COLUMBIA -- A year after missing out on the privilege, Herman Johnson and his Edisto High School boys' track team will finally get their day before legislators at the state capitol building.

Nearly two weeks after winning a second consecutive Class 2-A championship, the Cougars will make an appearance inside the S.C. Senate building during an 11 a.m. visit to the statehouse. As part of being brought on the Senate floor for recognition, the team is expected to receive a copy of a resolution (H. 4239 and S. 707) approved Tuesday which congratulates them on their "hard work, competitive spirit, and dedication" in repeating as state champions.

Both Orangeburg Sen. Brad Hutto and Rep. Thomas Rhoad (D-Bamberg) drafted resolutions which honored Edisto and extended an formal invitation for the boys' track team to visit Columbia.

The team did not get to visit Columbia after winning their first-ever state title last year. The Cougars assured themselves an invite this year following their dramatic come-from-behind victory at the S.C. High School Track and Field Championships held at Harry Parone Stadium on the campus of Spring Valley High School.

Trapped in seventh place with two events remaining, Edisto used a 1-2 finish in the triple jump by Calvin Guinyard and Ryan Pinkney and fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay to make up an 11-point deficit. Once the final tally was made, the Cougars had edged out Chesterfield 55-53 to claim the Cordova school's second state championship.

In addition to the motivation of retaining their title, the Cougars were inspired by the plight of former teammate Lazarus Richburg. The senior letterman and 2002 Region 4-AA 200-meter champion is still recovering from a near-fatal car accident in March, but remains a vital and inspirational member of the team.

Inviting state championship teams have almost become an annual ritual for Hutto and Rhoad, along with legislative colleagues Sen. John Matthews and Reps. Jerry Govan, Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Elsie Rast Stuart, Charles Sharpe and Harry Ott. Championship teams from Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Orangeburg Prep, Swansea and Calhoun County have emerged from their district in recent years, with the OPS boys' track team expected to receive an invitation in the upcoming days after winning their second consecutive SCISAA Class 3-A title.

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