Bluffton, Battery Creek holding spring football scrimmages today

As most area high school football programs wrap up spring practice this week, many are hosting their annual spring scrimmages, most of which are open to the public.

Bluffton High School will hold its Black-Silver game at 6 tonight. There is no admission, but donations are welcome. The Bobcats are trying to raise money for more helmets and uniforms to accommodate an increase in players.

There will be season passes for sale, and for the first time, reserved stadium seating will be sold in advance. The Bobcats also will be selling 10 preferred tailgating spots.

Prep Notebook, May 18: Area soccer standouts earn all-state honors

Five area soccer players have been named to this year's all-state team, headlined by a quartet of Hilton Head Island High School players headed to state championship games this weekend.

Senior forward Ruben Romero and junior midfielder Chris MacMurray were both named to the Class 3-A boys team for the Seahawks, who are appearing in their first state title game Saturday against Fort Mill. MacMurray has netted three game-winning goals this year for Hilton Head High while Romero may be the first attacking player from the school to be named to the all-state team, according to coach Wayne Quinlan.

Romero will also join Jessica Bonilla of the Hilton Head High girls team at this year's North-South Soccer Classic.

Beaufort Academy girls fall in SCISAA soccer finals

A pair of late goals sent Beaufort Academy home disappointed after a 3-2 loss to Oakbrook Prep of Spartanburg in Saturday's SCISAA Class 1-A/2-A girls soccer championship match at Stone Stadium in Columbia.

Miranda Weslake staked the Eagles to a 2-1 advantage in the second half, but the Knights broke loose just over a minute later to tie the score at two.

They went ahead for good a few minutes later.

Hilton Head High, Hardeeville boys continue quest for soccer titles today

The Hilton Head Island High School boys soccer team has a chance to even the score tonight. With the girls team.

The Seahawks host Chapin at 7 tonight in a Class 3-A playoff game with a trip to the Lower State Championship on the line. Hilton Head High's girls secured their spot in the Lower State final on Friday night with a 5-1 win at St. James.

Also tonight, Hardeeville plays at 5 p.m. at the Governor's School in Hartsville for a spot in the Class 1-A Lower State Championship.

Prep Roundup, May 10: Beaufort Academy girls reach SCISAA soccer final

Miranda Weslake scored twice and Mary Alice Strohmeyer added a goal as the Beaufort Academy girls soccer team defeated The King's Academy 3-0 on Tuesday night to advance to the SCISAA 1-A/2-A state championship.

The Eagles will face Oakbrook Prep at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the University of South Carolina's Stone Stadium.

BOYS SOCCER

Girls teams set for high school soccer playoffs

Ernie Suozzi has been repeating himself all season. He said it before the year began, he echoed it again during region play and preached it once more entering the playoffs.

"The only team that I feel could beat us in-state is ourselves," he said.

Suozzi -- the head coach of the Hilton Head Island High girls soccer team -- knows a thing or two about winning teams. After all, the Seahawks' head man has directed two of his last four clubs to state championships, including last year, when Hilton Head High knocked off Fort Mill, 4-2, in Columbia.

Prep Roundup, May 4: Beaufort Academy boys clinch region soccer title

BOYS SOCCER

Beaufort Academy 5, Cathedral Academy 0: Conner Akers scored twice as the Eagles captured the SCISAA Region 1-AA title over Cathedral Academy.

Beaufort Academy (5-7-1 overall, 3-1 region) and Cathedral finished with the same region record after splitting their two regular-season meetings, but the Eagles earned the region title by virtue of goal differential.

Prep Roundup, May 3: Hilton Head High, Whale Branch fall in district title games

The defending state champion St. James Sharks -- and ace left-hander Anders DeShields -- were too much for Hilton Head Island High School to overcome, as the Seahawks were defeated in the Class 3-A District VIII baseball championship game Wednesday night in Murrells Inlet, 4-1.

DeShields, who also defeated the Seahawks earlier in the district tournament, held Hilton Head High to two hits. The junior had his best stuff working as scouts watched him propel the Sharks into the Lower State tournament.

"He's the real deal," Hilton Head High coach Chris Wells said. "He's probably the most polished pitcher we've seen all year."

Prep Roundup, May 2: Beaufort boys tennis opens playoffs with easy win

BOYS TENNIS

Beaufort High 6, North Augusta 0: The Beaufort High School boys tennis team overwhelmed its first-round opponent, North Augusta, on Tuesday in the Class 4-A playoffs, winning 6-0.

