Lacrosse on agenda for SCHSL

The High School League's Executive Committee will hold its first meeting of the 2008-09 academic year on Aug. 1, and one of the topics the group will discuss is lacrosse.

Eighteen high schools around the state field both boys and girls teams. Another two field only boys teams and one school, Bishop England, fields only a girls team. It's just a matter of time before the High School League sanctions the sport and holds state championships.

High School League commissioner Jerome Singleton recently met with S.C. Lacrosse League commissioners Rich Thomas and Harold Ness. Singleton said the Lacrosse League wants the sport sanctioned as soon as possible.

"I want it to happen as soon as possible, too," Singleton said. "But first, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered."

Among the questions that need to be answered are:

--When will the sport be contested, fall or spring? The S.C. Lacrosse League currently competes in the spring.

--How many games will be on the schedule?

--What is the playoff format?

--Is it a contact sport or not? If lacrosse is deemed to be a contact sport, that means no eighth-grader can compete at the varsity level.

--What will be the process to certify and train officials?

Travel could be a problem with long trips across the state. For example, the only schools in the Lowcountry that field teams are Bishop England, Wando, Bluffton and Hilton Head.

Rowland signs

Bishop England two-sport star Anthony Rowland has signed a scholarship to play baseball for Wofford.

Rowland was 9-4 as a pitcher, striking out 76 batters in 76 innings. He had a 2.69 ERA. He batted .396 with 42 hits in 102 at-bats, with doubles and seven homers and 31 RBIs.

Rowland also played quarterback on the Bishops' football team. He was 122-of-224 passing for 1,544 yards and 11 touchdowns. He rushed for an additional 265 yards and scored five TDs.

Reach Philip M. Bowman at pbowman@postandcourier.com or at 937-5592.