Class 2A Title: Breaking Down Abbeville

Chris Dearing December 1, 2022 @ 06:30 AM

It's safe to say Abbeville is the standard when it comes to discussing Class 2A football in South Carolina. The Panthers have won 11 state championships overall, the last coming in 2020. Since 2010, Abbeville has won seven of those state titles, all under coach Jamie Nickles.   Nickles won his 200th game this season to become the school's all-time leader.   “We've been very fortunate to have a lot of good players come through the program,” Nickles said. “We've caught a few breaks along the way as well. But our goal every year is to be playing after Thanksgiving and see what happens when we get there. It's an exciting time of year anytime you can make it this far.”   The Panthers come into Friday afternoon's title game with a 12-2 record and winners of 10 in a row. They routinely play with a running clock in the second half and haven't been challenged much since losing to Class 4A Westside on September 9.   The closest game came last week in the 41-16 victory over Saluda. Abbeville trailed 16-6 before scoring the final 35 points of the contest.   “We sort of got the momentum turned our way in the second half and once we did, things just went our way,” Nickles said.   THE MAINSTAYS   Abbeville will cycle in a large mix of running backs behind an experienced offensive line with the hopes of eventually wearing down their opponents. They feature five players with seven or more rushing touchdowns. Jha'Louis Hadden and Altavious Patterson lead the way with 12 scores overall with Jamal Marshall being the leading ground-gainer with 958 yards. Hadden has 813 yards, Patterson 634, [player_tooltip player_id='1249809' first='Karson' last='Norman'] is next with 496 yards and Zay Rayford has 490 yards. All five players average at least 8.4 yards every time they touch the ball.   Rayford is the quarterback and Nickles said he's the one that makes the attack run smoothly. Rayford rarely passes the ball – he's 28-of-46 on the season for 593 yards. But when Abbeville does throw, you can almost expect a big play. Rayford has 11 touchdowns passes and two interceptions. Backup Jay Hillis 9-of-20 on the season for 231 yards and six touchdowns.   Javario Tinch has 12 catches for 208 yards and five scores with Ty Cade hauling in nine receptions for 224 yards and four scores. Eight different players have a receiving touchdown.   The defense is led by Tinch and Cade. Tinch has five interceptions and he's returned one for a score. Demarcus Leach, [player_tooltip player_id='1359247' first='Gavin' last='Calhoun'], Antonio Harrison, and Jackson Uldrick each have a pick-six on the season. Cade is the leading tackler with 55 stops.   PLAYER TO WATCH   Harrison missed the first eight games of the season but has been a steadying presence since returning on October 21. He was one of the more experienced players returning this season and getting him back on the field has been a plus.   In six games, he's totaled 18 tackles, one interception and one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. He added 12 rushing attempts for 121 yards and two scores to go along with three receptions for 79 yards and two receiving touchdowns as well.   Class 2A State Championship   No. 1 Oceanside Collegiate (12-1) vs. No. 3 Abbeville (12-2)   When: Friday, 2 p.m.   Where: Benedict College, Columbia   Tickets: $15, available only through gofan.co. Parking an additional $10

It's safe to say Abbeville is the standard when it comes to discussing Class 2A football in South Carolina. The Panthers have won 11 state championships overall, the last coming in 2020. Since 2010, Abbeville has won seven of those state titles, all under coach Jamie Nickles.