Gilmer's Gospel

     Why don’t all classifications do things the same?
     Two cases I want to bring to your attention.
     1.)    Class 4A doesn’t have an upper state golf tournament like the other three classifications.
     2.)    Class 3A has different pre-determined brackets for baseball and softball, which means teams from the same region are in district tournaments together.
     It may seem like little things, but it doesn’t make any sense to me.
     My thought is that you want your best teams vying for the state championship.
     This is the thought process for 4A cross country and track. They have “state qualifiers” where teams who’ve advance out of region meets get together the week before the state championship and see who’s going to advance.
     They take a certain number of teams from those qualifiers and then the next week they have the state meet.
     Initially, I didn’t like the idea, but the more I’m around it, the more I understand. Track and cross country coaches want the best athletes – no matter of location – in the state tournament.
     The same should happen for golf.
     And it does in the other classifications.
     What if one region (like Region II-4A) has three really good golf teams (and that region does)?
     Instead of Spartanburg, who finished third in Wednesday’s region tournament after shooting 312 and 301, making the state tournament, the Vikings’ season is over. If the top four teams from each region advanced to an upper state tournament, then the Vikings would have another chance to make the state tournament.
     But, now, a team from a weak region will be in the state tournament and will post a score of more than 1,000. Trust me, it will happen during the 54-hole event. Last year, two teams did just this.
     Spartanburg might do the same thing, but we’ll never know because the Vikings won’t be there.
     If there was an upper state tournament, then there would be better representation.
     I asked about this today and was told that the 4A principals wouldn’t get behind the idea because kids would miss another day of school.
     One coach said he’d rather drop the number of playing dates in order to have an upper state tournament. That sounds like a great idea.
     And now on to the baseball and softball brackets in 3A.
     My problem is this: what if a region has four powerful teams? The problem is that all four can’t make it to the upper state tournament, only two can.
     Why do that? Don’t you want the best teams advancing?
     Look at Region III-3A in softball. Union County, Chapman, Clinton and Blue Ridge each advanced to the playoffs after a solid region race.
     Union County and Clinton are in the same district tournament, as are Chapman and Blue Ridge.
     Two years ago, Region II-4A had three teams make the upper state tournament, which proved how good the region was.
     That won’t happen, even if Region III-3A has the best teams.
     Again, I thought the whole point was for the best teams to compete for the state championships.

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     On to some music.
     I'm sitting here at home listening to Will Hoge. I saw Hoge a few years ago in Greenville and I thought he was great. I have a few albums, but haven't listened to him in a while.
      His name popped up while I was randomly looking for good music. I went to his Web site and started listening to his newest album. Great, great stuff.
     Check him out at www.willhoge.com.

Spartanburg sprinter Erica Peake was one of many athletes who turned in outstanding performances last week. (Photo by Alex Hicks)

Here are some standout performances from the past week that were sent in by coaches.
If I receive more, I will publish them.

Jonathan Cruz, BSP: Cruz scored three goals against region opponent Hillcrest in a 4-0 victory and then scored a goal against Wren. 
 
Makenzie Smith, DOR: Smith, an eighth grade centerfielder, was 6-for-12 on the week with six runs scored. She had eight putouts and two assists.

Ronnie Martin, SPA: Martin was the county champion in the 100 and 200 meters, along with being a part of the 4X400 team that won the championship. He was on the 4X100 team that finished second and was named the boy’s track athlete of meet.

Cameron Holmes, BSP: Holmes threw a no-hitter against Byrnes last week.

Erica Peake, SPA: Peake won the county championship in the 100 and 200 meters.

Katie Inclan, DOR: Inclan won four events at the county track and field championship. She won the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter races. She was on the 4X800 team that also won.

Demetria Edgecombe, DOR: Edgecombe won four events at the county track and field championship. She was the individual winner in the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. She was also part of the 4X100 and 4X400 relay teams that won.

Ben Hess, DOR: Hess scored one goal against Maudlin and two goals against Boiling Springs to help Dorman stay undefeated in region play.

Brandi Bishop, CHE: Bishop was 9-for-14 last week with two doubles, a triple and two homers. One the mound, she didn’t give up an earned run.

Adam Fritzsche, GAF: The Indians’ goalkeeper had 13 saves against 15th-ranked Clover. He had 11 saves against No. 1-ranked Northwestern. He has 176 saves on the season.

