After an offseason full of changes, the Lakeside High School Panthers believe they can still contend at a high level.
“Our kids don’t listen to the noise that it is a rebuilding year, I tell our kids that we have a team that can go compete for a region championship if we limit our mistakes,” said Brett Johnson, Lakeside’s new head coach.
Johnson was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator last season and was promoted to head coach after former head coach Steve Hibbitts accepted the job at Aiken High School. Before joining Lakeside, Johnson helped coach at Fox Creek and Westside. At Westside, he worked alongside his brother-in-law Lee Hutto, who is now the head coach at Evans High School.
“Coach Hibbits was a great mentor for me and Coach Hutto at Westside, I just learned a lot from him and how to manage a team and to get your coaches to rally around you,” Johnson said. “Our coaches do a great job and are there for the kids and our kids understand they are going to have to outwork everybody they are going to play.”
While the Panthers were one of the top teams in the CSRA last season with a 10-2 overall and 7-1 region record, Lakeside may have an uphill battle.
Lakeside lost 24 seniors from last season, including one of their top athletes in quarterback Ty Jones, who now plays for Reinhardt University.
“Losing Ty was a huge loss for us, it is hard to replace a guy like that, but we got quarterbacks in our system that our team trust and can step up and make plays,” Johnson said. “We got enough playmakers to do some damage this year.”
Senior quarterback Charlie Bower, running back Tristen Jones and wide receiver/defensive back Saquan Marshall are some of the upper classmen that will look to continue Lakeside’s past success.
The Panthers have played two scrimmages so far, falling to Laney and tying with Evans this past Friday night. Johnson said he is proud to see his team improve on their mistakes from the first scrimmage game.
“It is not the opponent that is going to beat us, we get beat by Lakeside beating Lakeside. I was really proud to see no turnovers on offense and just coming out and playing well and playing physical on defense,” Johnson said.
Lakeside will open the regular season at home against Grovetown this Friday, Aug. 15. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Sportswriter Christopher Rickerson is an Augusta University graduate who has covered area sports for publications including Augusta University‘s Bell Ringer and Augusta Good News. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News’ free weekly newsletter here.
