Vikings claim first championship in program history in head coach Hercules Davis' final game

Day 1 - of the SCHSL Championships Games: 4 games with 8 teams going for the gold! Thursday, March 6 2:00pm - Lee Central vs. Military Magnet - Girls Class A State Championship 4:00pm - Abbeville vs. Denmark Olar - Boys Class A State Championship  6:00pm - Dillon vs. Walhalla - Girls Class AAA State Championship 8:00pm - Powdersville vs. Keenan - Boyss Class AAA State Championship Tickets are available at the gate at The Florence Center for $15. . Gates open 1 hour before the first game. If you want to watch at home, the SCHSL announced coverage from stations in these markets on March 6th, 7th, and 8th : Asheville, NC / Greenville, SC WMYA (My40 Asheville-Greenville ) Columbia, SC WACH.2 – (TBD Network) – the network is called TBD Charleston, SC WCIV (MyTV Charleston) Myrtle Beach, SC Thursday – Friday: EPDE(CW21 Myrtle Beach) Saturday: HPDE (WPDE-4)

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence —Not many Class A boys’ basketball teams have a talent like Abbeville’s Jaden Baylor on their roster, and the star player scored 27 points against CA Johnson in the upper state finals at the Florence Civic Center on Thursday as the Panthers prevailed 58-46. Abbeville will now compete against Denmark-Olar, who beat Bethine-Bowman in the lower state finals at the same arena Thursday, at 4 p.m. on March, 6. Veteran Abbeville coach Doug Belcher was very pleased with the big win. “We kept fighting and we stepped up our defense (went to a diamond and 2) on number 13 and number one for them as we were focused on taking them out of the game,” said Coach Belcher. “We have been working hard all year and we have one more step to go. We give all the honor and glory to the most-high God.” Abbeville only started one senior, inside man Altavious Patterson . Jaden Baylor is just a junior. “Jaden can play every position on the floor and when he makes his mind up, he is pretty much unstoppable when he goes to the basket, and he can also hit the three on the inside also,” said Coach Belcher. “I am very proud of these guys for hanging in there and playing hard the entire game,” said Coach Belcher. “We played for a state title in 2015, and won the title that year in my fourth year of coaching. It’s great to be back again.” CA Johnson actually led 15-11 after the first period as sophomore Milton McCray nailed three three-point shots to lead the offense. After Abbeville switched to a diamond and two defense, he did not score another three-pointer. Abbeville rallied in the second period as Jaden Baylor hit a three-point shot from the deep corner to tie the game at 19 with 2:57 left in the first half. The Panthers would never trail in the game again. They led 24-21 at the half. Baylor had 9 half-time points. McCray had 13 first-half points for CA Johnson. In the third period both teams maintained a fast pace offense with Abbeville taking a 39-34 lead into the final period. CA Johnson broke fast in the final period going on a 7-0 run to close the deficit to 41-40 with 5:22 left in the game. Elijah Harper began by making two free throws, followed by a basket by Aiassiac Germany before Tony Odom brought the CA Johnson fans to their feet with a three-point from the right elbow. However, the Panthers then went on a 11-0 run to lead the game 52-42 with 2:25 left in the contest. Over that period Patterson put back a lay-up, Justin Rollinson converted two free throws, Jaden Baylor scored two baskets and Darius Riley nailed a three-point shot from the deep corner. Behind Baylor’s 27 points, Abbeville got seven points from Riley and Rollinson and Jamerion Williams contributed four points. CA Johnson was led by McCray with 13 points. Odom had 11 points and senior Zion Lakin contributed 9 points. CA Johnson is head coached veteran Robert McCray .

 David Shelton Senior Writer Abbeville – Due to a lack of numbers and overall mat experience, winning dual matches cab be a challenge for the Abbeville High wrestling team. However, ninth-year coach Bill Glace , himself a former Panther, says the focus of every season is individual improvement. Glace preaches positivity and perseverance with his teams and that helps them compete with most teams in Class AA/A. “We work hard to stay positive by focusing on the good stuff and letting go of the bad like water on a duck's back,” Glace reports. “It has been a really good season.” Glace is happy with the performance of his team this season. The Panthers were 9-18 in dual contests and qualitied for the state tournament in AA-A. The season ended with a first-round loss to Clinton. Abbeville has a co-ed program with several girls competing on the mat. The girls have their own state individual tournament and Abbeville will have a few state title contenders. There also will be state contenders from the boys team with hopes that several Panthers can earn spots in the state finals. “Our top guys would be Brice Williams , Parker Henderson, Carter Eby and Collins Brown ,” the coach said. “Brice and Parker have really stepped up to contribute to varsity. Carter Eby is our sole state qualifier returning from last year and has put up 24 wins this season. “Collins Brown will probably qualify for state this season. He has 22 wins with 17 pins on the season. We also had two young ladies already punch their ticket to state in Brittany Gordon and Kylee Jo Price .” Eby is ranked at No/4 in AA/A at 157 pounds. Brown is ranked seventh at 190 pounds. Price is ranked fourth at 115 pounds and Gordon is ranked fourth at 135 pounds. Glace remains optimistic that the program can continue to grow. Getting the athletes started at a younger age is crucial to building a solid foundation. “Our program is graduating a lot of experience on the girls team and some on the boys team but we also have a lot of underclassmen that have come out this season,” he said. “We are looking for our feeder program to also send up some middle schoolers for next season that will pay dividends in a few years.” Basketball teams rolling this season The boys and girls basketball teams are having outstanding seasons this winter as both are contending for region titles. The boys team sits at 14-2 overall and 11-0 in region play. Jaden Baylor leads the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game, adding 6.9 rebounds. Junior Harris Riley is averaging 12.7 points and junior Justin Rollerson adds 9.6 points and 4.4 assists per outing. Corde Hadden is scoring 8.4 points per contest. The girls team is 10-4 overall and leading the region with a 10-1 record. Eighth-grader Amaya McManus paces the offense at 10.3 points per game. Sophomore Lauren Murray adds 7.4 points and 7.3 boards per game and sophomore Ar’daisyah Gray is averaging 6.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

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.