151 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com distinction of being the first in school history to claim a girls state volleyball championship. “I have been fortunate enough to coach many great teams at Philip Simmons, but none compares to this team in terms of athletic ability accompanied with amazing character,” said ninth-year head coach Jay Watterworth, who has guided every team since the school’s opening year. “Every player had a role and responsibility on the team and they all did their job extremely well.” While the last two years saw the team fall each time in five close playoff matches, this year was no contest. The Lady Iron Horses swept through the competition with a perfect mark of 15-0, shutting out Whale Branch, East Clarendon, Buford, Atlantic Collegiate and Landrum. Leading the way were senior Sophia Pheney, committed on scholarship to Presbyterian College; All-State juniors Dani Gehringer and McRae Stephenson; and All-State sophomore Gabby Kakalev. The victory brought both joy and long-awaited relief. Since 2020, the Lady Iron Horses have been a region powerhouse – currently undefeated in the decade in Region 6 AA, and so far winning 55 consecutive region games going back to when they were in a different region. But each great year was undone at the end by crucial games that always went against them until now, and Watterworth said only this special group of players could have removed their season-ending obstacles. “The team culture this year helped propel us to amazing match play and ultimately a championship,” he said, hinting that more banners are likely. “We graduate three seniors and bring back the majority of our offense for next year.” WANDO WARRIORS GIRLS TENNIS While high school tennis rarely draws big crowds, the Wando girls team got its share of autumn notice by winning their 10th state title and second in a row. Competing in Region 7 5A, the Lady Warriors slammed their way to a 22-4 record, three knockout playoff wins over West Ashley, River Bluff and Lexington and a finals nailbiter that came down to the strength and experience of two seniors. “We beat Spartanburg 4-3 to win in a contest that could have gone either way,” said fourth-year head coach Bob Lang. “Our two senior captains, Mia El-Kheddiwi and Calli Casazza, had to win a doubles match for the tiebreaker and they really brought it home for us.” El-Kheddiwi also won All-State honors, putting her in the state’s top 12 high school tennis players, and notched the Sportsmanship Award in the postseason singles tournament as well. The victory marked the team’s first back-to-back championships since 2008-09 and leaves the Lady Warriors as the squad to beat in 2026. “I am super proud of this team and have to credit a lot of our success to the leadership and guidance of our four seniors – Campbell Adams, Mina Enrigh and both Mia and Calli,” Lang said. “They were such positive role models, and the team’s morale was good all season. These girls are very talented, they play year-round, and if everybody comes back, we should have a pretty strong team again.” PHILIP SIMMONS BOYS AND GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Cross country is another high school sport that doesn’t usually garner much attention, but the Philip Simmons boys and girls teams had people watching them go stride for stride in winning dual AA state titles. Held Nov. 14 in Aiken, the AA State Cross Country Championships featured 16 teams racing for lowest overall score. But the outcome wasn’t even close, as the Philip Simmons boys finished with a score of 37, beating second place Academic Magnet by 17 points and distant third place Brashier by 41. The girls were just as impressive, although closer, defeating a tough Landrum squad by only seven points, our sports PSHS Girls Volleyball roll to first state title. Wando Girls Tennis team makes it two in row.
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