Columbia Recruiting Battalion: SFHS Bruins Take Palmetto Passing League Championship

(Florence, S.C.)- The South Florence High School Bruins became the first Palmetto Passing League Champions on Saturday, June 18^th.

Capt. Fitzgerald awards the SFHS Bruins the PPL Championship trophy

SFHS and 19 other high school football teams competed in the inaugural PPL football scrimmage, organized by Florence Recruiting Company’s Captain Shawn Fitzgerald and aided by Mike Sinnott of The Sports Flash Radio Network.

“We wanted to start the recruiting school year off with something that made a bold statement regarding teamwork and dedication,” said Capt. Fitzgerald. “We wanted to hold an event that would make an impression in which every senior and junior athlete would remember the Army recruiter’s face and what the Army stands for.”

Cheraw has a meeting while Creek Bridge stretches before pool play

Twenty teams with more than 500 student athletes from all over South Carolina gathered at Freedom Florence for a football-filled day guided by their coaches and U.S. Army Recruiters from around the state.

The day began at 8:30 am with pool play in which each team got to play as many other teams as possible before the Championship. The teams then entered single-elimination playoffs until the last two teams standing, SFHS and Cheraw, faced off at about 4:15 pm for the PPL Championship.

Conway players take a break between games with the ARMY football toss

“It’s always great to get out and compete, and the Army’s given us that opportunity. I think that it’s good for them and good for us,” said Conway High School Coach Chuck Jordan. “The bottom line is we’ve got a lot of kids out here playing- 20 teams and at least 15 or 20 kids per team- and they’re also getting exposed to a little bit of what the Army has to offer, so I think it’s a win-win.”

Lee Central and Cheraw shake hands after their game

While the teams played hard, PPL was not just about winning. “My favorite part of today was the competition and just playing the football that I love, even if we didn’t win,” said Darlington High School Junior Joshua Brown. “This is the first Army event I’ve been to and I really liked how they brought all the teams together.”

Army Recruiters bond with student athletes during a break

Lynn Fleming, Coach of the SFHS PPL Champs, said the day was a success. “This is a really good experience for us. We didn’t come out here to look for wins or losses, we just came out here to get some practice, and we’ve gotten a lot of good reps against a lot of quality teams so it’s been really fun. The Army Recruiters have been great. Everything’s going really smoothly; it’s been a really good experience.”