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The Blackville-Hilda Hawks and coach Kevin Jones had a successful 2023 football season, making it to the Upper State Championship game, but they are not satisfied with making it to the final four. They have a bigger goal in mind. They want to bring another State Championship back to Blackville-Hilda High School. This team has the athletic talent to make a good run deep into the single A playoffs if they can stay healthy and continue to improve.
Last year’s single A final four teams were Christ Church, Southside Christian, St. Joes, and Blackville-Hilda. Blackville-Hilda is the only team from those final four teams that remains in 1-A football for the upcoming 2024 season. That is the good news. The bad news is that single A football has gotten even tougher now that the 12-time State Champion Abbeville Panthers are back in the mix. Most local media have picked Abbeville to make it to the Championship Game, but they all agree that the Hawks are poised to make another deep run and challenge for the title.
Coach Kevin Jones was asked about his expectations for the 2024 season and said, “Our expectations are always pretty simple. We want to be as prepared as possible for every opponent and to play with a lot of effort each game. We feel like we have some talented kids and if we can do those two things that the outcomes will be positive more times than not.”
Jones went on to say “Everyone is familiar with Jaquel Holman and he is indeed a great player. That said, Samari Williams has been very impressive in pre-season and will be starting his 4th year at QB. Other returners that we have high hopes for are Namair Anderson, Timothy Beard, Jayden Dash, Jabarious Johnson, Isaiah Greggs, Jalen Brown, Kaiden Aiken and Messiah McFadden.” As far as new players go, “we are really excited about what transfer Jamarion Kirkland has brought to the team. Ricky Richburg is a junior LB that plays fast and violent. FB Jayden Jackson is a bruiser and senior Brandon Priester adds quality depth on defense and at RB.”
For those who are new to the area, Jaquel Holman is an incredible athlete. Holman won three gold medals at the single A State Track and Field Championships, winning the 100 meters, the 200 meters, and the 4x100-meter relay. Holman has committed to play football for the University of South Carolina next year. In addition to Holman, Blackville has several other track medal winning athletes on this very athletic team. These Hawks can “fly.”
The Hawks are another team that will rely on their senior leadership. With 12 seniors on a single A team, they are not lacking in experience and hope that translates into success on the field. Coach Jones is quick to point out the success of the Blackville-Hilda track team. Many of the star athletes from Blackville-Hilda compete in both sports. Couple the great track training with the strong off season workout program, and you get players who are bigger, stronger, and faster. If you watched the Hawks play last season, they definitely have some very gifted skilled position athletes.
“We are always going to be a team that runs the ball and tries to control the clock but we have looked better throwing it this summer. We have some talented pass catchers that can really run and Samari has worked hard on his passing game so that we can open the field for our offense,” Jones added.
As far as region play goes, Jones said, “Our region is always going to be one of the tougher regions in 1A. It starts with Calhoun County who always has a quality team under coach Wayne Farmer. HKT had a great year last season and I know they are really excited about what they can do this fall as well. Williston-Elko, Ridge Spring, and Wagener-Salley all have the talent and coaching to beat anyone on any given Friday night.”
In addition to the region schedule, Blackville-Hilda has added some very strong competition to the schedule. They open with the top five ranked AA Barnwell Warhorses. They play AAA’s Silver Bluff and AA’s Ninety-Six. The strong competition helps the Hawks, according to Jones. “Our non-region schedule is very difficult and it starts with an outstanding Barnwell team with almost all their starters back from a very good team last year. We feel like we will be battle tested when it comes to starting region play and that should serve us well.”
All coaches know that need to stay healthy, continue to improve, and hope that the odd shaped ball bounces their way sometimes. If this happens, the Blackville-Hilda Hawks are definitely a team to watch. The state sports writers (media poll) has Blackville-Hilda as the 6th ranked team in the state. Several other outlets have the Hawks as a top five team. Any way you look at this team, they are very explosive and should be a force to deal with, come playoff time.
Come out and support the Hawks as they open the season in a clash of local in-county, ranked rivals, when the Barnwell Warhorses trot into town Thursday for a 7:30 game. This game promises to be one of the best match-ups in the whole state. The stadium will be packed, so come out early. You don’t want to miss this one!
