Abbeville aims to stay on top in 2023
Abbeville – In case you have been dwelling in a cave, here is some news for you. Abbeville High is pretty good at football.
In the town where a popular saying is “it’s all about the A,” it’s also about the W. As in winning.
Last year’s Abbeville team won the Class AA state championship. It was the program’s 12th state title, putting the small school in some big-time company when it comes to championships in the Palmetto State.
Former panther player Jamie Nickles directs the program as it’s head coach and has hoisted the top prize eight times as head coach. He also played on the 1981 championship team and was an assistant coach on the 1996 team.
Nickles became the head coach in 2004 and is now the winningest coach (more than 200 wins) in school history. Since 2015, Abbeville is a remarkable 104-7 and has posted double-digit wins in all but four seasons since 2004.
So it should come a no surprise that Abbeville enters the 2023 season as the top-ranked team in Class AA by the High School Sports Report. The Panthers opened its season on Aug. 18 with a solid 65-12 win over McCormick.
Now begins the rest of a very tough non-region schedule that includes Powdersville, Southside Christian, Westside and Crescent. Powdersville went 13-2 and played for the Class AAA state title last season. Southside Christian is 61-12 since 2017 and Westside was 10-3 last year. Abbeville lost to Powdersville and Westside last season, their only two losses of the season.
“It’s a tough stretch but we feel like it prepares us for the playoffs,” Nickles says. “The next few weeks are a big step up. We got a long way to go as a football team. We are really young and inexperienced in some areas and that’s what these early games are for, getting experience and improvement.
Perhaps the No. 1 strength of the 2023 Panthers is the offensive backfield, particularly at running back. Shouldering the load are three juniors, all with experience, in Karson Norman (5-9, 165), Altavious Patterson (5-11,230) and Jha’louis Hadden (6-0, 215).
Senior Jay Hill is a first-year starter at quarterback but has some playing experience. Sophomore J.D. Baylor is looked to be one of the top pass-catching threats.
The offensive line is one of the concerns for the coaching staff with only one returning starter, senior Carson Porter. Also working to build the chemistry are juniors Cooper Hansen, Will New and Kadon Harrison, and sophomore Kamyron Jones. Junior Brody Graham is the starting tight end.
Anchoring the defensive line is senior returning starter Jae Harris, one of the top senior players on the team. Joining in the work are senior Thomas Booth, and juniors Gage Evans and AJ Speech.
Junior Gavin Calhoun returns as a starting linebacker, as does Mikhelyn Bowie (5-11, 220). Dayne Botts is a starting outside linebacker, along with sophomore Jaylen Baylor.
Abbeville’s top college prospect is junior safety Damarcus Leach (6-3, 180), who already has obtained scholarship offers from Virginia Tech and South Carolina. Senior Dee Washington will be a starter in the secondary, along with junior Jakwon Elmore and sophomore Justin Rollinson. Levi Paul also will see time in the back end and handles kickoff duties as well.
Handling Abbeville’s placekicking duties is Parker Henderson, who was nine-for-nine on extra points in the season opener.
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