Here’s what the new SC high school conference realignment means for Rock Hill-area schools
Most of the Rock Hill area’s bigger high schools will compete in the same region for the next two years.
The S.C. High School League released region alignments Thursday for the next two school years, and it resulted in a 5A region that includes nearly all of York County schools, along with Indian Land.
The new alignment will be in place for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
Here is what it will mean for Rock Hill-area schools:
▪ Catawba Ridge, Indian Land and Northwestern are moving up from 4A to 5A.
▪ Those three schools will join Clover, Fort Mill, Nation Ford and Rock Hill in Region 3 5A. The area’s 5A schools won’t have to travel to the Columbia area for region competition the next two years.
▪ Lancaster, South Pointe and York will remain in 4A. They will be the northern-most schools in Region 3 4A, which also will include A.C. Flora, Camden, Dreher, and Richland Northeast.
▪ Chester is dropping from 3A to 2A. The Cyclones will be the only area team in Region 3 2A, with Clinton, Columbia, Eau Claire, Fairfield Central and Mid-Carolina.
▪ The current Region 5 2A will be unchanged, as far as membership goes. But it will become Region 4 2A, with Andrew Jackson, Buford and York Prep joining Central Pageland, Cheraw, Chesterfield and North Central.
▪ Riverwalk Academy in Rock Hill will remain in 1A. The Lions will be in Region 2 1A, with Great Falls and Lewisville from Chester County, and C.A. Johnson, Governor’s School, Lamar, Lee Central, McBee and Midlands STEM.
A complete list of the state’s new region alignment can be found at https://schsl.org/archives/12827
