Bishops gunning for 13th boys' title

The Bishop England boys' soccer team won its first state championship in 1984, but the dynasty didn't begin to develop until 1992. That year, Bishop England, with star All-American Temoc Suarez leading the way, defeated Andrew Jackson, 6-2, in the Class AA state championship to begin a string of four straight state titles and 11 in 16 years. They have compiled a 319-66-10 record in the stretch.

Saturday, the Bishops will attempt to add gold medals and grab even more glory when they play Emerald in the state championship. Action gets under way at 2 p.m. at the University of South Carolina's Stone Stadium.

Ed Khouri has been the coach at Bishop England since 1994 and has accounted for 281 of those victories and eight state titles.

The Bishops won four state titles from '92-95 and won another four titles in a row from '98-2001. A victory Saturday would give the Bishops another soccer grand slam.

The Bishops enter with a 16-5-2 record. Emerald is 16-6-1.

"The season has been a roller-coaster ride," Khouri said. "We played a tougher schedule this year to give the kids some good experience and present more of a challenge. We've been playing really well lately. Knock on wood."

Last year's team beat Emerald in penalty kicks to win the school's 12th state title, which is second only to Irmo's 15 soccer crowns. The teams played to a draw, but the Bishops outscored the Vikings 3-0 in penalty kicks as keeper Joey Calandra made some impressive stops while James Ricciardone, Geordi Khoury and Alvin Hooper scored goals.

"I was surprised it went that way," Khouri said of last year's match. "We had the better play throughout the match. We just missed our chances. Last year, the team had more leadership, more maturity. This year, the captains (Hunter Wilson, Khoury and Hooper) are starting to step up and provide leadership. This is one of our biggest games. We try to send the seniors out in fine style."