With the 2017-2018 school year now in full swing, student athletes have learned to balance their sports goals with their academic responsibilities. Returning to school after summer break is always an adjustment, but each of the CCES fall sports team have turned out prosperous sport seasons this fall.

Varsity girls’ tennis has had a prosperous season, with all 12 players competing in the two first playoff matches. Each player is skilled individually which helps the team become more versatile and adaptable. The team is currently 16-0 and is aiming to win their second consecutive class AA State Championship. CCES girls’ tennis became the first ever team to win the Hall of Fame Classic in Belton for four years in a row, earning a perfect score of 42. As Paula Pieper told the Greenville News, there are “strong players every year.” This has truly shown through the fall of 2017 as the team has been scheduled against tough competition for the entire season. Varsity girls’ tennis earned first place a the state competition over the weekend of November 4.

Varsity boys’ cross country placed 4th at the Region Championship meet with outstanding performances by James Morton, Will Dolven, James Stathakis, and Max Field all placing in the top 20 of a very competitive race. Some of the most competitive teams in the state participated in the region meet including St. Joseph’s, Landrum, and Greer Middle College. The Varsity team placed 12th at the Greenville County Championship of a total lineup of 17 teams and the JV team also placed 12th among 15 teams. Varsity boys came back strong the next week and placed 5th at the Upper State Qualifier Meet that was made up of 29 teams on Saturday, October 29 at Sandhills in Columbia. At the State Meet, the Varsity boys’ team placed 5th on Saturday, November 4th at Sandhills in Columbia. James morton, who placed all state and all region reflected on the season saying that  “We may not have gotten to where we wanted to this year, but we put in the work and we will come back stronger next year because of that.”

The Girls’ cross country team had a noticeable increase in participation with a total of 19 runners for the 2017 season. Among several obstacles, the Varsity team placed 9th in the Greenville County Championship among 17 teams and the JV team placed 5th among 11 teams. Varsity girls placed 4th in the Region Championship Meet among their toughest rivals in the state. The varsity girls team placed 5th in the Upper State Qualifier in a group of 24 teams from the Upper State. Varsity girls later proceeded to place 3rd at the State Championship meet for the 2017 season on Saturday, November 4 at Sandhills in Columbia.

Varsity football had a consistent season, coming second in region but losing in the first round of playoffs to Ninety-Six. Reece Wright reflects on the season, “We lost a lot of talent last year but we were able to come together as a team and ended up with the same record as last year.”

The CCES field hockey team has had a season full of new experiences. The team started the season with two brand new coaches and barely enough players to form a team. The girls were able to adjust to the leadership transition and were able to form a full team within the first few weeks of the season when more players joined the team. Gracie Patat, a junior at CCES, says that the 2017 season was “a building year for us as a team,” and that the team was like a “family we had created [and] was loving and supportive.”

Varsity girls’ golf team had a consistently successful season competing in the 3A bracket, placing 2nd in the region championship. They proceeded to place 2nd in the State Qualifier Competition and 6th overall in state. Peyton Gillespie, who individually placed 4th in the state, reflected on the season by saying that  in order to continue to progress into higher state rankings “all we have to do is grow together and continue to practice,”

The fall sports season of 2017 provided many champions, many new experiences, and the growth of many teams.