Abbeville Athletics Getting Back To Work After Storm

By David Shelton

Senior Writer

Abbeville – The fall of 2024 will long be remembered for Hurricane Helene, a powerful and destructive storm that left portions of the midlands and upstate of South Carolina in shambles.

The storm did most of its worst damage in the western part of North Carolina and is responsible for more than 200 deaths across its path.

Abbeville was one of several areas hit with significant issues in the wake of the storm. Power outages and downed trees on homes were easy to spot on a trek through town. As one might expect, the damage caused cancellation in schools throughout the Lakelands area, which also mean the cessation of any and all athletic activities.

Slowly, things are returning to normal for the athletes at Abbeville High. The team is expected to play Calhoun Falls in a region contest on Oct. 11. Due to an earlier scheduling quirk, the game will be Abbeville’s first since playing Ninety Six on Sept. 13.

After the game with Ninety Six, Abbeville had their normally scheduled bye week but due to a cancellation, the break ended up being a double-bye. Then came the storm and the Panthers were forced to postpone the Oct. 4 region game against McCormick.

“It has been a challenge but the focus is on getting the community back together and we will play football when we can,” Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles said. “We’re doing much better but there’s still some folks dealing with a lot of stuff. But we are better off than some of our neighbors and we are certainly thankful.”

When the football season resumes, the Panthers will be 3-1 overall with the lone loss coming to Batesburg-Leesville. In his assessment of his team, the coach says the Panthers will need to improve defensively and become more consistent along the offensive line.

The strength of the team continues to be the skill position players. Running backs Karson Norman and Jha’Louis Hadden, along with quarterback Demarcus Leach have been solid in their production early on.

On defense, seniors Altavious Patterson and AJ Speech are anchoring the front, with junior Cole Driggers and Kamryon Jones working in the front four as well.

Starting linebackers to open the season include Gage Evans (hybrid), Kendall Cole, Levi Paul and sophomore Zack Jordan.

Anchoring the secondary are Justin Rollerson and Jakwon Elmore, with Jaylen Baylor and Leach also starting on the back end.

The Abbeville volleyball team also is having a great season and looks forward to a return to action. Abbeville won 10 of their first 11 contests, including a 9-1 record against region competition, at the time of the storm.

This year’s squad is fairly young overall but with promising potential to be a force in the future. There are no seniors on the roster this fall.

Players on this year’s team include juniors Kaylee Bundrick, Ella Atkins and Lucy Kolloran sophomores Rylee Tiller, Lauryn Murray, Laylan Yates and Jaylin Vickery; freshman Bella Evans, and eighth-grader Sarah Gulley.