Playing fall football in SC was the right decision. Kudos to those who made it happen
The Abbeville and Marion team buses were waiting in front of the locker rooms at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium when the Friday night lights were turned off for the final time in 2020.
One of the most unique high school football seasons in South Carolina history had wrapped up minutes earlier following Abbeville’s 37-6 win over Marion in the Class 2A championship game. It was the last of the S.C. High School League’s five state championships, and in many ways its timing was typical of the strange season played through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 4 — the same weekend as the other four championships — but was postponed two weeks after coronavirus issues within the Marion team.
Abbeville and Marion would have been declared co-champions if the game couldn’t be played, but nobody wanted to see that happen. The Panthers instead hoisted the state championship trophy on a cold December night to give an unconventional season a very fitting end.
Coaches, players, athletic trainers, parents, school administrators and the often-scrutinized SCHSL deserve praise for playing and making it through the condensed and disrupted season, which started a month later than normal because of COVID-19.
Adjusting to new schedules and routines was the norm for S.C. teams this season, especially Abbeville. The Panthers’ first three opponents were different from those on the original, shortened seven-game schedule. Abbeville went out of state to find a replacement for one of its games and played Christ School, located near Asheville, North Carolina.
“We didn’t know who we were playing week to week. Our first few games were gone to COVID,” said Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles, who won his seventh title as head coach. “But we find a game, we find a game. Our kids persevered through it. It was fun.
“What a year. Give these kids so much credit for what they accomplished this year.”
In the summer, many coaches, players and fans weren’t sure it was possible to make it through even a scaled-down season. Dutch Fork High School coach Tom Knotts was uncertain when his team held its first workout back in June.
“I am not real optimistic of what the future holds for football this year,” Knotts told The State on June 22.
Almost six months later, the Silver Foxes won their fifth-straight Class 5A championship — although the team had to quarantine a few days after the Dec. 4 title game.
While 15 states canceled their football seasons or moved them to the spring, the SCHSL and S.C. Independent Schools Association believed that playing in the fall was the best option. It gave the senior athletes closure to their high school careers, something that players in the spring unfortunately didn’t get when the pandemic was in its early stages.
Was the season perfect? No. Did it happen without obstacles? Hardly.
Attendance was limited at games throughout the state. There were daily temperature checks at practices; masks were a common sight at games and practices. Teams had to alter how they conducted practices, how they used locker rooms and how they traveled to games.
Some districts halted summer workouts or started later than others. Some programs such as Hilton Head Island High School were only able to play four of their seven scheduled games. Lee Central and Ridgeland-Hardeville chose not to play a season at all.
According to the SCHSL, about 10% to 12% of the games were canceled or postponed, which isn’t bad considering how winter sports have gone so far. This month alone, 47% of varsity girls and boys basketball games were canceled or postponed, according to the SC High School League.
Despite the chaos and uncertainty at times, playing this fall was the right decision, a sentiment that’s likely shared by those who were involved.
“It was a different year for sure,” said Hammond coach Erik Kimrey, whose team won its fourth straight SCISA 3A championship. “I think there was a lot more gratitude for sure in the room, just the ability to play and be here this year. It means a lot to us.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 10:40 AM.
