BE to remain AA
Earlier this week the South Carolina High School League schools defeated a proposal that would have forced Bishop England athletics to compete in the AAA league. The school will continue to compete in AA, at least for next year’s school athletic year. In a vote that essentially went along competitive lines, the leagues A, AA and AAAA schools cast a majority of their votes in support of a rule that would have created a conversion factor for private schools competing in the public school athletic league. Two-thirds vote was necessary to implement the change. The defeated amendment was proposed by Emerald High School and would have required BE to multiply its enrollment numbers by 1.5, forcing the school into AAA. The AAA teams voted against the change. Bishop England’s sports success has been gaining a lot of attention - both nationally and locally. The school was recognized in Sports Illustrated as having one of the top athletic programs in the country. But local attention has focused on whether the private school has an unfair advantage in competition because of its large attendance zone. Earlier this year, the SCHSL executive committee voted down, 11-1, BE’s request to allow Daniel Island student-athletes to compete on BE athletic teams when transferring from non-parochial schools to BE. In 1997, the SCHSL executive committee ruled that Bishop England, which was relocating to Daniel Island from downtown Charleston, could enroll local students with no eligibility consequences. But Hanahan High School officials, led by Hawks football coach Jeff Cruce, persuaded the SCHSL to rescind its earlier executive committee ruling about 1-1/2 years ago. The result, Daniel Island residents who attend BE from outside the parochial system are required to sit out of competition for a year. There has been an ongoing feud between Cruce and BE athletic director Paul Runey over the transfer rule. Both schools compete in AA and for the same Daniel Island student-athletes.