Palmetto Cup, St. Viator Tourneys on Tap This Week Joe Trost, StudentSportsSoccer.com Editor Some may disagree, but Brookland-Cayce boys soccer coach Kevin Heise isn't buying it.
"Some people in California, Texas or Florida might think spring soccer is weak for high school boys," Heise said. "But there are 16 or 17 states playing in the spring, and that's a quarter of this country. And when you put those states together, you have some pretty good players and teams."
Soccer fans throughout the Southeast will get a firsthand look at what the spring season has to offer when the 13th Annual Palmetto Cup kicks off Wednesday in South Carolina.
The loaded 16-team field features a handful of FAB 50 teams including Norman North (Oklahoma) and Ocean Lakes (Virginia). Thirteen of the other 14 teams from South Carolina are ranked in the state's most recent poll.
The tournament has undergone numerous changes in the 13-year history. It started as the "Brookland-Cayce Classic" in 1993, and then was titled the "Spring Break Shootout" from 1994-97 before changing to the "Palmetto State Spring Break Shootout." In 2002, the event ushered in a change to the "Palmetto Cup" to reflect the diversity of teams competing.
"We started this tournament in 1993 and only had four teams at the time," Heise said. "From there we went to eight teams, 12 teams and finally to 16 back in 1999. There is talk that if we find another site that we'll expand to 24 teams very soon."
Annually, the Palmetto Cup attracts countless college coaches each spring and great crowds.
"The kids really look forward to this tournament," Heise said. "Historically, we've always had a number of very good programs. Soccer has improved a lot over just the past five years. You now have true soccer people involved and not the assistant football coach. It's exciting, because the competition is great and it's only going to get better."
The Palmetto Cup is played at two sites - The Cage at Brookland-Cayce High School in Cayce and Eagle Stadium at Airport High School in West Columbia.
"We want to get teams from other states," Heise said. "Our goal is to make this a regional high school tournament. We're getting closer every year."
Additional information may be obtained by visiting
2005 Palmetto Cup.
*On the girls side, the St. Viator (Ill.) Tournament starts Monday with a number of FAB 50 teams facing off. Lake Zurich, St. Viator and St. Charles North are three of the powerhouses in the field, while Fremd, Naperville North and others are expected to make some noise.
The weather in the Chicagoland area is expected to be warm this week, which hasn't been the case in recent years.
Nevertheless, a number of players will be missing from teams because of spring break.
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