Vote: Who Should Be the 2024 South Carolina High School Football Coach of the Year?

Here are 10 candidates for your voting consideration

Dutch Fork's legendary Tom Knotts won his 16th South Carolina high school football state championship as a head coach in 2024. His Silver Foxes were dominant from start to finish. / ALEX HICKS JR./SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 2024 South Carolina high school football season is in the books and it’s time to recognize the top coaches. Who was the best?

Here are 10 candidates for your consideration. Voting concludes Jan. 10, 2025 at 11: 59 p.m.

John Patterson, Oceanside Collegiate Academy

When the season began, Patterson was the Landsharks’ offensive line coach. One game into the season, head coach Chad Wilkes resigned and Patterson was named interim head coach.

Patterson, who has nearly 40 years of coaching experience at the high school and college level, proceeded to guide the Landsharks to their second straight championship. He will return to coaching the offensive line in 2025.

Greg Lawson, Bateburg-Leesville

Lawson led the Panthers to their best season in nearly a quarter of a century. B-L was 12-1, losing to eventual Class AA state champion Clinton in the third round of the playoffs.

The third-year head coach oversaw drastic improvement from last season’s 5-6 campaign.

Tom Knotts, Dutch Fork

Every season is different but the living legend keeps getting it done. Knotts picked up 16th state championship and it was a dominant season for the Silver Foxes, who went undefeated with six shutouts. The state championship was the ninth for Knotts at Dutch Fork and third in a row. 

Knotts won seven state championships in North Carolina – six at Independence and one at West Charlotte.

Drew Marlowe, South Florence

Marlowe took his team back to the top, shaking off last season’s two-point loss to Westside in the Class AAAA state championship game.

South Florence started 1-2, picked up steam, absorbed a 54-35 loss to Hartsville, avenged that loss and ran the table for its second state championship in three years.

Jamie Nickles, Abbeville

Nickles won his ninth state championship at Abbeville as the Bulldogs rolled to a 13-1 record, losing only to Batesburg-Leesville. The school added Nickles to the name of its stadium prior to the start of the season. It’s now known as Hite-Nickles Stadium.

It’s the second title in three years for Abbeville. Nickles is tied with Dutch Fork’s Tom Knotts for second all-time in state championships. The record is 10m, held by Willie Varner of Woodruff and John McKissick of Summerville.

Greg Mance, Loris

Mance is building a strong program at Loris. The Lions went 11-2, defeating Dillon for the first time since 1968, winning a region title and reaching the Class AAA state semifinals.

Jon Wheeler, Hammond

Winning is par for the course for Wheeler, who has been the head coach at Hammond the last four years. Wheeler just directed the Skyhawks to their fourth straight South Carolina Independent School Association state championship.

Hammond was 13-0 for the season.

Page Wofford, Northwestern

Northwestern has built quite a record of success with Wofford being a huge part of the program. Wofford led the Trojans to the Class AAAAA Division 2 championship, culminating in an epic win over Irmo in the title game.

Wofford was an assistant coach on the Trojans’ 2013 and 2015 state championship teams.

Corey Fountain, Clinton

The Red Devils’ head coach since 2019, picked up his 100th career win early in the season and went on to claim his third state championship.

Fountain won two state championships in Lamar. 

Aaron Brand, Irmo

Brand has brought the Yellow Jackets back to prominence. They came just short of winning the program’s first state championship since 1980, falling 34-31 to Northwestern in the Class AAAAA Division 2 title contest.

Irmo had a 13-2 record with the only other loss coming to Dutch Fork.