A championship-filled 2024-25 high school sports season has come to an end in Lexington County. 

It was an overall successful year for many teams, highlighted by deep playoff runs and broken records. 10 different teams won a state title, including three first-timers. 

Lexington County teams won trophies in football, baseball, softball, lacrosse, track and cheerleading. For the first time since 2017, no local basketball teams won a championship. 

Read a bit about each 2024-25 Lexington County state champion below. 

Dutch Fork defeats Summerville to win third straight football title

The legend of Tom Knotts continued to grow as the Dutch Fork football team captured its third straight 5A state championship and eighth in the past nine years. 

Dutch Fork defeated Summerville 35-21 in one of the closest games the Silver Foxes played this past season. The team finished the year undefeated and had a 32-point average margin of victory. 

“This is a very deserving senior group,” Knotts said after the game. “Really wasn't pleased with the way we won, but we played with a lot of effort and the game just got a little chippy for my liking. But we did come out with a W, which is always a great thing, of course.” 

It was a solid outing for many of Dutch Fork’s top playmakers.

Quarterback Ethan Offing finished the game 12-23 for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 22 yards on the ground. 

Senior wide receiver Boykin Bickley was the team’s top target. His chemistry with Offing was on full display as the pair connected on seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. 

Senior running back Maurice Anderson led the team’s ground game, rushing for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. It was his fourth game this season going over 100 yards and third with at least three touchdowns. 

Raleigh Salters led the defense with 10 total tackles, including two for a loss. Tyler Brown and Elgin Sessions each had an interception. 

Dutch Fork’s win makes the team the eighth school in South Carolina history to win at least nine football championships. For Knotts, it is his 16th state championship win as a head coach across both North and South Carolina. He now has the fourth most state titles amongst active coaches in the country and became the 17th coach to win at least 16 titles in the history of high school football. 

To get Dutch Fork’s 10th and his 17th, Knotts knows he has to keep the team motivated and not dwell on their previous success. 

“The climb to the top of the mountain is much easier than staying on the top. Trust me on that,” Knotts said. “We've got to find ways to innovate, keep working them, keep them motivated.”

Airport baseball makes history with team’s first state championship win

For the first time ever, Airport’s baseball team won a state championship. 

The Eagles clinched the 4A baseball title on their home field Saturday night with a win 10-0 over Seneca in six innings, capping an undefeated playoff run.

“ I told the guys, ‘we’re playing for something more than just us,’” Airport head coach Casey Bradwell said after the win. “Hopefully, this isn’t the last one.” 

Airport previously made the baseball championship game four times but lost all four. The team’s last opportunity came in 2018 when Bradwell was an assistant coach under Tim Perry. 

The Eagles were electric all postseason. The team won all nine of its games and eliminated some other serious contenders along the way. 

In the championship series, Airport swept Seneca in two games. The Eagles won game one on the road by a single run, 4-3, before the shutout in game two at home. 

Hunter Epps pitched the entire second game, throwing six strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one walk. He was also 2-3 from the plate and scored two runs. 

Braden Gross went 3-3  for the game and helped get Airport on the board first with a sacrifice bunt that scored two in the third inning. 

It was a special moment for all in attendance as the team celebrated its win with a post-game fireworks show while players and fans gathered on the field. 

“I’m not usually at a loss for words, but tonight, it’s special,” Bradwell said. 

Batesburg-Leesville ends 76-year baseball title drought

The Batesburg-Leesville baseball team reached the top for the first time in a long time. 

The Panthers defeated Phillip Simmons 8-5 at Founders Park to snap a 76-year drought and win their first baseball championship since winning back-to-back in 1948 and 1949.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, and I don't know if it’ll sink in for a while,” Batesburg-Leesville head coach Rob Bouknight said after the game. “ I can't express what I'm feeling right now. I'm so happy for our players who have worked so hard. I’m so happy for our parents, who put time and effort into it. I’m happy for our coaches and their families, and I’m happy for the community.” 

Batesburg-Leesville’s run to the championship came as a surprise to Bouknight, who said while he thought his team was good, he originally wasn’t sure they were championship material. 

“ I'll be honest with you. I did not,” Bouknight said. “I thought we had a pretty darn good team, and I knew that we could make a run. I just didn't know if we had enough to win at all.”