The Eagles, ranked sixth in the state, only dropped nine games total in the five singles matches. The only matchup of the day that was close was the No. 2 doubles match, but Beaufort's Fred Tkach and Daniel Lange prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker to complete the shutout.

State speed/strength meet today at Hilton Head Christian

The SCISAA Class 1-A/2-A Speed and Strength State Championship is being held today, beginning at 10 a.m., at Hilton Head Christian Academy.

Athletes, including those from Hilton Head Christian and Thomas Heyward Academy, will be separated into different weight classes and compete in six events: the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, broad jump, vertical leap, power-clean and the bench press. Awards will be given for each individual event, as well as for the top overall finishers in each weight class.

Prep Roundup, April 18: Beaufort High tennis team puts away Hilton Head

BOYS TENNIS

Beaufort High 5, Hilton Head Island High 1: The Eagles took the top three singles matches en route to an easy win.

Beaufort High (12-5) gets back into its Region 8-AAAA schedule today at 4 p.m., hosting Summerville. The Eagles and Green Wave are both undefeated in the region.

Prep Roundup, April 6: Hilton Head High boys advance in lacrosse playoffs

Nick Bautista scored four goals and had three assists and Thomas Farrell had three goals as Hilton Head Island High upset second-seeded and defending state champion Fort Mill 12-8 Thursday night in the state 4-A boys lacrosse playoffs in Fort Mill.

The Seahawks (10-4) will face the winner between Wando and Academic Magnet in Tuesday's Lower State final.

"It was a season's worth of work really coming together and it was an amazing thing to watch," Hilton Head High coach Joe Monmonier said. "It was a great thing to see those boys do. There wasn't much coaching going on. It was all those boys."

Prep Roundup, April 4: Hilton Head Prep fights off HHCA in tennis battle

BOYS TENNIS

Hilton Head Prep 5, Hilton Head Christian 4: The battle of island rivals and SCISAA powerhouses came down to the final match, with Hilton Head Prep's No. 1 doubles team of Andrew Schafer and Juan Sheppard holding off Nick Bybel and Hampton Drake in a third-set tiebreaker.

Hilton Head Prep (3-1) had defeated Hilton Head Christian (5-2 overall, 3-2 SCISAA Region 3-AAA) by an 8-1 score earlier this season, but Tuesday's match was much closer. Five matches -- including all three doubles matches -- were decided by tiebreakers.

Prep Roundup, March 27: Simonsen, Eagles shine on links

From staff reports

Overall medalist Taylor Simonsen shot a 36 to lead Beaufort High School over West Ashley and Hanahan in a nine-hole event at Shadow Moss Golf Club on Monday.

It was the second tournament in a row that Simonsen finished first overall.

Prep Roundup, March 30: Beaufort boys soccer team rallies for another win

BOYS SOCCER

Beaufort High 2, Ashley Ridge 1: Down 1-0 at the half, David Seguine evened it with seven minutes remaining and Hector Lopez won it at the 3-minute mark.

Mack Stansell saved 11 shots in goal for Beaufort (4-2, 2-1), which hosts Stratford at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

2012 Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette All-Area Boys Basketball Team

Player of the year: Bryson Bell, Bluffton

Coach of the year: Brett Macy, Bluffton

First team

Prep Roundup, March 24: Workman's walk-off hit lifts HHCA, 3-2

From staff reports

Caleb Workman's walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh led Hilton Head Christian Academy to a 3-2 win over Northwood Academy on Friday.

The Eagles wrapped up the first region win of the season.

2012 Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette All-Area Girls Basketball Team

Player of the year: Sabrina Drammis, Hilton Head Island High School

Coach of the year: Gary Mazzanna, Thomas Heyward Academy

First team

Prep Roundup, March 23: Layman leads Thomas Heyward to win

SOFTBALL

Thomas Heyward Academy 5, Dorchester Academy 0: Ashlie Layman tossed a one-hitter, striking out 12 in the win.

Layman, Brianna Kelnhofer, Brielle Jungblut, Taylor Ernestine and Caitlyn Cooler had two hits apiece, and Jungblut had two RBIs for the Rebels (9-1).

Prep Roundup, March 22: Hilton Head High wins pitchers' duel with Berkeley

BASEBALL

Hilton Head Island High 1, Berkeley 0: Michael Haven singled down the third-base line with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday, bringing home Michael Perez with the winning run in Hilton Head Island High School's 1-0 victory over Berkeley.

The win moved the Seahawks (6-1 overall, 3-0 region) into first place in Region 7-AAA.