Playoffs start this week for some sports, while they continue for others.
Those playoffs continuing this week include boys’ and girls’ lacrosse with Fort Mill being in the Upper State finals of both. The Jackets will face the Riverside Warriors in both the girls’ and boys’ Upper State finals.
The boys’ Upper State finals are on Monday, May 4 with the girls’ Upper State finals being Tuesday, May 5 as both matches will be at Bob Jones Stadium. The winners of those matches will move to the state finals on Friday, May 8 at Irmo High School.
Also, this week will be the Upper State golf championship at The Fort Club in Ninety-Six, S.C. on Monday, May 4. The 18-hole, one-day tournament will decide eight of the 16 teams that move on to the 5A Division II state tournament at The Hackler Club on the campus of Coastal Carolina University on May 11-12. All three local high school teams are in the tournament and will be gunning for one of the eight qualifying spots.
Baseball, softball and soccer playoffs also start this week. Baseball and softball playoffs start May 4.
Softball will see Nation Ford and Catawba Ridge in the same district in District 1, as the Copperheads, at 17-8 overall, have a bye in the opening round of the double-elimination bracket. A No. 5 seed, Nation Ford, at 16-8, starts hosting Greenwood in the first round. At 13-12 overall, Fort Mill is in District 2 as a No. 7 seed and will host Gaffney in the first round on May 4.
In baseball, Fort Mill starts a best-of-three series with the Greenville Red Raiders on May 4 at home. Game two is May 5 in Greenville with a possible game three being back in Fort Mill on Thursday, May 7. Fort Mill is a No. 8 seed with the winner of the series moving on to face No. 1 seed Indian Land in the double-elimination tournament. Fort Mill is 13-13 on the season.
Nation Ford, a No. 4 seed at 16-10 overall, is also in the District 1 bracket with Fort Mill and is waiting for the best-of-three series winner between Easley and Woodmont starting Saturday, May 9. Catawba Ridge is a No. 3 seed at 17-9 overall and also has a first-round bye in the District 2 bracket. They are waiting on the winner of the best-of-three series between Eastside and Gaffney starting May 9.
Soccer playoffs start the single-elimination tournament for both the boys’ and girls’ teams this week. The Catawba Ridge girls will have a first-round match at home on May 5 against Gaffney. Catawba Ridge enters the match with a 17-4-1 record and is the fifth seed. Fort Mill, 13-4 overall, is the No. 2 seed and Nation Ford, 12-5 overall, is the No. 4 seed and both have first round byes and will open the second round on Friday, May 8.
The boys’ bracket has Nation Ford, an 11 seed at 7-13 overall, traveling to Eastside in the opening round on Wednesday, May 6. Catawba Ridge is the No. 1 seed at 14-5 overall and has home-field advantage through the Upper State championship has a first-round bye. Fort Mill is a No. 4 seed and has a first-round bye as well at 10-6 overall. Both Catawba Ridge and Fort Mill will open the second round on May 9.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