Briana Hamilton, BYR: Hamilton was 5-for-11 last week, with a double and two homers. She drove in six runs, had three putouts and 10 assists in three games.

Meredith Frye, BRM: Frye was 3-for-3 in the clincher for the Region II-2A championship last week against Woodruff.
 
Paige Darus, SCSDB: Darus, a freshman, set the school’s pole vault record last week as he leapt 7-feet-6. He bested the school record by a foot.

Lanneickia Brewton, CHP: Brewton placed in all four of her events in the county meet last week. She had a personal best long jump of 17-feet-0 ½ and ran the anchor leg of the 4X100 team that broke the school record.

Colby Painter, CHE: Painter had five hits, including a homer run, last week. He drove in seven runs.

Brandon Henderson, CHE: Henderson struck out 14 batters, allowing three hits with just one walk in the region championship game win against Woodruff.

Nicole Burrell, LAN: Burrell, the Cardinals’ catcher, was 8-for-12 in four games last week. She had a double, threw out two potential base stealers and didn’t allow a passed ball. She scored five runs during the week.

Holden Goodson, BYR: Goodson, a forward, scored both goals to beat Spartanburg and he scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick to beat Hillcrest.

Austin Waldrop, WOD: Waldrop was second at the Spartanburg County Meet in the 3,200 meter run with a personal best time of 10:28.

Kaitlin Brown, WOD: Brown finished second in the Spartanburg County Meet in the high jump, with a jump of 5-feet-0.

Alex Anderson, WOD: Anderson was third in the Spartanburg County Meet in the 400-meter hurdles, with a personal best time of 1:11.

Charles Neidenbach, SPA: Neidenbach shot 32 last week at Carolina Country Club to help the Vikings beat the Dorman Cavaliers.

Will Muzika, DOR: The senior shortstop was 5-for-10 last week in three region victories. He scored six runs, drove in four runs, stole two bases and had nine assists. He hit a doubled and a two-run homer.
 
Hunter Cole, DOR: The sophomore third baseman was 5-for-10 last week in three region victories. He drove in seven runs, scored three times, hit a double and a three-run homer against Hillcrest to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 lead in the second inning. They never trailed again.
 
Aaron Everette, DOR: The senior DH was 5-for-8 last week with five doubles. He drove in six runs.

Ashley Long, SPA: Long scored five goals last week. She scored three against region foe Byrnes. Two days later she scored another goal against then-No. 5 ranked Wren in a 2-0 win. She scored another against No. 2 ranked Mauldin in a 4-1 loss.

Josh Jones, CHE: Jones won his third straight county championship in the high jump last week.

Tiffanie Adair, BYR: Adair was the field athlete of the meet at the county track and field championships. She won the triple jump and the high jump, for the second straight year.

Ryan Jacob, LAN: Jacob hit four homers in five at-bats last week. He was 9-for-16 in four games with a double, a triple and all of those homers. He drove in 11 runs.

Here is Thursday's schedule for local teams in the baseball and softball playoffs.

BASEBALL
4A
Byrnes at Laurens, 7 p.m.
T.L. Hanna at Dorman, 7 p.m.
Greenwood at Boiling Springs, 7 p.m.
Spartanburg at Easley, TBA
Spring Valley at Gaffney, 7:30 p.m.

3A
Chapin at Greer, 6 p.m.
Union County at A.C. Flora, 7 p.m.

2A
Emerald at Chesnee, 7 p.m.
Broome at Liberty, 7 p.m.
Woodruff at Walhalla, 6 p.m.

1A
Tamassee-Salem at Landrum, 6:30 p.m.
Ware Shoals at Blacksburg, 6:30 p.m.

SOFTBALL
4A
Dorman at Wren, 6:30 p.m.
Byrnes at T.L. Hanna, 6:30 p.m.
Ridge View at Gaffney, 6 p.m.

3A
Chapman at Lugoff-Elgin, 6 p.m.
A.C. Flora at Union County, 7 p.m.

2A
Pendleton at Broome, 6:30 p.m.
Woodruff at Crescent, 6 p.m.
Walhalla at Chesnee, 6 p.m.

1A
Tamassee-Salem at Landrum, 6 p.m.

