Realignment set to shift SC high school sports teams around: Who’s moving up or down
Ridge View and Dreher are dropping in classifications with the next South Carolina High School League realignment proposal, which was released to schools on Friday and would go into effect with the 2022-23 academic year.
Ridge View is moving down to Class 4A after spending the past two years in Class 5A. The Blazers with be grouped with other Midlands schools AC Flora, Irmo, Richland Northeast, Westwood and Lugoff-Elgin in Region 5-4A.
That region will be in the lower state and those teams were in upper state this year.
“We are excited to be a region with good local schools,” Ridge View athletic director Brian Rosefield said. “We have been traveling for many years up and down I-77. There will be great rivalries locally. And from a travel standpoint and academically, it’s better with not as much travel during the week.”
The Blazers’ move was probably aided by the SCHSL decision to go from 40 to 36 teams in Class 5A, home of the state’s largest high schools. There will be seven regions, with all but Region 3-5A having five teams. Region 3-5A, which includes Blythewood and Spring Valley, will have six teams. The other teams will be Rock Hill, Nation Ford, Clover and Fort Mill.
Northwestern, which has been in the state’s biggest classification for several years, is dropping to Class 4A.
Dreher, which had been in Class 4A, moves down to Class 3A and will be in Region 5-3A with Columbia-area schools Brookland-Cayce, Lower Richland, Swansea and Gilbert, along with Orangeburg-Wilkinson.
“i think it will be a lot more competitive for us I will say that,” Dreher athletic director Daryl Jarvis said. “It will give our kids a chance to be competitive in all our sports. I am looking forward to it. We are excited about it and looking forward to the challenge.”
Keenan and Fairfield Central also will be dropping down from Class 3A to Class 2A, and will be in Region 4-2A with Gray Collegiate, Eau Claire and Columbia. Newberry and Mid-Carolina will be in the region for football only. Newberry athletic director Chad Carey was surprised to be split in two regions but won’t be appealing.
Newberry and Mid-Carolina will be in Region 4-2A for other sports along with Saluda, Abbeville and Ninety-Six. Saluda will be in Region 3-2A for football only with Batesburg-Leesville, Pelion, Fox Creek, Silver Bluff and Strom Thurmond, which is moving down from Class 3A.
Other notable changes in the proposal:
▪ Gaffney is moving back to Region 2-5A with Byrnes, Dorman, Spartanburg and Boiling Springs.
▪ Berea is moving from Class 3A to Class 4A.
▪ Beaufort is dropping from Class 4A to Class 3A and will be in Region 8-3A with Battery Creek, Hanahan, North Charleston and Philip Simmons
▪ Philip Simmons, near Charleston, is moving up from Class 2A to Class 3A.
▪ Bishop England and Oceanside Collegiate are moving from Class 3A to Class 2A. Christ Church going from Class 2A to Class A.
Realignment happens in the state every two years and is done to level the competitive playing field among schools. This year’s realignment is based on 45-day enrollment numbers from grades 9-11.
Each school can appeal their region or classification placement. Appeals to each classification’s executive committee will be heard Jan. 24-26. The SCHSL executive committee will hear appeals Feb. 9 and, if needed, they will go before an appellate panel that will hear them Feb. 16. The final realignment information will be sent to schools on Feb. 22.
