High School

Chaos After the Final Whistle: South Carolina State Title Game Ends in Postgame Brawl

Officials from the South Carolina High School League or from the respective schools have not provided a response to the incident

Kevin L. Smith

The Oceanside Collegiate and Belton-Honea Path football teams were involved in a postgame brawl following the Landsharks' 28-7 win in the SCHSL AAA state championship game on Friday.
The Oceanside Collegiate and Belton-Honea Path football teams were involved in a postgame brawl following the Landsharks' 28-7 win in the SCHSL AAA state championship game on Friday. / Todd Summers/WSPA-ABC Channel 7 News

The Oceanside Collegiate Academy football team secured a 28-7 victory in the South Carolina High School League AAA state championship on Friday.

Landsharks state crown was marred by a post-game fight

The Landsharks captured their third-straight crown and beat Belton-Honea Path for the second year in a row in the state title game. However, the initial celebration was short-lived.

According to Dennis Brunson of hssr.com, a fight broke out during teams’ postgame handshake line. The brawl made its way around the field and lasted roughly 10 minutes, according to reports.

The start of the scuffle currently remains unknown, but individuals from both teams ended up on the ground. After each side exchanged words, the respective groups were separated, Fox Carolina reported.

“Coaches and players tried to corral their respective teams while stadium security members rushed to the field in response,” Fox Carolina noted in its report.

The SCHSL awards ceremony commenced once the teams regained control of the situation and returned to their sidelines.

Oceanside coach says his team was provoked

Oceanside Collegiate head coach Brent LaPrad said, via hssr.com, that Belton-Honea Path members “came after us.”

“I had my kids on the side,” LaPrad added. “They were going that way and we were going this way. Four of their guys came after our kids. It is all on video. We got it. We left the cameras running.

“It is upsetting what happened. It is not right. I know (Belton-Honea Path) coaches didn’t want it to happen. Nobody wanted it to happen. It is unfortunate. Nobody wants to lose, but you’ve got to take your loss like a man. They just had some kids that acted out of character. It’s not good for anybody.”

BHP coach expresses disappointment

Bears coach Russell Blackston expressed his disappointment in what unfolded after the game.

“Unsportsmanship is not a thing, but it can’t ever happen in football and it’s really sad,” Blackston said via Fox Carolina. “That’s where high school is at. They see it in college, they see it in the NFL, we’ve just got to be able to do better.”

Terence Johnson's performance propelled Oceanside Collegiate

Senior tailback Terence Johnson notched three of the Landsharks’ four touchdowns against the Bears. Oceanside Collegiate quarterback Aiden Manivian threw a TD pass to junior wide receiver Anthony Williams for the score.

Belton-Honea Path’s lone score came late in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Noah Thomas threw a 52-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Tajeh Watson-Martin.

Officials from SCHSL, Oceanside Collegiate Academy or Belton-Honea Path have not provided responses to the brawl.

The Landsharks capped their state title season at 13-2, while Bears finished with a 14-1 mark.

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Kevin L. Smith
KEVIN L. SMITH

Kevin L. Smith, a Rochester (NY) native and a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, has been covering high school sports for over a decade. He started out as a freelance sportswriter in 2013. Since then, he’s held sportswriter and editor positions for newspapers in Coudersport (PA), Sayre (PA) and Oswego (NY). Smith currently covers high school sports in the Greater Syracuse Area for syracuse.com | Post-Standard, a position he’s held since 2021. You can follow him on social media @KevLSmittie. Story ideas can be sent to KLSFreelancing@outlook.com.

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