     The final regular season poll by the S.C. Baseball Coaches Association has been released and there are a couple of local teams in its respective polls.
     The most intriguing is the 4A poll, where Dorman and Boiling Springs are second and third, respectively. Throw in Gaffney at No. 7 and this area is well representated.
     It should be fun to see who makes it out of district championship brackets and into the upper state tournament.
     Which local team do you think will make the most noise in the baseball playoffs, which begin on Thursday?


4A
1. Wando
2. Dorman
3. Boiling Springs
4. Laurens
5. Sumter
6. Hartsville
7. Gaffney
8. Conway
9. Stratford
10. Lexington

3A
1. Lugoff-Elgin
2. Hilton Head
3. South Aiken
4. Riverside
5. Belton-Honea Path
6. Brookland-Cayce
7. A.C. Flora
8. Greer
9. Dreher
T10. Seneca/Camden

2A
1. Bishop England
2. Mid-Carolina
3. Dillon
4. Chesnee
5. Gilbert
6. Hanahan
7. Walhalla
8. Marion
9. Broome
10. Batesburg-Leesville

1A
1. Bamberg-Ehrhardt
2. Johnsonville
3. Chesterfield
4. Ninety Six
5. Landrum
6. Blacksburg
7. Williston-Elko
8. Great Falls
9. Lake View
10. Lewisville

    
     Region championship and playoff scenarios are always fun to look at.
     The most intriguing so far is the baseball scenario in Region II-2A.
     Here we go:

     Going into Friday’s game, the region standings look like this:

     Chesnee 7-2
     Palmetto 7-3
     Broome 7-3
     Woodruff 6-3

     Chesnee and Woodruff play on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

     If Chesnee wins, the Eagles will be the region champions and have the No. 1 seed. Palmetto would be in second place with Broome in third and Woodruff in fourth. Palmetto would get the runner-up position because Palmetto beat Broome twice.

     If Woodruff wins, then things get really interesting because there would be a four-way tie for first place.
     To settle that, the teams would meet at Dorman on Saturday for a pseudo playoff. Names would be drawn and two games would be played, beginning at noon.
     The winners of the two games would play on Monday for the region championship and the two losers would play on Monday for third place.

     Forget points systems or other tiebreakers. I love it when teams play it off for the title.

     Thanks to Woodruff coach Will Lanford for the guidance through this madness.

     I'm going to research the other regions and will post more soon.


     Other regions:

     Baseball
     Region II-4A
     Dorman, Boiling Springs, Spartanburg and Byrnes are in the playoffs.
     A Dorman win on Friday against Spartanburg and the Cavaliers are region champions.
     A Spartanburg win on Friday against Dorman, coupled with a Boiling Springs win over Byrnes and the Bulldogs are co-champions with the Cavaliers.
     If they are co-champions, then the points system will determine the seeding. Right now, it looks like Dorman would be No. 1 based on that
     The Vikings look locked into third place and Byrnes looks locked into fourth.

     Region II-1A
     Landrum is first and Blacksburg is second.
     Greenville Tech Charter and Southside Christian are currently tied.
     If Landrum beats Southside Christian on Friday, then Greenville Tech Charter is third and SSC is fourth.

     Softball
     Region III-4A
     Gaffney is the champion. Northwestern and Clover are currently tied for second place, with Fort Mill in fourth place.

     Region III-3A
     Blue Ridge is the champion.
     Union County needs a victory over Greer on Friday to clinch second place.
     Chapman needs a win over Clinton on Friday to clinch third place.
     If Clinton beat Chapman and if Riverside beats Blue Ridge, then tiebreakers will determine third and fourth between Chapman, Clinton and Riverside.
     If Chapman loses and Riverside loses, then there is a two-way tie for third place between Chapman and Clinton.
 
     Region II-2A
     Broome is the region champions.
     Woodruff plays Chesnee on Friday and Palmetto on Saturday. If the Wolverines win twice, they are in second place. Two loses and they are in fourth place.
     If Woodruff wins twice, the Palmetto and Chesnee will have a playoff game for third place.
     If Woodruff beats Chesnee and loses to Palmetto, then Palmetto would be in second and Chesnee and Woodruff would playoff for third place.
     If Woodruff beats Palmetto and loses to Chesnee, then Palmetto and Woodruff will play off for third place and Chesnee would be in second place.

     Region II-1A
     Landrum is the champion.
     If Southside Christian loses to Landrum on Friday, then there will be a playoff for second place on Monday with Whitmire.
     Blacksburg and Christ Church will have a one-game playoff for the fourth playoff spot.