Class 5A (36 schools)
Region 1: Hillcrest, JL Mann, Mauldin, TL Hanna, Woodmont
Region 2: Byrnes, Boiling Springs, Dorman, Gaffney, Spartanburg
Region 3: Blythewood, Clover, Fort Mill, Nations Ford, Rock Hill, Spring Valley
Region 4: Chapin, Dutch Fork, Lexington, River Bluff, White Knoll
Region 5: Carolina Forest, Conway, Socastee, St. James, Sumter
Region 6: Berkeley, Cane Bay, Goose Creek, Stratford, Wando
Region 7: Ashley Ridge, Fort Dorchester, Stall, Summerville, West Ashley
Class 4A (41 schools)
Region 1: Berea, Easley, Greenville, Greenwood, Pickens, Westside
Region 2: Eastside, Greer, Laurens, Riverside, Wade Hampton
Region 3: Catawba Ridge, Indian Land, Lancaster, Northwestern, South Pointe, York
Region 4: Aiken, Airport, Midland Valley, North Augusta, South Aiken
Region 5: AC Flora, Irmo, Lugoff-Elgin, Richland Northeast, Ridge View, Westwood
Region 6: Hartsville, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, South Florence, West Florence, Wilson
Region 7: Bluffton, Colleton County, Hilton Head, James Island, Lucy Beckham, May River
Class 3A (43 schools)
Region 1: Crescent, Daniel, Pendleton, Seneca, Walhalla, West Oak
Region 2: Belton-Honea Path, Fountain Inn, Palmetto, Powdersville, Southside, Wren
Region 3: Blue Ridge, Broome, Carolina, Chapman, Travelers Rest
Region 4: Chester, Clinton, Emerald, Union, Woodruff
Region 5: Brookland-Cayce, Dreher, Gilbert, Lower Richland, Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Swansea
Region 6: Camden, Crestwood, Darlington, Lakewood, Lake City, Marlboro County
Region 7: Aynor, Dillon, Georgetown, Loris, Manning, Waccamaw
Region 8: Battery Creek, Beaufort, Hanahan, North Charleston, Philip Simmons
Class 2A (44 schools)
Region 1: Blacksburg, Chesnee, Greenville Tech **, Greer MC ** , Landrum, Liberty, Abbeville (football only), Ninety Six (football only)
Region 2: Abbeville, Mid-Carolina, Newberry, Saluda, Ninety Six
Region 3: Batesburg-Leesville, Fox Creek, Pelion, Silver Bluff, Strom Thurmond, Saluda (football only)
Region 4: Columbia, Eau Claire, Fairfield Central, Gray Collegiate, Keenan, Mid-Carolina (football only), Newberry (football only)
Region 5: Andrew Jackson, Buford, Central, Cheraw, Chesterfield, North Central, York Prep **
Region 6: Barnwell, Edisto, Ridgeland-Hardeeville, Wade Hampton, Woodland
Region 7: Academic Magnet, Bishop England, Lake Marion, Oceanside Collegiate, Timberland
Region 8: Andrews, Kingstree, Lee Central, Marion, Mullins
Class A (55 schools)
Region 1: Brashier MC*, Christ Church, Greenwood, Christian, High Point Academy **, SC School for Deaf & Blind*, Southside Christian, St. Joseph’s, Calhoun Falls (football only), Dixie (football only), Ware Shoals (football only), McCormick (football only)
Region 2: Dixie, Calhoun Falls, McCormick, Ridge-Spring Monetta, Ware Shoals, Whitmire
Region 3: CA Johnson, The Governor’s School*, Great Falls, Lewisville, McBee, Riverwalk**, Whitemire, Midlands Stem** (at-large)
Region 4: Wagener-Salley, Blackville Hilda, Calhoun County, Denmark-Olar, Hunter Kinard Tyler, North, Williston-Elko, Ridge-Spring Monetta (football only)
Region 5: Carvers Bay, CE Murray, East Clarendon, Hemingway, Johnsonville, Scott’s Branch
Region 6: Green Sea Floyds, Hannah-Pamplico, Lamar, Lake View, Latta
Region 7: Allendale Fairfax, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Bethune Bowman, Branchville, Bridges Prep **, Estill, Royal Live Oak **, Whale Branch, Polaris Tech ** (at-large)
Region 8: Baptist Hill, Burke, Charleston Math & Science, Cross, Low Country Leadership **, Palmetto Scholars **, St. John’s
** Doesn’t play football
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Realignment set to shift SC high school sports teams around: Who’s moving up or down."
