First look at new regions for SC high school sports. Will your team move?
South Carolina high schools got a glimpse of what the region placements will look like for their next two years as the S.C. High School League released its realignment for 2024-26.
The announcement came Wednesday, two days earlier than the SCHSL had planned. Schools can appeal their region placements but must notify the classification executive committee by 1 p.m. Jan. 30.
That committee will hear the appeals between Feb. 6-8. A school can also take the appeal before the league’s executive committee on Feb. 13 and, if needed, they will go before the appellate panel on Feb. 23.
Some of the highlights of the new regions include:
▪ All-Midlands region in 5A: Region 3-5A will be made up of all Midlands teams — Chapin, Dutch Fork, Irmo, Lexington, River Bluff and White Knoll.
▪ New regions for Sumter, West Florence: Sumter and West Florence will be placed in a 5A region with other Midlands schools: Blythewood, Lugoff-Elgin, Ridge View, Spring Valley and Westwood.
▪ Gray Collegiate’s new region: Gray Collegiate, a powerhouse in 2A, will be moving up to Class 4A in the realignment and will be paired with three local schools in Brookland-Cayce, Airport and Gilbert as well as schools from the Aiken/North Augusta area.
▪ Rock Hill/Midlands region in 4A: Region 4-4A will feature multiple schools from Columbia: Dreher, Richland Northeast and A.C. Flora as well as Camden. They will be paired with Lancaster, South Pointe and York.
▪ Lower Richland to travel: Lower Richland is the only Columbia-area school in Region 5-4A. The other schools in the region are Crestwood, Darlington, Hartsville, Lakewood, South Florence and Wilson.
▪ All-Rock Hill area region in 5A: After some of these schools mixed with Columbia-area schools in 5A the last two years, seven Rock Hill-area schools will make up Region 3-5A — Catawba Ridge, Clover, Fort Mill, Indian Land, Nation Ford, Northwestern and Rock Hill.
▪ All-Grand Strand region: After being mixed with Florence schools and Sumter schools the last few years, there will be an all-Horry County region in 5A with Carolina Forest, Conway, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Socastee and St. James making up Region 6-5A.
▪ American Leadership Academy placement: ALA, a charter school in Lexington County, won its appeal to move to from Class 3A to Class 2A and will be in a region for the first time with Batesburg-Leesville, Ninety-Six, Pelion, Saluda and Strom Thurmond.
▪ Private schools stay together: Three of the state’s four private schools will be in the same region as they move up to Class 3A. St. Joseph’s, Christ Church and Southside Christian will be in Regiion 2-3A with Carolina Academy, Palmetto and Powdersville.
Here are the SCHSL’s proposed regions:
Class 5A
Region 1: Easley, Greenville, Greenwood, Hillcrest, JL Mann, Mauldin, TL Hanna Woodmont
Region 2: Boiling Springs, Dorman, Eastside, Gaffney, Byrnes, Riverside, Spartanburg, Wade Hampton
Region 3: Catawba Ridge, Clover, Fort Mill, Indian Land, Nation Ford, Northwestern, Rock Hill
Region 4: Chapin, Dutch Fork, Irmo, Lexington, River Bluff, White Knoll
Region 5: Blythewood, Lugoff-Elgin, Ridge View, Spring Valley, Sumter, Westwood, West Florence
Region 6: Carolina Forest, Conway, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Socastee, St. James
Region 7: Berkeley, Cane Bay, Goose Creek, Lucy Beckham, Stratford, Wando
Region 8: Ashley Ridge, Fort Dorchester, James Island, Stall, Summerville, West Ashley
Class 4A
Region 1: Emerald, Fountain Inn, Laurens, Southside, Westside, Wren
Region 2: Berea, Blue Ridge, Daniel, Greer, Pickens, Seneca, Travelers Rest
Region 3: AC Flora, Camden, Dreher, Lancaster, Richland Northeast, South Pointe, York
Region 4: Aiken, Airport, Brookland-Cayce, Gilbert, Gray Collegiate, Midland Valley, North Augusta, South Aiken
Region 5: Crestwood, Darlington, Hartsville, Lakewood, Lower Richland, South Florence, Wilson
Region 6: Beaufort, Bishop England, Bluffton, Colleton County, Hilton Head Island, May River
Class 3A
Region 1: BHP, Crescent, Pendleton, Walhalla, West-Oak
Region 2: Carolina Academy, Christ Church, Palmetto, Powdersville, Southside Christian, St. Joseph’s
Region 3: Broome, Chapman, x-Greer MC, Mountain View, Union County, Woodruff
Region 4: Fox Creek, Keenan, Newberry, Silver Bluff, Swansea
Region 5: Aynor, Dillon Georgetown, Loris, Marlboro County, Waccamaw
Region 6: Battery Creek, Hanahan, North Charleston, Oceanside Collegiate, Orangeburg-Wilkinson
Class 2A
Region 1: Blacksburg, x-Brashier MC, Chesnee, x-Greenville Tech, x-High Point, Academy, Landrum, Liberty, Clinton (football only)
Region 2: American Leadership, Batesburg-Leesville, Ninety-Six, Pelion, Saluda, Strom Thurmond
Region 3: Chester, Clinton, Columbia, Eau Claire, Fairfield Central, Mid-Carolina
Region 4: Andrew Jackson, Buford, Central, Cheraw, Chesterfield, North Central, x-York Prep
Region 5: Barnwell, x-Bridges Prep, Edisto, Hampton, County, Lake Marion, Whale Branch
Region 6: Academic Magnet, Andrews, Burke, Philip Simmons, Timberland, Woodland
Region 7: Atlantic Collegiate, East Clarendon, Kingstree, Lake City, Manning, Marion, Mullins
Class A
Region 1: Abbeville, Calhoun Falls, Dixie, x-GREEN Upstate, McCormick, x-SC Deaf and Blind, Thornwell, Ware Shoals, Whitmire
Region 2: CA Johnson, x-The Governor’s School, Great Falls, Lamar, Lee Central, Lewisville, McBee, x-Midlands STEM, x-Riverwalk
Region 3: Blackville Hilda, Calhoun County, Hunter-Kinard Tyler, x-Horse Creek Academy, North, Ridge Spring Monetta, Wagener-Salley, Williston-Elko
Region 4: Allendale-Fairfax, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Denmark-Olar, Hardeeville, x-Polaris Tech, Ridgeland, x-Royal Live Oaks
Region 5: Baptist Hill, Bethune Bowman, Branchville, x-Charleston M&S, Cross, x-Lowcountry Leadership, Military Magnet, x-Palmetto Scholars, Scott’s Branch, St. John’s
Region 6: Carvers Bay, Green Sea-Floyds, Hannah-Pamplico, Hemingway, Johnsonville, Lake View Latta
x-Doesn’t have a football team
