It was over a year ago when the pandemic forced the cancellation of high school spring sports throughout South Carolina.

While it’s April Fool’s Day, it’s “no joke” spring sports have returned with a vengeance this year in Chronicle Country. From the standings to the statewide polls, local teams are maximizing their opportunity to make sure they get to not only complete the season.

Early success

For teams like Lexington softball and Dutch Fork baseball, this year offers a chance to reclaim the respective titles it did not lose on the field. So far, both teams hold 1st place in Region 5-5A and are motivated to make up for lost time.

“We were very disappointed we didn’t get to defend our title last year, but this is a new year and new season,” Epps said. “Our focus this year is to take it one pitch at a time and do the little things right.”

“We’ve got a lot of guys that like to play hard and have fun and do it the right way,” Dutch Fork head coach Casey Waites said. “They just want to play ball.”

The Lady Wildcats got off to a 2-0 start in region play with wins over River Bluff and White Knoll. a 16-2 win over White Knoll.

Sarah Gordon had 10 RBI and 3 home runs in the 2 victories and pitcher Mackenzie Mathis tallied 26 strikeouts.

The Gilbert softball team is off to an undefeated start. It improved to 6-0 overall with a 3-2 victory over River Bluff in non-region play.

Over in baseball, 2nd ranked Lexington and 8th ranked Dutch Fork have taken an early hold on the 2 playoff berths out of Region 5-5A. Both the Wildcats and Silver Foxes were undefeated in the region entering Monday with Lexington playing host to Charlotte Christian in a Friday doubleheader and co-hosting the SC Diamond Invitational running April 7-9 with Brookland-Cayce High School.

The Silver Foxes took a 1/2 game lead in the standings following a 12-1 win at River Bluff. The 2 teams meet again Thursday in Irmo.

Speaking of the 2nd ranked Bearcats, Region 5-3A play opened for them and Gilbert this past Tuesday. B-C travelled to Fox Creek, while the Indians played host to Orangeburg-Wilkinson.

In SCISA, Northside Christian is off to its best start in school history at 11-3. The Crusaders also posted a school-record 9-game winning streak snapped Friday by Gray Collegiate Academy.

Top 5 teams in soccer

The 1st SC High School Soccer Coaches Association rankings has both the undefeated River Bluff girls and Chapin boys’ teams ranked number 1 in Class 5A.

The boys’ Class 5A rankings has 3 teams from Region 5-5A in the top 5. The Eagles sit atop the poll, with fellow unbeaten River Bluff in 3rd place and Lexington 4th.

Chapin and the Gators were scheduled to face each other this past Tuesday in a 1st place matchup at Cecil Woolbright Field. The game was postponed, however, and resheduled for April 29.

While not ranked, the Gilbert girls’ team is off to a 4-0 start in Region 5-3A.

The Lady Indians’ Riley Barnes was also named Maxpreps.com’s Player of the Week after scoring 6 goals in 1 match.

Both the Brookland-Cayce and Gray Collegiate boys’ teams are ranked 5th in Classes 3A and 2A, respectively.

The Lady War Eagles are the only other Chronicle Country girls’ team in the polls at number 6 in Classes 2A/A.

Nike Palmetto Cup returns

After a 1 year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Palmetto Cup tournament is back starting this Tuesday and running through Thursday at Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo.

“We are very much looking forward to hosting the NIKE Palmetto Cup this year after the COVID-19 shutdown a year ago,” Gray Collegiate boys soccer coach Kevin Heise said. “The folks at Saluda Shoals are wonderful to work with and really appreciate the opportunity to showcase their facility.

“We have a very strong field in both the girls and boys tourneys. On a personal level, I am interested in watching our teams compete against strong sides from across the state. The format of the tournament almost allows for a mini-playoffs environment which should assist our squads in preparing for that ordeal which will be just under a month away.”

Due to covid-19 concerns, the field was reduced to 12 teams - 8 boys and 4 girls from both the SC High School League and SCISA. Each team will play three matches (one per day) and a champion will be determined via point system:

Tuesday’s Games

(BOYS)

DW Daniel vs. A.C. Flora (Field 2) - noon

Gray Collegiate vs. Ridge View (Field 4) - noon

Blythewood vs. Cardinal Newman (Field 1) - 2:30 pm

Bishop England vs. Legion Collegiate (Field 3) - 2:30 pm

(GIRLS)

Hammond vs. Pinewood Prep (Field 2) - 5 pm

Gray Collegiate vs. Spring Valley (Field 4) - 5 pm

Wednesday’s Games

(BOYS)

Ridge View vs. D.W. Daniel (Field 2) - noon

A.C. Flora vs. Gray Collegiate (Field 4) - noon

Cardinal Newman vs. Bishop England (Field 1) - 2:30 pm

Legion Collegiate vs. Blythewood (Field 3) - 2:30 pm

(GIRLS)

Pinewood Prep vs. Gray Collegiate (Field 2) - 5 pm

Spring Valley vs. Hammond (Field 4) - 5 pm

April 8 Games

(GIRLS)

Pinewood Prep vs. Spring Valley (Field 2) - 9 am

Gray Collegiate vs. Hammond (Field 1) - 5 pm

(BOYS)

A.C. Flora vs. Ridge View (Field 1) - 11:30 am

Gray Collegiate vs. D.W. Daniel (Field 3) - 11:30 am

Blythewood vs. Bishop England (Field 2) - 2:30 pm

Cardinal Newman vs. Legion Collegiate (Field 4) - 2:30 pm