SC Soccer
I'll float this topic out again. Region by region, which teams seem likely to be the powerhouses in Girls 4A competition in 2003?

lpaf
Region 7

I see little change in Region 7 with Wando, James Island and West Ashley all capable of winning the region title. Wando's team play, in my opinion, is perhaps the best in the state. WA and JI lost little in their graduated seniors from 2002 and have an extraordinary group of 10th graders split almost equally between them. Most of these girls play for CGSA's Fusion which was runner up for the SE region title last summer. Stratford can hold its own for a while but is a second tier team. Goose Creek and Berkely are a distant third tier.
Upstate- Region 1 Mauldin Hillcrest Hanna/Greenwood
Region 2 Spartanburg/Dorman Northwestern Byrnes
Region 3 Irmo Lexington/SA Aiken
Region 8

Summerville followed distantly by the rest of the field (Fort Dorchester, Walterboro, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Battery Creek -- in no particular order). This was not a strong region (Summerville aside) last year.

lpaf

ps: Being concise, are we, R1C? Hope things are going well in the Electric City.
Any thoughts or comments on Irmo or Mauldin for the upcoming season? How good is Riverside? (Yes, I know it's 3-A...) Looks like the Viking Cup in February could be a lot of fun to watch.

lpaf
Let's put it this way, Mauldin lost...well there was that...no....well, what about....no, not her...then again there was...not her either. It's going to be ugly up here in Region 1. Put the kids in the house and lock the doors, there's a herd of mavericks coming through. Hillcrest lost two All-World players and Greenwood should be back at their normal play. Irmo reloaded the little they lost. This year's playoff will resemble 2002. Look for Spartanburg to drop off to a minor extent. Word around the camp is that the talent followed the diplomas right out the doors. Gotta buddy who just took the James Island Boy's Varsity job. Perhaps this converstation would be best on the rival board, but how are things across the connector?
Posted By: Coach P Re: 4 A Competition in 2003 -- Who's strong? - 12/14/02 07:16 PM
Region 1 Coach: Lexington and S. Aiken are in Region 4 this year and Irmo is in Region 5.

SCHSL Realignment 2002-2004
Thank you very much. I have a hat in my room that says "South Aiken Region III AAAA Champs". Got to get out of the past and get with the times.
Wando is a perrenial power house. Both Abi Nicholas and Lou Hudson were on the SCSoccer.com Girl's Class 4A All-State team last year while Kelly McGinty made the SCSoccer's Super 18 (best 18 overall in the state). Looks like Wando should be very tough again this year. They had, I thought, the best quality team play I saw last year. Did Wando lose talent in graduating seniors?

lpaf
Posted By: Anonymous Re: 4 A Competition in 2003 -- Who's strong? - 01/26/03 09:53 PM
Hey no one mentioned anything about Dutch Fork..yea i heard they lost a few players but they still have a number of great players on that team...I'm not sure what region they're in but i do know they r going to the Viking Cup.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: 4 A Competition in 2003 -- Who's strong? - 01/26/03 10:00 PM
Hey no one mentioned anything about Dutch Fork..yea i heard they lost a few players but they still have a number of great players on that team...I'm not sure what region they're in but i do know they r going to the Viking Cup.
A few words on James Island :

Region 7 4A is probably on target to be the toughest region with Wando, James Island and current state champs West Ashley all bringing back strong teams. James Island should be very interesting to watch this year. For many years prior to last year, girls' soccer on "the island" was an afterthought at the high school level. The combination of a new coach (Stella Chisolm) and a talented group of 9th graders changed that last year and have laid the foundation for what should be a very strong 2003 (note JI is ranked 5th in the preseason poll). At the heart of the team are 13 (count 'em) sophomores including a large number of girls from CGSA's U-16 Fusion team who now have had years of working together and are in great condition after working for Andy Grist in the Fall. Chelsea Terry, Lisa Frawley, Cortney Lassiter, and Erica Carson come to mind as all-state quality players. JI, for whatever reason, will not be at the Viking cup and could burst upon the high school season relatively unnoticed. Keep you eyes open for them.

lpaf
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