Blackville – Since winning the SCISA 8-man football title in 2010, there were a lot more downs
than ups for Jefferson Davis Academy. Although the Raiders played for a state title in 2018, they had
two wins or less in eight of the next 12 seasons.
This year was different, much different. Jefferson Davis won the 8-man title, taking down 3-time
defending state champion Holly Hill Academy in the process. The Raiders met HHA for the third time
on the season – after splitting the first two games – and came away with a 20-14 victory at the Calhoun
Academy field in St. Matthews.
“For the school, it’s a great thing, for these boys it’s a great thing,” said head coach Anthony
Reitenour, who led Jefferson Davis to a 12-2 record in his second season at the school after it went 8-5 in
his first year. “The program had been down, in a drought. They had had some bad seasons before I got out
here.
“These boys bought in to our work-to-win culture that we were teaching. It showed this year. This
was a group of boys that fight left and right at times but came together as a family.”
Not only did Jefferson Davis snap Holly Hill’s run of three straight state titles, it ended HHA’s
39-game winning streak with a 28-22 triumph in the first meeting on September 1.
In the second meeting on October 27 in the regular-season finale, Holly Hill rebounded with a 36-
16 victory, giving it the region title. Reitenour felt his team didn’t play its best in either contest.
“We felt like we matched up well with them,” Reitenour said. “In the first game we made
mistakes and were able to win. In the second game, we made mistakes and weren’t able to overcome
them.”
In preparation for the state championship game, Reitenour showed his team film of the mistakes it
made that set up HHA’s points in the first two games.
“Not to take anything away from Holly Hill, but we gave them pretty much everything they had
in both games. It wasn’t anything like they overpowered us or that their speed beat us.
“We felt like if we limited our mistakes and played hard-nosed football, we could win. We were
able to come out and play a good football game. We knew it would be a battle of wills, who would be
more physical, who would give in first. On that night it was them. We’d been waiting on this for a while.”
Jefferson Davis has six players who were chosen to the High School Sports Report 8-man All-
State team. Junior running back Nasir Void was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year while
defensive tackle Tollie Fickling was named the Defensive Player of the Year. The other All-State
members are seniors Hunter Zorn, Payton Payne and Paxton Wall and junior Colson Loadholt.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound Fickling led the Raiders in tackles with 122, tackles for loss with 23,
forced fumbles with three and quarterback sacks with three. He was also part of an offensive line that
allowed Jefferson Davis to rush for 49 touchdowns and an average of 273.3 yards per game
Void started at running back and linebacker. He led the Raiders in rushing with 1,424 yards and
17 TDs on 145 carries while catching five passes for 87 yards and two TDs. Defensively, he had 66
tackles, seven TFLs, one sack and three fumble recoveries.
Loadholt, who played with a torn patella in the playoffs after suffering the injury in the second
HHA game, was a big play threat as both a wide receiver and defensive back. He had 23 catches for 552
yards and nine TDs while rushing for 401 yards and 10 TDs on 43 carries. He led in interceptions with
nine -- three of them being Pick 6s -- and fumble recoveries with four to go with 99 tackles and 12 TFLs.
Wall was the starting quarterback, completing 38 of 66 passes for 780 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He also rushed for 398 yards and eight TDs on 99 carries.
Payne played tight end and middle linebacker. Along with being s a strong blocker, Payne had 11
catches for 199 yards. Defensively, Payne had 104 tackles, eight TFLs, one sack and two FRs.
The 6-2, 250-pound Zorn started at guard on offense and end on defense. He had 78 tackles, four
TFLS, one sack and two FRs.
Fickling was selected as the Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in Region 2. He was joined on the
All-Region Team by Wall, Payne, Void and Loadholt.
Void, Wall, Fickling, Zorn and Payne played in the North-South All-Star Game along with senior
teammates Tucker Fields and twin brothers Connor Loadholt and Carter Loadholt and juniors Landon
Williams and Keaton Crouch.
Fields played defensive end and finished with 34 tackles, six TFLs, one sack one FF and one FR.
Carter Loadholt and Connor Loadholt, the older brothers of Colson, played defensive back and
linebacker, respectively. Carter had 66 tackles, one TFL, four INTs, two FFs and one FR. Connor had 58
tackles, four TFLs, one sack, one INT, two FRs and two FFs.
The 5-10, 190-pound Williams started at center. Crouch was a key blocker at fullback while
rushing for 167 yards and three TDs on 35 carries. He had 37 tackles on defense.
Reitenour was selected as the Region Coach of the Year. While he won two state championships
as the boys basketball head coach at his previous school, Clarendon Hall, this is his first championship
as a football head coach. He feels like this provides some validation for him.
“It's a monkey off my back,” said Reitenour, who was also the football head coach at Clarendon
Hall for several years. “No matter how good my football teams had been, year after year after year, people
would say, ‘Anthony, he’s a basketball coach.’ I was constantly having to prove myself on that side.
“It's an achievement to say I won a state championship in both. I was too close too many times.
To win a state championship in both sports as a coach, that's a big honor.”
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