Prep Talk

Vacation

Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm on vacation until July 14. I'll return to blogging then as we really start getting ready for FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!

Link of interest

I wrote a story about a month or so ago about the interest of lacrosse in South Carolina.

The S.C. High School League is considering adding the sport to its current list of sanctioned sports, but I doubt that will happen before the 2009-10 school year. Still, there is no denying the growing interest in the sport locally, especially among northern transplants.

Our sister paper, The State, has also written a story about the sport and I thought I would pass it on.

Scratch FB itch with Friday's passing league tourney

If you guys are like me, you probably find yourself immersed in the doldrums of summer without much of anything to do. My job this time of the year finds me mostly preparing for football season, which I miss desperately.

This is such the worst time of the year - the time after the U.S. Open and before football starts. Usually we'd at least have the British Open to look forward to, but, now that Tiger is out for the season, even that doesn't really look appealing. Football practice for the area's high school is only about 35 days away and we'll be playing regular season games in just under two months.

So, the wait isn't too long, although it will feel excruciating for the next few weeks. If you need to scratch your itch, I suggest you head out to Myrtle Beach on Friday for the Fourth of July Shootout, which will be held on June 27 instead of July 4. The passing tournament consists of 12 teams, including a number of local schools, and will stretch well into the night. It starts at 6 p.m. and admission is free.

Passing leagues take center stage

We have reached the dead point of the prep athletic year. There really isn't much going on for the exception of a few all-star games and offseason workouts.

The summer passing league season is upon us in football. Most of Horry County's teams will began making weekly trips to Conway each Tuesday to compete against each other in 7 on 7. Those sessions begin next week and last for five weeks. With many of the area's schools graduating their quarterbacks, the offseason work may be crucial to the performance of many teams this fall.

Myrtle Beach has gotten an early start, winning South Carolina's passing league tournament last weekend for the second straight year. The Seahawks beat Fort Dorchester to claim the championship after winning several games in overtime.

North-South baseball schedule

Watson Stadium at Coastal Carolina will host the North-South and N.C.-S.C. Select all-star games this weekend.

The players arrive in town on Thursday and will participate in a skills challenge at 7:30 p.m. that night at the Ripken Experience. The games begin at 2 p.m. Friday and will also be played Saturday. There will be three games each day.

Click the following link to download a full copy of the schedule: Download NORTH-SOUTH2008.doc

MB names next girls basketball coach

Myrtle Beach didn't have to look far to find its next girls basketball coach.

The school announced today the hiring of Brian Kiper, who served as an assistant to Seahawks boys coach DeAndre Scott this past season. The 35-year-old was a boys head coach for five years and a boys assistant for eight seasons before he and his family relocated from Ohio.

He takes over for Mickey Hunter, who was hired at Wando following Myrtle Beach's loss in the Class AAA title game. Myrtle Beach's boys team won the state championship.

Myrtle Beach's girls have entrenched themselves as one of the premier programs in Class AAA, but the team was ravaged by graduation. Still, standout guard Khadijah Sessions, who will be a freshman next year, returns for a program that always seems to reload.

Kiper currently teaches at the alternative school, but school officials are trying to find him a teaching job at Myrtle Beach.

Conway-Summerville to meet as scheduled in '08

I talked to Conway football coach Chuck Jordan this afternoon and he said his team's schedule will not change for the 2008 season.

There was a chance that the Tigers could have played an out-of-state opponent in Dallas on Aug. 30, the day after the team is scheduled to travel to Summerville for its second regular season game. The Green Wave had been invited to the event in Dallas, and, not wanting to leave Conway without a game, proposed that both teams would play in the event.

It was unlikely from the beginning that organizers would want two teams from South Carolina, and Jordan confirmed Wednesday that the schools are just going to play each other as they had originally planned. It is an intriguing match for both teams, and Jordan will have the opportunity to become the all-time wins leader in Horry County history with a win that night.

All-region teams

Just wanted to pass on some all-region teams from Region VI-AAA. Click on the links to open the files:

Baseball: Download 2008_baseball_vlall_region_team.doc

Softball: Download region_viaaa_softball_team.xls

Boys and girls soccer: Download soccer_allregion_teams.doc