HEATHWOOD CLAIMS TWO FALL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS!
To the outside eye, it probably seemed improbable on paper. After the loss of two-time All-State performer Luke Spurrier to Oklahoma (Spurrier finished 7th in the 2016 OKHSAA 6A State Championships), the likelihood of a deep team run in 2016 may not have been much more than a dream. On Saturday, however, that dream became a reality as Coach Cindy Scannella and the Highlander Boys Cross Country team claimed the 2016 SCISA State Championship, the program’s first since 1993!
Behind the power of middle schoolers Hugh Willcox (7th Place) & Joseph French (9th Place), the Highlanders dominated their home course, earning PR’s from most of their top five, which also included Nick Basile, Matthew Quan, and Aidan Powers. After earning the Region I team title, Willcox and French followed up their All-Region honors with All-State honors! Coach Scannella, the Region I Coach of the Year, remains the clear-cut favorite to win the State Coach of the Year, after a remarkable third year at the helm, where she led the Highlanders to wins in their final 4 events!
In addition to the quality day for the boys team, junior Maryah Nasir captured State Runner-Up honors as an individual, all while battling illness! This marked her 7th top-2 finish this season for the Lady Highlanders, who finished 7th in the team standings.
On October 27, 2012, Marcus Lattimore was a prolific running back who had seen his illustrious playing career come to a screeching halt. As fate would have it, October 27, 2016 found Lattimore back on a football field, this time with a new purpose and a new team.
This team, winless since 2014, would capture the inaugural Region I Middle School Championship, upsetting top-seeded Hammond on the road, 12-0!
Defense was the story of the game early, as the Highlanders’ offense struggled to find their rhythm. The Heathwood defense, led by linemen Evan Javis and Pete Peterson, would keep the Skyhawks at bay, providing two goal-line stands to keep the game scoreless at halftime. To open the second half, the Highlanders would strike first. After a long pass from Alexander Roberts to William Morris provided the Highlanders with great field position, Walker Draffin would break through to give Heathwood the 6-0 lead!
Heading into the final quarter, the defense remained tough, squashing several Hammond attempts at first downs with key sacks, tackles, and pass breakups. With under 5 minutes to play, Ryan Shelley took a reverse handoff and went streaking down the Highlander sideline, setting up a Roberts 4th down TD run to double the Heathwood lead. As the Skyhawks set up their final offensive attack to remain in the game, the crowd, which neared 1000 people — of which more than 75% were faithful Highlander fans donning white — were treated to the final championship-clinching play, as Draffin intercepted a pass with less than two minutes to play.
Heathwood finishes the season 5-3, and claimed victories over in-town rivals Ben Lippen, Cardinal Newman, and Hammond.
Region Coach of the Year Ashley Jordan, Region Co-Player of the Year Jaylen Davis, and All-Region Team members Flinn Christian and Towns Christian represented Heathwood in the SCISA North-South All-Star Volleyball Game on Saturday in Sumter, leading the South to a 3-1 victory!
The trio and Coach Jordan helped lead the Highlanders to the semifinal round of the SCISA State Tournament, after finishing 2nd in region play!
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