Eight area runners qualify for Class 5A state cross country meet
Cross country
Wando’s boys team dominated the Class 5A Lower State meet, half of its runners making up the competition’s top 10 finishers.
The Warriors wound up with a score of 33 points, far ahead of second-place Stratford’s 85 points. Summerville, James Island and Fort Dorchester qualified for the next weekend’s state meet in Columbia.
Socastee and Carolina Forest finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Conway was ninth.
Five local runners on the boys’ side did earn a place in the state meet, however.
With a sixth place finish, Michael Pieterse will be among those competing, in addition to Socastee’s Keahi Mendoza, Nick Lefever and Elijah Lawson. Conway’s Shane Mooney also will be among those looking to earn a state title at the meet.
Conway’s Kenia Smith finished fourth at the Lower State 5A meet, finishing behind a trio of Wando runners that helped the Warriors cruise to the girls title.
James Island, Summerville, Stratford and Ashley Ridge earned bids to next weekend’s state meet.
As a team, Conway had the best performance among local squads, finishing sixth. Socastee and Carolina Forest placed eighth and ninth, respectively.
Local runners joining Smith in their bid for a state title is Socastee’s Kasie Ingram and Janneke Morin.
Girls tennis
▪ Blythewood 6, Carolina Forest 0
Carolina Forest’s season came to end in Blythewood, losing its first round matchup in the Class 5A playoffs, 6-0. The Bengals move on to face Wando in the second round.
Singles: Hannah Myers (B) d. Hitomi Kobayashi (CF) 6-1, 6-1; Jordan Slagle (B) d. Drew Limpasuvan (CF) 6-1, 6-0; Sophie Carlton (B) d. Jaden Nye (CF) 6-4, 6-1; Jenna Kramer (B) d. Sophia Gouhin (CF) 6-2, 6-2; Alexia Pryor (B) d. Sara Nibar (CF) 6-3, 6-1.
Doubles: Savannah Kitowizc/Emma Horan (B) d. Evonne Sherman/Brittany Morgan (CF) 7-5, 6-2.
▪ Waccamaw 7, Manning 0
Waccamaw defeated the Monarch 7-0 in the first round of Class 3A girls tennis playoffs.
Singles: Kate Drosieko (W) def. Bailee Garneau 6-2, 6-4; Sassy Tulson (W) def. Kamryn Shaffer 6-3, 6-4; Annie Reichert (W) def. Emily Wearden 6-2, 3-6 (10-8); Mary Drosieko (W) def. Marie Joyner 6-3, 6-1; Mccallee Watson (W) def. Madison Sexton 7-5, 6-4.
Doubles: K. Drosieko/ Tulson (W) def. Garneau/Shaffer 8-2; Georgia Matter/Rylee Allison (W) def. Shanyia Gamble/ Lorena Sanchez 6-4, 6-3.
▪ Myrtle Beach 6, Lower Richland 0
Myrtle Beach began its journey toward a Class 4A title Wednesday, cruising past Lower Richland, 6-0.
Emma Springs, the Seahawks’ No. 1 singles player, won her match 6-0, 6-1. Her teammates Bailey Deskins, Paxton Gentry, Covington Callihan and Sarah Woodard, however, easily dispatched their foes from Hopkins, each winning in straight sets by a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Myrtle Beach moves on to the second round, where it will take on either Beaufort or Lugoff-Elgin.
▪ Georgetown 4, Hanahan 1
Apparently, there was no better time than Wednesday night for Georgetown’s girls tennis team to deliver longtime coach Grace George her first playoff victory.
The Bulldogs claimed a 4-1 victory over Hanahan.
“We won our Nos. 1, 2 and 4 singles and got a win from our No. 2 doubles team,” George said. “The only one we lost was our No. 3 singles.”
In her 13th season, Georgetown had never made the playoffs before. Now, the team has ventured further into uncharted territory, moving into the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
“Playing competition that was much closer to our school in size really helped us, and the regular season did as well,” she said. “We have two seniors, so we’re hoping that winning in the first round can help spur more success, if not in the next round for the near future.”
Georgetown travels to Gilbert on Monday.
▪ Chapin 6, St. James 0
Making the trip to the Midlands, St. James fell to a more experienced Chapin squad. Though the score seems a tad lopsided, Sharks tennis coach Lee Cannon said the score can be a bit deceiving.
“(Chapin) was a tad more experienced, a had a lot more consistency,” he said. “You look at the score, and it is 6-0 and it looks like we got blown out. But it was a highly competitive match between the teams. It was just that the deuces all seemed to go their way.”
Volleyball
▪ Waccamaw 3, Timberland 0
The Warriors cruised into the second round of the Class 3A playoffs, disposing of Timberland in straight sets (25-10, 25-16, 25-15).
“We played really well, really driven,” said Waccamaw coach Jill Schoen. “We had a very spirited practice the day before, and players had a nice chat before hand, and they were very motivated knowing you lose now and it could be over.”
Expecting a tough match from Timberland – which competed against the like of Bishop England and Hanahan in Region VIII-3A – Schoen hoped her team would bring its best. And with the renewed health of the Warriors’ middle hitter and a laser-like focus, that is exactly what they did.
“It’s been a week with a lot of distractions, but fortunately we did what was necessary for us to get a win,” she said.
Waccamaw will host Brookland-Cayce on Monday at 6 p.m.
This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Eight area runners qualify for Class 5A state cross country meet."