Two title towns: Batesburg-Leesville and Abbeville

Perry Woolbright’s family has been on both sides of the Batesburg-Leesville and Abbeville rivalry through the years.

Woolbright’s grandfather, Cecil, played at Abbeville along with current Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles’ grandfather. Woolbright said he still has family there who will be in the stands Friday when his Batesburg-Leesville team faces Abbeville for the Class 2A state championship at Benedict College.

“It’s a special night for these two teams to be playing each other. In a lot of games, communities aren’t used to each other,” Woolbight said. “My family is from Abbeville. My granddad and coach Nickles’ granddad played with each other. There is a lot of familiarity with each other.”

This will be the 48^th meeting between the two former region rivals and the series dates back to 1921. Batesburg-Leesville has faced only Saluda (86), Lexington (70), Newberry (67) and Strom Thurmond (51) more than it has gone against Abbeville. It’s the seventh playoff meeting between the two teams but first time they have faced each other for a state championship.

Both programs are used to making deep postseason runs and each have big community support for their teams. B-L is in its 15^th state title game and looking for its eighth championship. Abbeville is going for its second straight title, eighth overall, and is playing in the championship for the 11^th time.

“We respect their players and their coaches,” Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles said. “Every B-L team I have ever played against has an outstanding coach. There is a respect and mutual friendship. I can pull for them when we aren’t playing because I know they do the things the right way.”

Woolbright echoed Nickles statement and said two teams always play each other clean.

Both teams rely on a powerful running game. Abbeville averages 298 yards a game on the ground and has five players with at least 500 rushing yards or more this season.

B-L is averaging 245 yards on the ground and is led by running back Tyreek Tolen and quarterback Bishop Cannon.

The two teams have taken different paths to the championship game. Abbeville entered the season as the No. 1 team and maintained that ranking through the year. Abbeville also had homefield advantage in the playoffs.

Batesburg-Leesville finished fourth in a competitive Region 4-2A and lost its final two games of the regular season before going on the road to win four games in the playoffs.

“These 20 seniors knew how important it was to our community to have a championship type football team,” Woolbright said. “Our backs were against the wall and a lot of people had written us off. But these kids had played with a chip on their shoulders and really rallied together as a team.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 5:06 PM.