Head coach Brian Scott pleased with play at end of season

8 Silver Foxes selected to All-Region football team

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

By Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor Lamar – As the L amar High School football team prepared itself to begin play in Region 2-Class A, there was one thing that made Silver Foxes head coach Stephen Burris happier than anything else. “Right now, we’re healthy,” said Burris, whose team went 3-2 in the start of his second year at LHS. “We were able to get through non-region and we’re healthy. Any coach will take that.” While he’d rather be undefeated in five games, Burris isn’t complaining too much about Lamar’s start. “We lost two close ones to two very good teams,” he said. The Silver Foxes lost to AAAA Darlington 26-21 in their season opener. The other loss was 40-38 to AA Central . Darlington was off to a 3-2 start while the Eagles were 4-1. The Central loss dropped LHS to 1-2. It rebounded with a 21-14 win over AA Lake City and a 49-0 triumph over AA North Central . After giving up 40 to Central, Burris and his coaching staff made some adjustments defensively. “We kind of went back to the drawing board,” said Burris, whose team opened region play on October 4 at McBee . “To start the season, we had several guys playing both ways because we needed them to. We changed it where some were just focusing on defense. “Against Lake City and North Central, we were able to get back in line where we were tackling better, getting 11 people to the ball better, pursuing better. We took some lumps and it was a little bit of a growing process. I’m happy with how we’ve honed in in practice and do what we do and then see it on the field.” Senior linebacker Vernon Ervin was leading the team in tackles with 54 and tackles for loss with four to go with 1 ½ quarterback sacks. Sophomore linebacker Jaquez Dargan had 50 tackles, two TFLs and a team high two sacks, while fellow sophomore linebacker DQ Green had 42 tackles. The offense is led by junior quarterback Zori Pierce . The All-State performer had completed 41 of 76 passes for 632 yards and 12 touchdowns against no interceptions. He’s also the leading rusher with 221 yards and four scores on 36 carries. Senior Alvion Ward had 216 yards and a score on 24 carries while catching three passes for 97 yards and a TD. Pierce’s favorite target is senior Zoom Jackson . He had 18 catches for 229 yards and five TDs. Senior Kamon Miller had seven catches for 135 yards and three TDs, and senior Nyshaun Quillen had five catches for 87 yards and two scores. “We’re trying to be balanced and have a lot more flexibility,” Burris said. “The offensive line, we haven’t had the same group start any game. We’ve just been shuffling the deck, see who works well together.”

Lewisville WR Jacorreun Howze on the run after a catch.

Stephen Burris set for second season as head coach

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

Lamar – Coming off back-to-back seasons of 9-4 records, the Lamar High football team is aiming to take the next step in 2024. Second-year head man Stephen Burris must replace 13 seniors from last year’s squad but still returns more than a dozen players who were starters in last year’s third-round playoff loss to Johnsonville. Burris and the prospective 2024 Silver Foxes are busy putting in the work during the summer months, a process that began with spring practices in May. However, Burriss used the spring to work more with younger players, trying to acclimate them to the varsity level. “We had a large number of guys running track and playing baseball, which we encourage because multi-sport guys are important at a small school,” Burris said. “We used this spring to really focus on the young guys who may not have gotten the reps with the veteran guys out there. We were able to slow things down and just teach those young guys the way we do things.” The Silver Foxes will be most experienced along the offensive line this coming fall. A solid group of veterans return, led by senior left tackle Kendall Walton, a 6-5, 305-pounder who has received six college offers this spring. Senior Tahj Johnson will be a third-year starter and junior Devaughn Locust also returns. Burris is hopeful for a healthy return for quarterback Zori Pierce, a true dual-threat weapon who is recovering from a knee injury sustained late last season. “He is coming along great and we expect him to be ready in August,” the coach said. “He’s definitely a key piece to the offense, a catalyst. And, he’s a good leader.” Senior Zoom Jackson returns as the team’s top receiving threat but there is a lack of experience at running back. Looking to step in and fill that role is sophomore DQ Green. Two key pieces returning defensively are Alvion Ward and Kamon Miller. “I think building depth is going to be key for us,” Burris said. “We played one game out of 13 with our full starting lineup last year. Building depth and staying healthy have been a major emphasis for us. We are working hard this summer to condition and to get stronger for the long haul.” The Silver Foxes will open the 2024 season with a home game against Darlington. Lamar’s first three games of the season are home games before a road game at Lake City on Sept. 13.