High school sports: chasing titles and building foundations

You’re going to hear plenty about the area’s best high school teams in the coming weeks, as the SCHSL and SCISA playoffs kick off for lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, and golf.

If you frequently tune in to the LowcoSports Lowdown, you might grow tired of hearing about some of them by the time the cream rises and only the strongest are still standing, scrapping for state titles.

You can bet a Region 6-4A soccer team or two will be battling late into the bracket, whether it be Daniel Island powerhouse Bishop England or one of the Lowco contenders — perhaps May River’s boys, who recently stunned the Bishops in penalties, or Hilton Head’s girls, who are on the Bishops’ heels in the standings.

And the same goes for the Region 6-4A baseball race, which features Lowco stalwarts May River, Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head trying to chase down newcomer Bishop England, which has stepped in to be a major foil in most every sport this spring.

May River’s softball team is sure to make plenty of noise in the postseason, and local SCISA powers Hilton Head Prep, Hilton Head Christian Academy, John Paul II and Cross Schools will all be in the mix for state titles in one sport or another.

But you won’t hear much about some of the most important teams in our area, because their successes aren’t being measured in wins and losses — or at least not entirely.

I’m getting a first-hand look at what it takes to build a program from the ground up — or rebuild one that has been struggling for an extended period — and earning a deepened respect for those coaches and players who show up every day to get better even when the numbers on the scoreboard aren’t kind.

The Hardeeville Hurricanes softball program is playing its first season since 2012, and even the handful of returning players from last year’s Ridgeland-Hardeeville squad only got four games under their belt last year. But they have 23 players out and have fielded varsity and JV teams this season, and the girls are getting better every day.

They aren’t the only ones.

Hilton Head Prep and Hilton Head Christian Academy both added new softball programs this season, and though wins have been scarce, a foundation is set, and the players who endure the tough times will derive even greater enjoyment from the success to come. The Dolphins and Eagles have built-in targets to home in on in local rivals John Paul II and Cross Schools, who have their programs on solid footing after being in the same fledgling place just a few years ago.

After Hilton Head Christian Academy added lacrosse to its sports offerings last spring, John Paul II followed suit this year. Expect more to get on board with a fast-growing sport that has new legs in the Lowcountry thanks to Premiere Lacrosse League star Kieran McArdle’s investment in the game in the area through his non-profit Fun First Lacrosse and the affiliated Lowcountry Rush lacrosse club.

More teams in more sports means more opportunities for kids to break away from their screens and learn valuable lessons about commitment, teamwork, overcoming adversity, and the value of hard work, all while making friends and memories.

Kudos to the coaches and kids out there making it happen, win or lose.

Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and is the founder of Lowco Sports. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.