Lake City athletic director Matt Apicella proud of 'The City way'
Apicella returns for 28th season as Panthers coach, 18th year in charge of baseball
Lake City – Matt Apicella likes to talk about “The City way.” When doing so, he is referring to how things are done in the Lake City High School athletic department, and if anybody should know, it is him.
The Ohio native arrived at the school in 1999, began coaching in 2000, became the baseball head coach in 2010 and the school’s athletic director in 2013.
That has afforded him the opportunity to shape the department’s coaching staff. Apicella is very pleased with the one he has in place for the 2026-27 school year.
“ We have a veteran staff across the board with a few new coaches that will be taught ‘The City way,’ ” Apicella said. “I am extremely proud of our coaches as they hold the standard expected and develop more than athletes.”
The Lake City baseball team just completed an outstanding season under Apicella’s leadership. The Panthers went 18-9 and won their district tournament in the AA state playoffs to earn a berth in the 4-team lower state tournament.
Jamison Estep is back for his fourth season as the football head coach. The Panthers are coming off of a 3-8 season.
Lake City has scrimmages at Woodland on August 6 and at Johnsonville on August 10 before playing in a jamboree in Kingstree on August 14. The Panthers open their regular season on the road against Hannah-Pamplico on August 21.
Seneca Barron will once again be the boys basketball head coach as well as the boys track and field head coach. Shaquetta Cooper is the girls basketball head coach.
Heidi Matthews returns to coach softball, Lorenzo McFadden is the wrestling coach, Matt Luna is the boys soccer coach, Ernest Graham is the girls track coach, and Thomas Bucks is the girls soccer coach.
Lake City will have three new head coaches. Jerry State will take over the boys and girls cross country teams, while Jade Johnson is the new volleyball head coach. Marion Brown is the new cheer coach.
While Lake City is still part of the AA classification following the South Carolina High School League’s biannual reclassification, its region will definitely have a new feel to it.
It will be part of the 6-school Region 6. Three of the schools will be Region 7-AA schools from last year in Lake City, Manning and East Clarendon. The other three schools are ones that dropped down from AAA in Dillon, Marlboro County and Waccamaw.
