Abbeville defeated Christ School 35-21 Friday night in varsity football action at Hite Stadium.
Christ School is a private school located in North Carolina, and according to AHS head football coach Jamie Nickles, it is a boarding school where football players are recruited from throughout much of the country.
One onlooker was amazed by the size of the Greenies, who gave Abbeville a tough fight in a game marked by numerous penalties.
The AHS offense seemed to be stifled initially by the Greenie defense, but the Panthers apparently made a number of adjustments to get the offense going.
The Panther defense also rose to the occasion, picking off a number of Christ School passes which may have made the difference in the game.
On a night designated as a Pink Out to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Christ School drew first blood, scoring on a 31-yard pass play in the first quarter. The PAT attempt was no good, but CS led 6-0 with 7:01 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Panthers came back with a five-yard touchdown run by Tyrell Haddon, and with the PAT good, Abbeville led 7-6, with 4:38 in the first half.
A 50-yard touchdown run by Navi Marshall added a cushion to Abbeville’s lead, and AHS led 14-6 with 3:20 to go in the half. Marshall’s touchdown was set up by an interception by the Panthers’ Javario Tinch.
AHS led 14-6 at the half.
In the third, Addison Nickles was true on a 44 yard field goal attempt, and AHS led 17-6 with 7:48 in the third quarter.
The Greenies came back with a 74-yard touchdown pass play, and with a successful two point conversion, the visitors from North Carolina cut the lead to 17-14 with 6:37 in the third quarter.
It all set up a dramatic fourth quarter, with Christ School scoring on an eight yard pass, and the Greenies led 21-17 with 11:15 in the game.
Tyrell Haddon scored his second touchdown of the night by way of a three yard run, to complete a drive which began at the Panthers’ 32.
Nickles was successful on a 45-yard field goal attempt, to put the Panthers up 27-21.
The field goal came after Abbeville recovered a Christ School fumble at the Greenie 24.
J’Marion Burton scored on a three-yard run, putting the finishing touches on a drive which began at the 50 yard line.
“This was a total, total team effort,” Nickles told reporters following the game.
“We didn’t tackle well early,” he said, adding that he believed his troops were a bit nervous in the early going.
However, they did not give up. “They just battled all night long,” he said.
The Panthers will travel to Ninety Six this coming week for a Region contest, and Nickles says that the Wildcats are a much improved team, with a “very balanced” offensive attack.
All photos courtesy of Shawn M. Knox
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