The Panthers did have enough to win it all though. The team dominated its way through its district bracket before doing the same thing in the Upper State. 

Batesburg-Leesville’s only loss in the playoffs came in game one of the championship series. 

The team bounced back from that loss and won the final two games and the 2A baseball title.

Lexington lacrosse caps dominant season with program’s first state championship

Lexington’s girls lacrosse capped a dominant year with a 12-7 championship game win against Spartanburg to capture the team’s first state title. 

The Wildcats led the entire game. The team jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

In just two seasons, head coach Tiffany Tortorello transformed the Wildcats into one of the best programs in the state. This championship win was just further proof her system is working. 

“It means everything,” Tortorello said after the game. 

Senior Izzy Saville led all players with five goals. Saville scored five goals in each of Lexington’s last three games. Anna Barger had three goals, earning the second hat trick for the team. 

Senior goalie Emersin Clamp was a huge part of the team’s success, finishing the game with 17 saves. 

“ I can't believe it. It's just an honor to be here and being on this team,” Clamp said. “ We said we were coming out here to finish, and that's exactly what we did.” 

Gray Collegiate softball wins 2nd consecutive title in 1st 4A season

New classification. Same result. 

The Gray Collegiate softball team won its second consecutive title after beating York in the SCHSL 4A championship series. It was the first season of 4A play for Gray, and the team finished the year above all others. 

“It feels good, just a little extra, a little better. We’ve been in 2A, and people said we couldn’t play in 4A. But we knew we could,” Gray head coach Doug Frye said after the game. “We’ll play anybody.” 

Three different players hit a home run in the win. Seniors Maddox Long and Kaley Anderson went long on the final at-bats of their high school careers, and sophomore Aspen Boulware added another to her season total.

Boulware’s home run put the game’s first points on the board. For the second outing in a row, she went yard as the leadoff hitter. 

Long and freshman Makenzie Sease pitched for the War Eagles. Long got the start and pitched three innings with three strikeouts, while allowing three hits, two runs and two walks. 

Sease was awarded the win after coming on in relief to pitch four innings. She finished with three strikeouts, one hit allowed, no runs, no walks and no errors. 

“I knew we could do it,” Sease said.

Gray Collegiate girls defend track title after multiple podium finishes 

Gray Collegiate’s girls track team won its second consecutive state title, and first in 4A, after scoring, finishing three points ahead of Daniel to win the championship. 

The War Eagle girls were propelled to first place thanks in part to an excellent showing from Tamara Steward. She finished the day with four medals: two gold, one silver and one bronze. 

Steward won on the track and in the field, finishing first in the girls 100m hurdles and long jump. She got a silver medal in the girls 400m hurdles and a bronze in the 4x100m relay. 

Taylor Jones, Aliyah Edwards and Zaria Gaines won a bronze medal as Steward’s relay teammates. 

Steward was not the only athlete to win multiple medals at the games. Her teammate Tresta Miller won two silvers in the 100-meter and 400-meter races. 

River Bluff wins program's first boys golf  championship

River Bluff’s boys golf team won its first title in program history after finishing with the lowest score during the two-day championship event. 

The Gators defeated second-place Dorman by three strokes to clinch the trophy. Both teams played closely together, sitting tied after the opening day of competition. River Bluff pulled away on day two, taking a five-stroke lead at one point. 

River Bluff’s Nate Caughman and Dorman’s Will Ruth and Casey Kosney battled for the individual title, needing extra holes to determine the winner. 

Ruth, the defending state champion, held off Kosney and Caughman to reclaim his title. Caughman finished second and Ruth came in third. 

Lexington, Chapin, Gray crowned cheer champions

Three Lexington County teams won cheerleading championships. 

Chapin won its 18th cheer title to add to its record-setting total. The Eagles finished with 331.5 points, more than 25 points higher than second-place St. James. 

Gray Collegiate won its third straight cheer title after scoring 285.5 points. It was the War Eagles’ first title in 4A after moving to the classification this year. Gray Collegiate finished ahead of A.C. Flora, Harstville, Wren and Gilbert. 

Lexington reached the top again after finishing runner-up in 2023. The Wildcats captured the 5A Division I trophy after scoring four points higher than local rival River Bluff. Lexington has won three state cheer titles in the past five years.