Abbeville's Junior Darius Riley in the State Title game.

Panthers claim program's 13th overall title, ninth in last 15 years

A championship season deserves championship recognition when your school makes it to the biggest game of the season. This past Friday, the Upper State Champions and Lower State Champions were decided. Now, these teams go to SC State University’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium for “the cherry-on-top” of an already successful season and compete for the title of State Champion . Every school playing this week is a Champion. Now is the time for schools and parents to celebrate making it to the State Championship Game. After all, your team made it further than any other team in your region and classification. Every team and every player earned their spot in State Championship game. The Championship Game Programs capture those life-long memories made during this season, culminating in getting to the state title game. Let’s celebrate the achievement of your student athletes. The SCHSL has the HSSR produce the official, full color, championship game program. This is a valuable keepsake for parents and students to mark the conclusion of a great football season. For each game, the HSSR produces two unique programs that are tailored to the Upper State Champion and Lower State Champion with ad from their supporters and the opposing team’s roster included to know who is on the field. In previous years and in addition to the parents, businesses, and alumni supporting the school, other sports have used half or full-page ads to show their support and highlight their own accomplishments along with a team photo. We have ads from baseball, softball, basketball, and cheer to mention a few that congratulate the football and show their support. The official game program ads earn double credit so your ad supporting your school, your team, and your student athlete also supports continuing sports coverage for your school and all other student athletes for another school year. The High School Sports Report monthly edition goes to over 250 colleges and universities athletic departments.

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Sumter – The regular season in high school football is always special, but there is nothing that compares to the postseason. Looking at the brackets, seeing what has to happen for this particular matchup to happen, the anticipation of said matchups and the excitement that builds up as teams try to make a run toward a state championship. With the reclassification put forward by the South Carolina High School League for this year, all of the classifications will have a different vibe. Class A no longer will have Christ Church , Southside Christan School and St. Joseph’s because of the multiplier rule, but it does have a new dominant force in Abbeville . The Panthers, long a force in AA, is now in Class A and has to be seen as the prohibitive favorite. Still though, you’ve got to play the games and see what happens. We can’t do that, but we can fill out the bracket to see who we have facing off for the championship in Orangeburg the second week of December. WHO’S IN: Upper State Region 1 : 1. Abbeville 2. Ware Shoals 3. Whitmire 4. Dixie 5. McCormick 6. Calhoun Falls Region 2 : 1. Lewisville 2. Lamar 3. Lee Central 4. McBee 5. C.A. Johnson Region 3 : 1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 2. Blackville-Hilda 3. Calhoun County 4. Ridge Spring-Monetta 5. Williston-Elko Lower State Region 4 : 1. Bamberg-Ehrhart 2. Ridgeland 3. Denmark-Olar 4. Hardeeville Region 5 : 1. Cross 2. Branchville 3. Baptist Hill 4. Scott’s Branch 5. Military Magnet 6. Bethune-Bowman Region 6 : 1. Lake View 2. Hannah-Pamplico 3. Latta 4. Carvers Bay 5. Johnsonville 6. Green Sea Floyds FIRST ROUND Upper State C.A. Johnson (2-8) at Abbeville (8-1) Dixie (7-2) at Blackville-Hilda (8-2) McCormick (3-7) at Lamar (7-3) Calhoun County (3-7) at Lee Central (5-4) McBee (4-5) at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (9-1) Williston-Elko (2-7) at Ware Shoals (4-5) Calhoun Falls (1-8) at Lewisville (9-1) Ridge Spring-Monetta (5-5) at Whitmire (3=7) Lower State Green Sea Floyds (1-9) at Cross (8-2) Scott’s Branch (4-6) at Ridgeland (6-4) Military Magnet (2-6) at Hannah-Pamplico (7-2) Carvers Bay (4-6) at Denmark-Olar (3-6) Hardeeville (3-7) at Lake View (8-1) Johnsonville (4=6) at Branchville (8-2) Bethune-Bowman (1-9) at Bamberg-Ehrhardt (6-2) Latta (5-5) at Baptist Hill (6-3) The first round of any high school sports playoff is usually filled with blowouts, and that could easily be the case with these 16 games. However, there are intriguing matchups in this group. While Blackville-Hilda has to be the favorite with an 8-2 record, it will take on a 7-2 Dixie squad. Ridgeland finished second in a weak Region 6, while Scott’s Branch came on strong down the stretch to go 4-6. Carvers Bay is 4-6 and will play at 3-6 Denmark-Olar . Latta at Baptist Hill will be an intriguing matchup because the Vikings pound the ball while Baptist Hill pushes the ball through the air. Johnsonville may be just 4-6 and going against an 8-2 Branchville squad, but Johnsonville is the 2-time defending lower state champion. Don’t look for them to go down easy. First-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Blackville-Hilda, Lamar, Lee Central, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Ware Shoals, Lewisville, Ridge-Spring Monetta. Lower State: Cross, Scott’s Branch, Hannah-Pamplico, Carvers Bay, Lake View, Branchville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Latta. SECOND ROUND Upper State Blackville-Hilda at Abbeville Lee Central at Lamar Ware Shoals at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Ridge Spring-Monetta at Lewisvlle Lower State Scott’s Branch at Cross Carvers Bay at Hannah-Pamplico Branchville at Lake View Latta at Bamberg-Ehrhardt This is the round where the fun starts to kick in with matchups of teams with gaudy records and outstanding reputations. Also, with the Class A regions so widespread, you can easily get pairings of teams that aren’t geographically close, thus leading to first-time matchups. The two most noteworthy showdowns in this round would be 2-loss Blackville-Hilda playing at 1-loss Abbeville. The Panthers will be favored and are led by Damarcus Leach . He will be going up against a future teammate at South Carolina in B-H’s Jaquel Holman . The best lower state matchup will have 2-loss Branchville at 1-loss Lake View . Second-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lamar, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Lewisville: Lower State: Cross, Hannah-Pamplico, Lake View, Bamberg-Ehrhardt THIRD ROUND Upper State Lamar at Abbeville Lewisville at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Lower State Hannah-Pamplico at Cross Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Lake View You’ve got the three champions of the upper state regions and the three region champions from the lower state still alive. The other team in the upper state is No. 2 seed Lamar , while No. 2 seed Hannah-Pamplico is the fourth lower state team. In years past, a matchup between Lamar and Abbeville would be a premier showdown. While Lamar is still a top program, Abbeville is simply a cut above. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has had a great season, but Lewisville has been on a mission after going out in the second round last season. These lower state matchups would be fun to watch as the pairings have two teams that go about their business in different ways. Third-round winners: Upper State: Abbeville, Lewisville Lower State: Cross, Bamberg-Ehrhardt SEMIFINALS Upper State Lewisville at Abbeville Lower State Bamberg-Ehrhardt at Cross This would be the “collision course” game of the upper state bracket. Lewisville and Abbeville have been dominant all season. The lower state game will be a pairing of two teams that like to pound the football. However, Bamberg-Ehrhardt has senior quarterback Chanston Crosby to give it a better passing option. Semifinal winners: Abbeville, Bamberg-Ehrhardt STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Abbeville vs. Bamberg-Ehrhardt The Red Raiders will present a physical challenge, but Abbeville has tremendous throughout its roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, I go back to what I said at the beginning of the story. Abbeville has to be considered the favorite to win until someone beats it. Your state champion: Abbeville

