Championship excellence, coaching controversy and a summer league All-Star game were among the biggest sports stories in Chronicle Country during 2018.

The year of dynasties

The 6 state champions crowned in Chronicle Country this year continued their respective recent dominance. Chapin boys’ soccer and Dutch Fork “3-peated” and Lexington girls’ golf and Chapin competitive cheer added to their state record title total by winning its 13th and 14th, respectively. Meanwhile, Chapin baseball won its first state title since 2002 and White Knoll softball went 32-2 to claim its first-ever Class 5A title.

Swansea football coach out

The Lexington County community received an early summer shock when Swansea head football coach Greg Wright was dismissed from his position. Eric Pack was named interim head coach and led the Tigers to a 3-8 record and Class 3A playoff appearance. The lawsuit was filed back in August by Wright, seeking financial compensation for defamation, and a court date is still pending.

All-Star gala in Lexington

The “Season of the Stars” for the Lexington County Blowfish was highlighted by team holding the 2018 Coastal Plain League All-Star Game. Blowfish utility player Connor Tate belted two, 2-run doubles to lead the host team National All-Stars to a 9-4 victory over the American All-Stars and was named Batter of the Game.

Dutch Fork domination

The Palmetto State has only had one Class 5A school as its high school football champion since the classification’s creation in 2015. During that span, the Silver Foxes have posted a 41-1 record, are currently riding a 25-game winning streak, have won 18 consecutive region games and 17 straight road games. As of press time, they were ranked 10th in the USA Today High School Football Super Expert Top 25 poll, further adding to the argument that this is the greatest high school football team in South Carolina history.