150 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com Leaves weren’t the only things showing their colors this autumn. From mid-October to early December, these seven Lowcountry high schools not only added to their long list of state sports titles, but set new records, achieved red-letter seasons and, in some cases, are already eyeing next year for repeats. OCEANSIDE COLLEGIATE ACADEMY FOOTBALL When Oceanside’s first-year head football coach Brent LaPrad stepped onto the field this past August for his first practice session, he had no way of knowing that Christmas would come 20 days early, or that his gift would arrive 80 miles from home on a cold, dull gray afternoon. But on Dec. 5 at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, LaPrad’s OCA squad capped a 13-2 season and five-game playoff run, downing Upstate power Belton Honea-Path 28-7 for their third consecutive state football championship. Almost too overcome with joy and relief to speak at first, LaPrad is already wondering how he and future teams will ever top this extra special season. “Never seen anything like it,” he said a day after the victory, still reeling with emotion. “I feel like I’m the luckiest coach in the world.” From the beginning the outcome was never in doubt, as the Landsharks held BHP scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. Co-captain lineman and Wofford College commit senior Mike Jones led the staunch OCA defense, recording eight tackles, one sack and three QB hurries. Senior defensive end Sawyer Arnold, committed to Appalachian State next season, notched seven sacks throughout the playoffs and three forced fumbles, including one in the state final. On offense, OCA put on quite a show. Junior quarterback Aiden Manavian passed for one touchdown to complete a 4,000-yard passing season with 41 total touchdowns, and senior state final MVP Terence Johnson rushed for three touchdowns, making the win look more like a glide than a contest. All throughout the playoffs OCA was never challenged, beating Georgetown, Marlboro County, Dillon, Loris and BHP by a combined score of 190-24. During the season, OCA showed that a state final was inevitable as they rebounded from a tough 0-2 start to decisively beat all four Region 6 AAA opponents, and hand eventual four-time 5A state champion Dutch Fork their only loss, defeating them 24-20. “Beating Dutch Fork was the moment we knew we had something special,” recalled LaPrad. Even more so when you consider that OCA has achieved three state titles with no designated weight room, no home stadium and a student enrollment of only 590, meaning that the players almost always have to play against bigger schools. And they have done it with three different head coaches in three seasons – a nearly impossible, unheard-of accomplishment. “I’m more proud of them being good young men than winning a championship – I never had one discipline problem from day one in August training,” LaPrad said. “So we have a lot of holes to fill next year, and I’m excited about the challenge. But this was a special season for our team, school and the whole community – I will never forget it.” PHILIP SIMMONS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL It took eight years, two near misses in 2023 and 2024 and a string of season-ending disappointments dating all the way back to 2017, but when Philip Simmons hangs up its new athletics banners, one group will have the Dream Seasons Lowcountry schools lock up state titles BY L. C. LEACH III our sports OCA football team celebrates special season-ending three-peat.
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