Lake City looking for young football team to mature in tough region
Dennis Brunson hssr.com Associate Editor • October 7, 2026
Sophomore Jayce Edwards is in his first season starting at quarterback for Panthers
Lake City – The Lake City High School football team opened its season with a pair of victories, beating Hannah-Pamplico 20-7 and Timberland 18-6.
The Panthers have since lost four straight, two of them close games and two of them blowouts. LCHS dropped a 36-28 decision to Latta and fell to Kingstree 16-8. The lopsided scores were 49-0 to defending Class A state runner-up Lamar and 40-0 to perennial power Dillon in the Region 6-AA opener for both teams.
Lake City head coach Jamison Estep is taking things in stride with his inexperienced team.
“It’s really been up and down for us,” Estep said. “We're a relatively young team with a lot of sophomores and freshmen who start. Hopefully we can get them to mature a little bit faster than they are.
“The first two wins were big. They got us some momentum. We’ve got to learn how to handle success. I didn’t think we put our best foot forward against a good Latta team (in the third game).”
The Panthers are having their struggles on the offensive side of the football. They are averaging 93.0 passing yards a contest and 84.2 rushing yards.
“Offensively we’re still very young and trying to find our groove,” Estep said.
Sophomore Jayce Edwards is in his first season starting at quarterback. Edwards has completed 36 of 85 passes for 533 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for a team high 142 yards and two scores on 24 carries.
Sophomore Xykenan Hickson is easily Edwards go-to receiver. Hickson has 17 catches for 316 yards and two TDs. Sophomore Terrance Williams has four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Senior David Singletary, junior Evan McClam and sophomore Xzavion Carson have the other touchdown receptions.
McClam is an edge rusher on defense and is having a strong season. He has 30 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, one quarterback sack and one forced fumble.
Sophomore middle linebacker Damion McFadden has 29 stops, junior safety Cayden Anderson has 20 tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovers, and junior defensive lineman Jaylen Brown has five TFLs.
Along with Dillon, which is ranked fourth in the High School Sports Report AA poll, the rest of Region 6 includes third-ranked and undefeated Marlboro County, Waccamaw, Manning and East Clarendon.
“We’re just going to take it one day, one practice, at a time,” Estep said. “We try to focus on us, where we need to be.
“We’re going to compete the best we can with what we have. That's why you play the game. It’s not played on paper.”
Nothing but region contests in SCHSL this week with 7 Thursday games, including Indian Land at South Pointe
Indians using more of a run-oriented attack to better utilize talent
Saints play host to Carolina Academy in region opener on October 9
Bulldogs after eighth straight year with at least nine victories
Bears drop first two games before reeling off three straight wins entering region play
Running back Bryson Crawford runs for 247 yards and 5 TDs in 49-20 win over Dixie
By: Gerald Doolittle The South Carolina Independent Schools Association enters October with teams now playing for playoff seeding. Last seasons Champions in Class 3A (Pinewood), Class 2A (Bethesda) and Class 1A (Williamsburg) all moved up a classification in the new alignment. Can Northwood repeat in 4A and can W.W. King repeat in 8-Man? The top 2026 contenders in Class 4A are Hammond (6-0), Pinewood Prep (6-0), Ben Lippen (4-1) and Laurence Manning (3-1). Defending Champion Northwood Academy (4-2) and Porter-Gaud (4-2) could sneak into the finals. The top 2026 contenders in Class 3A are Northside Christian (6-0), First Baptist (5-1), Hilton Head Christian (5-1) and Bethesda (3-1). Florence Christian (4-2) and Wilson Hall (4-2) could determine who make the finals. Class 2A will be a four- way battle between Calhoun Academy (6-1), Colleton Prep (6-1), Greenwood Christian (4-1) and Patrick Henry (4-1). Williamsburg Academy (3-1) will have say on who makes the finals. Class 1A will be a battle between Dorchester Academy (5-1) and Dillon Christian (4-2) SCISA 8-Man will have Jefferson Davis Academy (6-0), Laurens Academy (5-0), W.W. King Academy (4-1) and Newberry Academy (4-1) working hard to win the Title. Wardlaw Academy (2-3) can be a sleeper to pull off a surprise finish. The top rushing leaders leading into October are Jordan Blackmon (Dillon Chr) 935 yds, Isaiah Scott-Palacos (Greenwood Chr) 871 yds, Joseph Morse (W W King) 857 yds, Reed Almers (Dorchester) 839 yds, B J Suits (Northside Chr) 712 yds, Parker Kizer (Holly Hill) 673 yds, Derrick Porter (First Baptist) 683 yds, Michael Polite (Northwood) 583 yds, Kai Sobey (Patrick Henry) 558 yds, Caleb Hardy (Laurens Ac) 533 yds, Grant Smalls (Williamsburg) 480 yds and Ethan Porter (Augusta Chr) 447 yds. The top passing leaders going into October are Silas Brawner (Pinewood) 1898 yds, Cam Werntz (Porter-Gaud) 1387 yds, Cale Owens (Colleton Prep) 1312 yds, Kres Langhals (Hilton Head Chr) 1297 yds, Gibbs Isom (First Baptist) 1256 yds, Ethan Collins (Laurens Ac) 1110 yds, Harris Janik (Augusta Chr) 1070 yds and Kevin Johnson (Northwood) 1053 yards. The top pass receivers going into October are Amir Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 742 yds, Tre Green (Pinewood) 687 yds, Drew Wolfe (Northwood) 640 yds, Lavoris Lucas (Pinewood) 612 yds, Thomas Corbett (Colleton Prep) 540 yds, Joshua Bradley (First Baptist) 507 yds, Jackson Richardson (Hilton Head Chr) 489 yds, Jimmele Smith (Ben Lippen) 447 yds, Wilson Yarborough (Porter-Gaud) 415 yds and Gray Easterling (Dillon Chr) 404 yards. The top tackle leaders going into October are Jacob Bussey (W W King) 73, Mac Strickland (Orangeburg Prep) 72, Allen Chisolm (Porter-Gaud) 66, Luke Sobey (Patrick Henry) 65, Stone Porter (Ben Lippen) 59, Davis Padgett (Palmetto Chr) 58, Eli Seigler (Greenwood Chr) 57, Chandler Rogers (Dillon Chr) 57, Lincoln Dial (Dillon Chr) 57, Zach Weatherford (Holly Hill) 54, Jake Harrington (Jefferson Davis) 53, Scooter Brown (Porter-Gaud) 52 and Eli Garrett (Laurens Ac) 50.
By David Shelton Senior Writer Summerville – By the time the November issue of the High School Sports Report goes to press in early November, the pairings and seedings for the AAAAA state football playoffs will be known. The regular season ends on Oct. 30 with round one of the postseason set for the first Friday night in November. Thus begins the five week trek to the state championship game. Class AAAAA has a clear favorite to win the state title. Defending champion Dutch Fork has shown to be a dominant team with a great defense and an offense that routinely puts up big numbers. Senior quarterback Jaxon Knotts has evolved and matured into one of the state’s top passers, and receiver Maleek Miller is just one of several perimeter weapons. While the Silver Foxes are certainly the team to beat, there are a handful of teams that have the personnel and coaching to put some pressure on Dutch Fork. Northwestern won the last two Division II state titles but that division is no more. Thus, coach Page Wofford and multi-talented quarterback Xavier Means are hoping to contend again. Northwestern has rolled through opponents, scoring at least 50 points in five straight games. The Trojans face a region showdown with Dorman on Oct. 9. The Cavaliers are 6-0 and have shown a steady hand to win close games. Region 2-AAAAA is clearly the top league this fall. Joining Dorman and Northwestern are 5-1 Rock Hill , 5-1 Boiling Springs , and 5-1 Fort Mill . If any of those teams are the “sleeper” in the Upper State it would be Rock Hill. River Bluff and Byrnes should be listed as teams with a chance to advance at least into round three but neither is a true title contender. Undefeated James Island is the top team in the Lower State and, with a weak region, should enter the playoffs with a perfect record. The Trojans have great balance offensively with several playmakers, while the defense is strong at all three levels. Other teams in the Lower State with potential to advance include Ridge View, Sumter, Summervill e and of course Berkeley. Berkeley’s lone loss was to Northwestern. Carolina Forest could also be a team to watch and plays Berkeley in a key region 6-AAAAA clash on Oct. 9.
Daniel senior Jace Grass delivers a pass behind the protection of junior Koda Crocker.
