Batesburg-Leesville enters new year with momentum and expectations after undefeated 2024 regular season
Batesburg-Leesville shocked the state last season when the team had one of its best years in decades, going unbeaten before the playoffs and winning its region championship.
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Batesburg-Leesville enters new year with momentum and expectations after undefeated 2024 regular season
Batesburg-Leesville shocked the state last season when the team had one of its best years in decades, going unbeaten before the playoffs and winning its region championship.
The Panthers will return many of the players that guided them to success as they are set to have one of their biggest groups of seniors since the arrival of head coach Greg Lawson.
“We’re going to have about 22 to 23 seniors this year, and they’ve been playing since I got there and they were ninth graders,” Lawson said. “Feel like we’ve got a lot of experience, offense and defense. The only thing we’re missing really is the quarterback.”
Batesburg-Leesville understands that due to its success last season, expectations for this year will be higher than ever. The team has spent the summer months preparing to face and exceed those expectations.
“Our goal every year since I got here is to try to be better than you were the year before,” Lawson said. “When you have a good team, the next year they expect you to be good. So, you’ve got to work harder than you did the year before, because you’re not going to sneak up on anybody.”
It will be hard to top their 12-1 2024 season, but Lawson believes the Panthers can do it. The team’s only loss came against the eventual state champions from Clinton. That loss does motivate the team somewhat, but its overall focus is on the present and not the past.
“We’re going to have to rely on the ones that have experience and try to build off that,” Lawson said. “Every year, the teams are different. They’ve lost players. We lost players, but yeah, you try to be motivated to be better than you were the year before.”
Offense
The biggest question mark entering this season for Batesburg-Leesville is determining who will fill the starting quarterback role after the departure of Tanner Watkins.
Lawson said the battle this summer came down to two players. One returner, who spent time as the backup last season, and a new player coming over from the baseball team.
”The main thing we’re looking for in the quarterback position is somebody who can manage the offense and not have to make plays themselves,” Lawson said. “We’re not asking him to win the game, we’re just asking him to manage it and not lose it for us.”
Regardless of who comes out on top, the Panthers will not change their game plan, meaning that player will need to get up to speed real fast.
“We’ve got to find a quarterback who’s comfortable in what we do and comfortable running the offense because we’re not gonna change,” Lawson said. “He has got a lot of talent around him that’s got a lot of experience, whereas whoever the quarterback is, is not gonna have as much experience.”
The pool of returning talent should make the new quarterback’s job a lot easier.
Running back Amadre Wooden is back for his senior season following an All-State junior campaign. Wooden is approaching the Panthers’ career rushing record and could snap it sometime this season.
KD Whitt is also coming off an All-State season. He is the equivalent of a Swiss Army knife on the field, playing on offense, defense, kick returns and as backup quarterback. Lawson praised Whitt for his work ethic and said he is one of the most overlooked players in the state.
Naesean Stewart and Jaden Milhouse will play receiver alongside Whitt, giving whoever emerges at quarterback plenty of targets downfield.
Moises Gonzales and Preston Smith will be leaders on the offensive line. They will play alongside some of the new faces from the Panthers’ JV team.
“We feel like overall we’re probably going to be better on the offensive line than we’ve been since I’ve been there,” Lawson said. “Even though we only have two starters coming back, we feel like we’ll be better than we have been because of size.”
Defense
Travis Gates and Jaquan Corley will man Batesburg-Leesville’s defensive line. Both guys are veteran starters and have the size to be very disruptive up front.
At linebacker, Tyler Wootton and Jack Bouknight are also experienced varsity players and will be crucial in defending both the pass and the run.
Whitt will lead the secondary, playing both sides of the ball.
2025 Batesburg-Leesville schedule
Week 0 - vs. Woodland - Aug. 22
Week 1 - vs. Wagener-Salley - Aug. 29
Week 2 - vs. Abbeville - Sept. 5
Week 3 - at Lower Richland - Sept. 12
Week 4 - at Calhoun County - Sept. 19
Week 5 - at Mid-Carolina - Sept. 26
Week 6 - vs. Strom Thurmond* - Oct. 3
Week 7 - at Ninety Six* - Oct. 10
Week 8 - vs. American Leadership Academy* - Oct. 17
Week 9 - at Pelion* - Oct. 24
Week 10 - vs. Saluda* - Oct. 31
Note: (*) indicates a game against a region opponent
Keywords
Batesburg-Leesville football, schsl football, Lexington County football
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