Abbeville wrestling competes well this season

David Shelton • February 14, 2025

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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.

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By David Shelton • July 30, 2025

By David Shelton Senior Writer Charleston – First Baptist School has new leadership within its football program and athletic department for the coming 2025-26 school year. Kevin Mapp was hired as the new head football coach in the early spring and Jay Godbolt was hired as the new athletic director at the start of the summer. Mapp has extensive coaching experience on both the college and high school levels while also working in law enforcement. First Baptist is his first head coaching position. Mapp last coached defensive linemen at James Island Charter High and has had coaching stints at James Madison, Hampden-Sydney, Georgetown, Marshall, Missouri State and Coastal Carolina. Mapp graduated from James Madison and was a defensive lineman on the 2004 Division I-AAA (now FCS) national championship team. “Coaching has always been my passion,” Mapp said. “Ever since I was playing, I wanted to be a coach. I have always found a way to coach while working in law enforcement. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunities to do both.” Mapp has been with the Charleston County police department for the last 10 years. He took some time away from coaching to start a family. “I felt like First Baptist was the perfect fit for me and my family,” Mapp says. “It’s a great opportunity at a great place. The kids here work hard and there is a lot of support from the administration. I’m excited to be the head football coach at First Baptist.” Mapp has hired coordinators on both sides of the ball. Will McCombs , once the head coach of the program, will call the offensive plays. Chris Hart comes over from James Island as the defensive coordinator. “Our numbers are improving and the kids are working hard,” Mapp said. “I feel like we can be a competitive team. It’s year one of the building process.” Godbolt has been a coach and athletic director in the Charleston area for nearly two decades. As the boys basketball coach at Charleston Collegiate, Godbolt coached three state championship teams. He also has been a coach and athletic director at Lowcountry Leadership Academy. Godbolt has more than 450 career victories as a head basketball coach. Current First Baptist basketball coach Antoine Saunders was Godbolt’s assistant at Charleston Collegiate.