It is December 2022 an the Abbeville Panthers just capped off their season with a Class 2A state championship over Oceanside Collegiate Academy 35-20. Life is good.
Fast forward to today and that is the exact feeling the Panthers want to get back to this season, but with one major change. Instead of competing in Class 2A, they will be competing in Class 1A following the latest South Carolina High School League realignment. Despite the change, head coach Jamie Nickles insists that no matter what classification his squad is in, they will keep the same intensity.
“Nothing is going to change whether we’re 1A, 2A or 20A, for all I care,” Nickles said. “We’re going to continue to practice football the way we always have and hopefully around October things will start to really click for us.”
The biggest exclamation point for the Panthers is unquestionably senior South Carolina commit Damarcus “Nez” Leach. Leach is a consensus three-star recruit and was bumped up to four-star by ESPN. Leach is being recruited as a defensive back, his primary position, but will also be the starting quarterback for the Panthers this year.
Leach took over the starting quarterback role for the Panthers halfway through the 2023 season and was impressive leading the Panthers A-Bone attack.While throwing for over 500 yards and four touchdowns, Leach also rushed for over 700 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the Panthers to the Upper State Championship Game. In addition to his prowess on offense, Leach also made a big impact on Abbeville’s defense where he was a lockdown defensive back and grabbed four picks off opposing quarterbacks..
While Leach shines at the quarterback position, keeping him healthy is important. That’s where Jaden Baylor–a junior defensive back who is also the backup quarterback–comes in. Baylor has been taking first team reps at quarterback to prepare him for the role. According to Nickles, both will see plenty of time as the starter in an attempt to keep both men healthy.
“Preparing (Baylor) for the future is important, and you should see him in at quarterback early,” said Nickles. “We want Nez to be able to play more defense, so we’ll be gameplanning to play both of the quarterbacks.”
As is the case seemingly every year, the Panthers’ running back room is quite stout. The captain of the backfield is without a doubt senior Karson Norman, who tallied over 1,600 all-purpose yard and 21 touchdowns in 2023, en route to taking home the SK Media Offensive Player of the Year Award. Other backs to look out for include Jha’Louis Hadden, Cameron Lee and Altavious Patterson.
On the defensive side, Abbeville will have some holes to fill to go along with their star-studded secondary. Aside from Leach, the Panthers will return defensive backs Justin Rollinson, who snagged eight interceptions and was a finalist for the SK Media Defensive Player of the Year, Jakwon Elmore, and Levi Paul. With the departure of Jae Harris, Mikhelyn Bowie and Gavin Calhoun, the front seven will be missing some major pieces. Being without those three players will be noticeable, but Nickles maintains that only time will tell who is going to step up in their absence.
“We’ll just have to wait and see whose name emerges as the year goes on,” said Nickles. “One thing I’ve picked up in my years of coaching is that you may think you know everything, but until you put that kid out there with that uniform on you don’t know anything.”
Schedule Prediction:
While the Panthers may have dropped to Class 1A, their nonregion schedule remains equally as difficult as years prior. With teams such as Powdersville, Southside Christian and Ninety Six on the docket, it will be interesting to see how the Panthers fare before they dive into region play. Even if the Panthers start off slowly, they always seem to come barrelling back at just the right time. There are only a select few teams in the state that could get in the way of Abbeville reigning supreme once again, such as Blackville-Hilda and Lewisville. As long as everything goes according to plan, however, it should be smooth sailing for the Panthers.
Final record: 8-1 in the regular season, Region 1-1A champions and 1A State Championship appearance.
| 8/23 – Week 0 | Southside Christian |
| 8/30 – Week 1 | @ Powdersville |
| 9/6 – Week 2 | Batesburg-Leesville |
| 9/13- Week 3 | @ Ninety Six |
| 9/20 – Week 4 | BYE |
| 9/27 – Week 5 | BYE |
| 10/4 – Week 6 | @ McCormick |
| 10/11 – Week 7 | @ Calhoun Falls |
| 10/18 – Week 8 | Whitmire |
| 10/25 – Week 9 | @ Dixie |
| 11/1 – Week 10 | Ware Shoals |