What happened to the upstate's "mighty CESA" influence on high school soccer? With the exception of St. Joseph's victory over B/H, all the upstate schools lost.

This is no knock on a very good St. Joe's team, but for a private school, filled with Club players, to play a typical 1A/2A school is nothing but a ridiculous joke.

If you knew anything about club soccer you would realize that Irmos best player is from CESA, the majority of Bishop Englands players are from DISA which is CESA in Charleston and most of St. Joes players are from CESA however the ref in the 3A game must have been from Beaufort. Greenville online got some great photos of the call he made that decided the game and the infraction didnt happen, there are also some great shots of the calls he didnt make but should have-shameful when an official determines a great match-if he was in FIFA he would be under investigation for match fixing
Oh and bomber FYI Irmo is an upstate team

Oh yes I forgot, every time I travel down to the Columbia/Irmo area, I am really traveling up to the Upstate.

Whats been going on.

I guess that makes the low country the SEC. The midlands are the Big 10 and the upstate is the WAC. Good job Mann girls. Thats just phase one- getting there. Next phase is to win and phase three is to repeat. Part of our perfect plan.
We will be adding a wing in the next three years that will bump us up from 1740 students to 2100. We have hired Dabo to head up recruiting which means we have the rights to "All In" He has some great ideas which include annexing MESA complex. So anyone who plays there will be eligible to attend Mann.
If thats not enough we will combine Mann with Mauldin and will make us 4500 students- the Wando of the North.

But football will still suck-Sorry. But the spring sports teams will be awesome.

Pretty easy to explain...Cyclical

We won't even discuss the dilution of talent in Greenville county. Eastside and Riverside are less than 5 miles apart.

Eastside, Riverside, Greenville and J.L. Mann are all within 8-10 miles of each other.

Combine any of the above and you come closer to Wando numbers.

Referencing the girls at the 3A level, Hilton Head is just more talented than Eastside. After watching the game last year, we didn't belong on the field with them.They were the most talented team we played (and we played a few of the 4A powers).
Sadly, they were still more talented than our Eagles again this year. Forwards were quick, Midfield possessed the ball and made nice passes, Defenders were strong. Of course, Hilton Head has a Senior class larger than our combined Jr/Sr class...which makes a difference.

Oh yeah, no doubt in my mind that HH was the best team we played again this year.

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If you knew anything about club soccer you would realize that Irmos best player is from CESA, the majority of Bishop Englands players are from DISA which is CESA in Charleston and most of St. Joes players are from CESA however the ref in the 3A game must have been from Beaufort. Greenville online got some great photos of the call he made that decided the game and the infraction didnt happen, there are also some great shots of the calls he didnt make but should have-shameful when an official determines a great match-if he was in FIFA he would be under investigation for match fixing
Oh and bomber FYI Irmo is an upstate team

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I can tell you with 1000% accuracy that the referee crew was not from Beaufort.

When did Irmo become lower state??

As for Hilton Head, considering that soccer is a rich person sport in the US can you think of a better situation than a high school located on an island full of wealthy people??

The best situation I have seen for soccer is not wealth but nationality. Look at what happened in Georgia this weekend. Class 4A - Dalton beat SE Whitfield (who beat NW Whitfield in semi). These players aren't spending tons of money for clubs and high $ coaches. They can just play ball.

You are partially right Pjay, there are many wealthy people on Hilton Head Island, but the vast majority are either retired or visiting. The local economy is almost entirely service industry and trades, and it is the children of those working in those businesses who attend the public schools on Hilton Head (and Bluffton). Also, although its a beautiful place to live, its a long ride to the nearest competitive soccer club (Savannah or Charleston) - not to mention the nearest region opponent. Just ask Myrtle Beach, B-C and Socastee what it is like to suffer through a 3+ hour bus ride on a school night to play a match.

So, to answer your question, I can think of a far better situation than a high school filled with children of the working class located 2 hours from the nearest youth soccer club or AAA opponent.

Then why do they dominate 3a??

This is the girls 3rd straight state championship and they are beating schools bigger than they are in Eastside and Fort Mill.

And the boys won this year after losing last year.

So there must be some dynamic going on that is allowing them to dominate. Perhaps all their competition has moved up to the 4a level?

If you're talking about HH ... they were Class AAAA not THAT long ago. My suspicion is, despite the school's address, you've got lots of working class kids on BOTH teams playing soccer for good, organized coaches.
Just guessing ... probably a significant Latino population and representation on the teams.

I think that Backscreen is right, the most significant factor is that both the boys and girls have had sustained, quality coaching over the past 5-6 years. I realize that both (especially the girls) have been very competitive over the recent years, but if you look at them historically you see only occasional success. This was the first year that the HH boys have ever won a soccer state title - which is hardly dominant when you compare HH to the history of Eastside, B-C, Myrtle Beach or any number of other AAA programs.

When I played Irmo was lower state, HH was AAAA. so much has changed since then. Rural schools that were 4A are now 2A, etc. Sometimes, i think success can be found by the culture of the area. Where I live, the soccer culture is greatly diminished from what it was. A great contributing factor is the lack of facilities IMO.

Enrollments rise and fall. In my time, schools like Burke, Battery Creek, North Charleston have been Class AAAA. I can give you all kinds of "cultural" reasons, but enrollments change -- sometimes, drastically.
Why? Population shifts, new schools and enrollment zones, etc.
As a cultural/familial matter, many Latino families and extended families tend to settle in certain neighborhoods and disproportionately populate the public schools in those areas. I'm thinking of schools like Stall, Brookland-Cayce, and to a certain extent, HHI. Personally, I think it's great that many schools are enjoying a new cultural diversity, and if that boosts their soccer capacity, GREAT!
I would point out that it's not a "given" that any random group of Latino kids will dominate HS soccer. I give you Goose Creek, where I have sat in the stands near their kids while their boys were playing, and heard as much Spanish as English. My point being, as good as you might THINK kids "should" be ... without coaching, administrative support and organization, it just doesn't happen.
Hence my theory about HH's success.

I guess that makes the low country the SEC. The midlands are the Big 10 and the upstate Fifa 13 Ultimate Team Forums is the WAC. Good job Mann girls. Thats just phase one- getting there. Next phase is to win and phase three is to repeat. Part of our perfect plan.