Since taking over the helm at Abbeville High School in 2004, head coach Jamie Nickles has won eight state championships, all of those coming in the past 13 years. It’s a showing of dominance that hasn’t been seen in the Lakelands since Pinky Babb retired in 1981. This season, the Panthers are looking to further their dominance over the 2A classification.
“We’ve made a ton of progress, but we still have a long way to go,” said Nickles of this year’s Panther squad.
Per usual, the Panthers will look to decimate their opponents with their traditional A-Bone offense. With the Panthers losing key rushers such as Ty Cade and Jamal Marshall to graduation, this leaves a big hole to be filled in the Panther offense. However, Abbeville has reloaded once again at the running back position, with juniors Al’tavious Patterson, Karson Norman, and Gavin Calhoun ready to make a splash in 2023.
“Those guys will be the anchor of our football team,” said Coach Nickles.
We’ve already gotten a taste of Karson Norman and Gavin Calhoun, as they both scored touchdowns in the Greenwood Jamboree last Friday. Norman is touted as one of the top running backs in the Lakelands in the latest SK Media Running Back Rankings.
Senior Jay Hill will take over the starting quarterback role for the Panthers in 2023, as the graduation of Lenoir-Rhyne signee Zay Rayford leaves an open spot at the quarterback position. Hill saw a lot of action last season, as Zay Rayford missed significant time with injury. Hill is ranked 4th on the SK Media Quarterback Rankings.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers have even more holes to fill, as they lost their core four of Antonio “TooBoo” Harrison (Limestone), Javario Tinch (Wofford), Kendall Barr (Lenoir-Rhyne), and Ty Cade (Limestone). However, star defensive lineman Jae Harris (5th on SK Media Watchlist), and power 5 defensive back prospect Damarcus Leach (3rd on SK Media Watchlist) are more than ready to take over.
Leach had a very impressive summer, racking up offers from Virginia Tech and South Carolina as well as gaining interest from multiple other division 1 programs.
“All it did was make me more hungry,” said Leach of his summer. “I’m still not where I want to be just yet.”
Down in the trenches, Jae Harris is just getting started. The 6’1, 270 pound lineman picked up offers of his own over the summer, including one from Lenoir-Rhyne. At the Greenwood Jamboree, Harris gave us a good look of what to expect this upcoming season, racking up multiple tackles and sack.
“There’s still a lot that we need to work on,” said Harris. “(Himself and Leach) need to step up as leaders and take control of the team.”
2023 Prediction: Abbeville has a very similar beginning to last season, dropping two of the first four games to Powdersville and Westside. From that point on, the Panthers are flawless, finishing the regular season 8-2 and 5-0 in region play. The Panthers storm their way past a newly loaded Strom Thurmond Rebels squad in the Upper State Championship, to find themselves matched up against Oceanside Collegiate Academy in a rematch from 2022. This time, the Panthers fall, and are the 2A runner-ups.