By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Goose Creek – The class AA top ten is full of perennial state powers as well a couple of surprises in second ranked Mid Carolina and 10 th ranked Battery Creek, however, looming on the horizon is defending state champion Strom Thurmond. The Rebels are currently 6-0 after defeating AAAA Aiken 28-14.They have dominated their first six opponents by outscoring them 215 to 47. The defense has been especially stingy as they have held four of their opponents to 7 points or less while offensively the Rebels are hitting their stride. They have gotten off to the great start despite only returning 10 starters from last year’s team. “The standard is the standard. We have good players, some are playing for the first time - it's our job to get those guys ready to play. Our seniors set a goal in the spring to win it again and we are working as hard as we can to help them accomplish their goals,” said head coach Andrew Webb. Coach Webb continued “We have guys who have been in big games and tough situations and their leadership helps us tremendously. They help us to just keep focusing on the next play. Our defense has been very consistent for us and our offense continues to improve.” Wy'Trayvious Dugar, Kaden Wigfall, Gregory Moore, and Bralen Searles are the corner stones of the “Blue Steel Defense.” They are all returning All-Region performers with Dugar and Wigfall being three-year starters. Moore and Dugar are one/two in tackles on the team with 34 and 46, respectively. Wigfall has moved to safety from linebacker, he is also the Rebels second leading rusher with 479 yards, and he is tied for the team lead with 9 touchdowns. Newcomer Mekhi Quiller has been strong at corner with a team high six passes defended. Offensively, junior Zy Rouse has been a jack of all trades as he has played RB, WR, QB and Safety in the first six games. He leads the team in rushing with 559 yards and ha has scored 9 touchdowns. He was a key player in last years run to the championship said coach Webb. Transfer quarterback AJ Hillary continues to improve for us at QB. He has had some games where he has been really sharp. He has thrown for 535 yards and three scores. Returning along the offensive line are seniors John Laster and Hezekiah East . They are the leaders of an offensive line that has paved the way to over 1400 yards rushing as a team. Senior Jakari Gordon is the team’s top receiver with 13 catches for a 227 yards and a score. Junior Preston Holmes has touched the ball 24 times for 367 yards and three touchdowns. “We have to continue to get better in every phase of the game. We have seen growth in a bunch of areas and there are things that we are still working relentlessly at to improve,” said coach Webb. “The Good Lord has blessed us to allow us to play football where football is important. We take a lot of pride in representing the people from the Peach Fields.” The Mid-Carolina Rebels check in at number two as they have gotten off to 5-0 start as they head into region play. Offensively, they are averaging over 40 points a game led by seniors quarterback Davis Ruff , running back Ryker Woolstenhulme and wide outs Cash Knight and Kayden Trappier. Defensively, the Rebels have posted two shut-outs and are allowing only 11 points per game. Woolstenhulme is the teams top tackler while senior defensive lineman Connor May has controlled the line of scrimmage and leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss. They open region play on the road at Chester (2-3). Third ranked Marlboro County moved to 5-0 as they held off Conway 33-30. They are averaging over 38 points a game behind junior quarterback Tre Blakeney as he has accounted for over 1400 yards of offense and 15 scores. Senior linebackers Jamorie Williams and Myjae McCoy have been the leaders on the defense that is allowing 16 points a game. They will host Waccamaw (2-3) in their region opener. They will tangle with 4 th ranked Dillon in four weeks in a game that could determine the region title, provided neither team slips up. The Wildcats of Dillon are 3-1 on the season after an opening game loss to Camden they have won three straight as they get set to host Lake City in their region opener. The Cats are averaging 35 points per game. Seniors Noah Singletary has been the leader on offense while senior linebacker and strong safety Kelvion Manning has been the leader on defense. That unit is giving up 16 points a contest. 10 times state champion Woodruff is ranked number 5. They are 3-2 after dropping their last game to undefeated Chapman. The Wolverines are led by senior Connor Davis, who leads an offense averaging 37 points per game. The Defense is still rounding into shape and is giving up 26 points per. The unit is replacing 10 starters. They will host Landrum (3-2) in their region opener. The sixth ranked Tigers of Saluda are coming a 55-54 loss to Emerald (5-1) that dropped their record to 3-2. They are five points from being undefeated. They are putting up 44 points a game while allowing 26 points but they have played much better. Senior running back Tristan Daniels leads the offense while the defense is led by twin brothers Jayden and Jahmeer Myers. The Tigers will open region play by hosting American Leadership Academy (2-3). The 7 th ranked Woodland Wolverines (4-1) are hosting pre-season top ten Philip Simmons (2-3) in a big region opener for both teams. The Wolverines have played outstanding defense holding four of their five opponents to less than 10 points. Linebacker George Perry (HSSR #94) leads the defense while HSSR’s #79 player quarterback Jervaze Salley leads an offense averaging 31 points a game. The Clinton Red Devils (3-2) check in at number 8. They will host Southside Christian (3-2) in their region opener. The Red Devils are averaging 34 points per game while they are giving up 27 points per game. Senior quarterback Owen Glen leads the offense and senior linebacker Ajavian James is the leader of the defense. Checking in at number 9 are the Eagles of Chesnee, they picked up their fourth win on the year beating Blue Ridge (1-5) 35-19. They will be on the road in their region opener against Mountain View Prep (2-3). Senior quarterback Evan Lawte r leads an offense that is averaging 40 points per game. Defensively, they are giving up 15 points a game. Rounding out the top ten is the surprise team of the year the Battery Creek Dolphins. They are sitting at 5-0 after beating area rival Beaufort 42-18. They will travel to Academic Magnet (4-1) in their region opener. The Dolphins are averaging 37 points per game and allowing 16. They are led by seniors Michael Cohen and Eddie Heyward?