By Thomas Grant Jr.
Starting this fall, Airport and Brookland-Cayce High Schools have a home to watch their respective sports teams.
The Palmetto State Sports Network will soon make its launch into the streaming world. The brainchild of Mike Hagins, President of Palmetto State Media Group, the network will offer full coverage of both the Eagles and Bearcats starting with this year’s football season.
For the Lexington School District 2 graduate, the Palmetto State Sports Network is the accomplishment of an idea born seven years ago to shine an additional spotlight to Airport athletics. Hagins was already calling Brookland-Cayce football, basketball, and baseball games on The Dove 1620.
Health issues prevented Hagins from fully implementing his plan until this year. Now healthy and having a welcomed audience in Airport principal Matt Schilit, new head football coach and athletics director Shane Fidler and head baseball coach Casey Bradwell, Hagins was ready to put his idea into action.
Along with the schools, Hagins has received additional support from West Columbia and Cayce for the network. With a logo created, Hagins hopes to have the app ready to download where fans can listen to both Brookland-Cayce and Airport football games.
In addition, fans can replay the games and listen to planned podcasts, Hagins said.
The two teams are slated to open Aug. 18. Brookland-Cayce plays host to Harding University of out Charlotte, N.C., and Airport travels to Swansea.Hagins has already hired an analyst for Airport sports in alumnus Stephen Knight.
“Steve was my number one choice from the start. He worked with me in the past as a color analyst. Steve has a vast knowledge of sports and as an Airport graduate a great passion and knowledge of Airport High School. He bleeds Airport Blue and Gray.
Steve is a huge addition to our broadcast family.”
Long term, Hagins hopes to expand his network to include more Brookland-Cayce and Airport team sports and expand to include other statewide schools.
“It’s a privilege to put the spotlight on the two schools’ student athletes and all of the amazing things going on in each school, in an effort to celebrate their wonderful achievements,” he said in the same release.
WACH 57 TO FEATURE
B-C, AIRPORT FOOTBLL
The newly released 2023 Sonic Friday Night Rivals high school football television schedule on WACH 57 includes Brookland-Cayce and Airport games.
Both teams will play on the road. Airport faces Lugoff-Elgin on Sept. 8, while Brookland-Cayce travels to Dreher on Oct. 13. Other games on the schedule include River Bluff at Irmo (Sept. 1), Chapin at A.C.
Flora (Sept. 22) and Lexington at Dutch Fork (Oct. 27).Airtime for all games starts at 7:30 p.m. They can be seen on Channel 1250 on Spectrum or streamed at
www.wach.com.SONIC FRIDAY NIGHT RIVALS SCHEDULE
AUG. 18 – White Knoll at Orangeburg-Wilkinson
AUG. 25 – Ridge View at Sumter
SEPT. 1 – River Bluff at Irmo
SEPT. 8 – Airport at Lugoff-Elgin
SEPT. 15 – Heathwood Hall at Cardinal Newman
SEPT. 22 – Chapin at A.C. Flora
SEPT. 29 – Lakewood at Camden
OCT. 6 – Gilbert at Swansea
OCT. 13 – Brookland-Cayce at Dreher
OCT. 20 – Batesburg-Leesville at Pelion
