Volleyball League.
The state championship tournament will consist of two teams from the Upper State and two from the Lower State.
“We are trying to grow the sport and having a state championship will go a long ways in helping promote the sport of boys volleyball,” said Kelly Owens, who serves as the director for the league. “Interest is picking up around the state and we are hopeful that soon it can become a high school league sport.”
Soccer rankings
The S.C. Soccer Coaches Association released its updated statewide rankings this week. Two local schools, Wando and Ashley Ridge, are ranked in the Class AAAAA top 10. Wando is ranked fourth and Ashley Ridge is fifth.
In AAAAA girls, Wando is ranked fourth, Ashley Ridge 11th and West Ashley 12th. James Island is the top-ranked AAAA girls team and Lucy Beckham is ranked sixth.
James Island’s boys team is ranked fifth in AAAA boys and Oceanside Collegiate is the top-ranked team in Class AAA boys. Bishop England is ranked second in AAA boys while Academic Magnet is ranked fifth.
Academic Magnet’s girls team is ranked second in Class AAA, followed by third-ranked Bishop England and fifth-ranked Oceanside Collegiate.
In Class AA, Philip Simmons is ranked second among the state’s boys team while the girls team is ranked fifth.
Among SCISA schools, Porter-Gaud’s girls team is the top-ranked team in Class AAA while the boys team is ranked fifth in AAA. Pinewood Prep’s boys team is ranked second in Class AAA.
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