AA football wide open with changes due to reclassification

           Sumter – If there has ever been a door left wide open for a school to come out of “nowhere” and win a state championship, it’s this season in the South Carolina High School League’s AA football classification.

           After reclassification and realignment, four of the five schools that have competed in the last four AA state championship games – Gray Collegiate Academy, Oceanside Collegiate Academy, Abbeville and Silver Bluff – are no longer in AA. The only one that remains is Marion, which played for the 2020 state title.

           Oceanside and Gray, sister charter schools, played for the title last year with Oceanside winning 35-28. However, both moved up this season thanks to the multiplier rule that has every student at a school not within its attendance lines count as three in determining enrollment numbers used in reclassification.

Gray Collegiate, which won the 2021 AA title and did not play any region contests in any sports

last season due to region schools protesting citing competitive imbalance, is now in AAAA. Oceanside Collegiate is now a AAA school along with Silver Bluff.

           On the other end of the spectrum is Abbeville, which has dropped down to Class A. Abbeville has been a dominant force in AA under head coach Jamie Nickles, most recently winning titles in 2022 and 2020. The Panthers had won six titles in the past nine years.

           The most recent champion that’s still in AA is Saluda, which claimed the 2019 crown under head coach Stewart Young. Barnwell, which played for state titles in both 2018 and 2019, also remains in AA.

Add to the mix schools like Chester and Clinton, which have had strong seasons in AAA the

past few years, dropping down to join AA and anything can pretty much happen.

Let’s take a look at what each of the seven regions holds for this season.

Region 1: Blacksburg, Chesnee, Clinton, Landrum, Liberty

Clinton under head coach Corey Fountain will be the favorite in this 5-team region. The Red

Devils went 34-6 the past three seasons in AAA, reaching the quarterfinals each year and playing for the upper state title in 2022.

Region 2: American Leadership, Batesburg-Leesville, Ninety Six, Pelion, Saluda, Strom

Thurmond

Saluda has the strongest historical pedigree in this 6-team region, but it is Strom Thurmond

which won a Region 3 title that included Saluda and Pelion. The Rebels reached the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, losing to Gray Collegiate 35-28.

Region 3: Chester, Columbia, Eau Claire, Fairfield Central, Mid-Carolina

Chester has to be considered the overwhelming favorite in this 5-team region with Fairfield

Central providing the most serious competition.

           Under veteran head coach Victor Floyd, the Cyclones went undefeated in winning the 2018 AAA state title. They went 10-3 last season, losing to eventual state champion Daniel, which is now in AAAA, in the quarterfinals. In the three years prior to that, Chester was eliminated from the playoffs by the  eventual AAA upper state champion.

Floyd’s son, Trooper Floyd, returns at quarterback for his senior season. Trooper completed 151

of 235 passes for 2,060 yards and 18 touchdowns last season while rushing for 551 yards and five scores on 132 carries.

Region 4: Andrew Jackson, Buford, Central, Cheraw, Chesterfield, North Central

           This region is a rarity after a reclassification/realignment takes place. The 6-team region remains in tact from last year. The only change is the Region is its number, going from 5 to 4.

           Andrew Jackson went undefeated in the region last year, going 9-4 and reaching the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

Region 5: Barnwell, Edisto, Hampton County, Lake Marion, Whale Branch

The Barnwell Warhorses are no doubt in the lead of this 5-team region. They have reached at

least the quarterfinals of the AA state playoffs for the past eight seasons.

Barnwell returns 17 starters from a team that went 8-5 a year ago, losing to eventual state

champion Oceanside Collegiate in the quarterfinals.

           "We are excited about our upcoming season,” said second-year head coach Brian Smith. “Our goals have not changed. Our kids have really worked hard this offseason to maintain the level of excellence that Barnwell High School has exhibited for so long. Our kids know that the only way to

improve is through hard work and that excellence does not take a day off.”

Region 6: Academic Magnet, Andrews, Burke, Philip Simmons, Timberland, Woodland

           Philip Simmons has to be considered the favorite in this 6-team region after dropping down from AAA. The Iron Horses went 10-2 last season, losing to Brookland-Cayce in the second round. They are 28-8 over the past three years.

AA holdover Woodland will be the chief competition. The Wolverines are 19-8 the past two

seasons, going 8-3 last year and losing to Oceanside Collegiate in the second round of the playoffs.

Region 7: Atlantic Collegiate, East Clarendon, Kingstree Lake City, Manning, Marion,

Mullins

This 7-team region is an example of what reclassification can do. On one hand, you have

Manning and Lake City, who are dropping down from AAA. On the other hand, you have East

Clarendon, which is coming up from Class A. Oh yeah, and then you have AA holdovers Kingstree,

Marion and Mullins and SCHSL newcomer Atlantic Collegiate Academy to throw in the mix

This will be a wide-open region, but Manning has to be considered the favorite.

AA TOP 15

1. Clinton

2. Chester

3. Strom Thurmond

4. Saluda

5. Barnwell

6. Hampton County

7. Philip Simmons

8. Manning

9. Ninety Six

10. Andrew Jackson

11. Marion

12. Cheraw

13. Whale Branch

14. Batesburg-Leesville

15. Landrum