Lake City's Estep excited to see what awaits this season
Quaterback Amari Hanna returns for his third season as a starter
Lake City – Jamison Estep is excited to see what is awaiting him in the 2025 football season.
“We’re excited,” said the Lake City High School head coach. “We know what we have, we know what we don’t have. That’s kind of what the exciting part is. It’s like a kid on Christmas morning.”
With just four starters back on defense and six on offense, it could be a mixed bag in the early going. The AA Panthers opened their season against AAAAA Myrtle Beach on August 22 and dropped a 43-18 road decision.
Senior quarterback Amari Hanna passed for 150 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a touchdown. A 3-year starter, Hanna is the leader of LCHS, according to Estep.
“That’s the engine that drives the car for us,” Estep said of Hanna, whom he made his starting quarterback when he took over the football team on an interim basis after a major automobile accident sidelined then head coach Ronnie Baker. “We’re going to go how Amari goes this year. Third year as a starter, he’s got full command, He’s allowed to give his input into the game plan this year, what he likes, what he doesn’t like, from what he sees. He’s essentially a coach on the field for us.”
Four of the other starters are on the offensive line in senior Antonio Singletary, senior Tyler Williams, senior Makhi Nero and sophomore Fredrick Gibbs. The newcomer to the line is sophomore, who has a lot of potential, according to Estep.
“The expectations for them are a lot higher than some of the others on the team just because they’ve been in the program longer and they know what it takes, know what it feels like,” Estep said of his veteran linemen.
While young defensively, Estep is excited about what could be.
“We’re going to be very young,” he said. “We’ll be starting five freshmen and sophomores, so there will be bumps in the road, a lot of learning to do, but I think what this unit can turn into is very special.”
The Panthers went 4-7 a year ago and lost several games in excruciating fashion. So what do they need to do to flip the script this season?
“They’ve got to buy into the little things bcause that’s what cost us last year in the tight games,” Estep said. “At the end of the game, if we don’t make those mistakes, we’re hanging a banner for being region champs.
The mental focus, the mental details, the small things. I think that’s what will put us over.”