Lewisville WR Jacorreun Howze on the run after a catch.

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 .

Abbeville dual threat senior at QB and Safety, Demarcus Leach

Abbeville – According to athletic director Maggie Jameson, Abbeville’s reclassification from Class AA tp Class A is overall a better situation for the student-athletes in her athletic program. While Abbeville has more than held their own in Class AA in football, the AA classification and region placement caused significant challenges in terms of competitiveness, travel and overall student achievement. Moving to Class A will help to rectify those issues, according to Jameson. Abbeville was initially placed back in AA during the South Carolina High School League’s reclassification but was granted relief during its appeal process. “Transitioning to Class A allows for our sports outside of football to have a better opportunity to be more competitive, specifically our female sports,” Jameson says. “Our (enrollment) numbers reflected being in Class A. Being in class A allows for much shorter travel times, with the average being roughly 45 minutes each way versus the over an hour that we were driving in AA. “The difference in travel will mean shorter nights with away games. It also give us an opportunity to play the same students they played while growing up in the recreation department.” Jameson is pleased overall with the success of the athletic program during the 2023-24 school year. She is hopeful for even more success across the board in 2024-25. “Last year we ended with several region championships and we had a state champion in track. Next year we hope to continue the growth and success in Class A. I look forward to seeing how our teams compete in our new region.” The athletic director continues to be appreciative of the support the athletics program receives from a community that steps up to support all of the sports at the school. Few small schools can match the level of community support in Abbeville. In terms of personnel, Jameson says there is a new volleyball coach as Sara Wojtjowski takes over the program. She is the only new varsity sport head coach. Jamie Nickles returns to lead the powerhouse football program this fall. Nickles has guided the Panthers to eight state titles and is the winningest coach in school history with more than 200 victories. Daniel Little will return as head baseball coach and Doug Belcher returns to coach boys basketball. Darrell Crawford is the varsity girls basketball coach while Chris Guire coaches cross country in the fall and girls soccer in the spring. Frank Smith also coaches girls soccer. Arnaldo Sabatino is the boys soccer coach and Andy Hagood coaches the boys golf team. Tim Collins returns as head softball coach. Ben Glace is the head wrestling coach. Coaching track are Pete Calhoun and Rebecca Holland. Along with community support, Jameson sees a coaching staff that works extra hard to give their athletes the best opportunity to compete and win championships. And, coaching at Abbeville is about more than wins and losses. “Our coaches do a phenomenal job of not only coaching our athletes in their respective sports, but also coaching them in the game of life,” she says. “They work so hard to ensure that we succeed on the field, on the court, on the mat, and in our community. “Abbeville has the most supportive fans who come out to events by the bus load and are always there to support out athletes in every way possible,” says Jameson, who is entering her third year as athletic director. “Without the community, the fans, the businesses, we could not run our athletic department.”

Abbeville is the clear cut "team to beat" in Class A football in 2024!