Prep Notebook for March 8

Hilton Head High soccer coach Wayne Quinlan will see a familiar foe Friday night when the Seahawks host Irmo, the No. 2-ranked boys team in the nation.

Irmo's coach, Phil Savitz, and Quinlan met five times in the playoffs while Quinlan coached at Irmo rival Dutch Fork High School and also at Eastside High School. Irmo won all five matchups, each decided by one goal, highlighted by Irmo's victory in the Class 4-A state championship game in 1998.

"Phil played a big role in helping me get the job at Dutch Fork, and I always appreciated him for that," Quinlan said. "We had many exciting matchups."

Savitz has more wins (545) coaching South Carolina high school soccer than any other active coach and has 13 state titles to his credit. His Yellow Jackets finished 23-1 last year and lost in the state finals to Northwestern.

They'll bring a competitive squad to Hilton Head High for a matchup at Sonny Graham Field at 7 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday, Beaufort High will host the Yellow Jackets at 2 p.m.

BEAUFORT HIGH PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-REGION TEAM

Arielle McPhee and Dymonte Gwathney were named to the girls and boys All-Region 8-AAAA basketballteams this past week.

McPhee averaged 8.7 points and a team-high 3.3 assists for the Lady Eagles while Gwathney led the Beaufort High boys with averages of 15.4 points and 6.2 rebounds.

SCISAA STARS TAKE DOWN GEORGIA COUNTERPARTS

Area athletes and coaches had a hand in helping the boys and girls SCISAA all-star teams beat their counterparts from the Georgia Independent Schools Association on Saturday at Augusta Prep.

The SCISAA boys rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half for a 100-92 victory. Official stats weren't available, but Hilton Head Christian's Chris Ferraro scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot, teammate Ethan Gort scored two points to go with seven rebounds and a block, and Hilton Head Prep's Dominic DiGenova hit a pair of 3-pointers.

The SCISAA girls won 98-85. Hilton Head Prep's Bob Sulek, Stacy Benedik and Kenn Luthanen coached the SCISAA team.

REBELS WIN HANDFUL OF TROPHIES AT CLAY SHOOTING EVENT

Two three-man teams from Thomas Heyward Academy's sporting clays squad brought home three first-place trophies in three different divisions at the South Carolina Youth Shooting Foundation's Sporting Clays Tournament on Feb. 20 in Clinton.

In the junior first-year division, Brodie Etheridge, Dalton Smith and Matthew Rountree took first by hitting 253 of 300 possible targets.

In the junior advanced division, the team of Will Richardson, Nick Keiffer and Dylan Crosby hit 266 targets to win the crown. Keiffer earned overall high shooter with a score of 96 broken targets out of 100.

This same trio also took first place in the junior varsity SCISAA division.

BOBCATS IN PINK

The Bluffton High School baseball team is conducting a cancer awareness fundraiser in conjunction with its March 15 home game against Hilton Head Christian. Community members are encouraged to sponsor a player for the game -- a cost of $25 -- in an effort to help the team reach its goal of $500. The Bobcats will play in pink hats during the game, and each sponsor will be recognized. If interested, contact coach Bryant Kitty at 706-8946. He asks that those interested bring cash or check to Bluffton High School by March 10. Fans may also purchase a pink Bluffton hat for $25 as part of the fundraiser.