GUYTON, Ga. – A year ago, Lakeside (Evans) won 10 football games, finished second in the region and won a first-round state playoff game.

But the Panther team South Effingham will face in the Corral on Friday night looks a little different this season.

Lakeside graduated seven seniors who made the first-team all-region squad last year, including dual-threat quarterback Ty Jones, the region’s Player of the Year.

Jones is now playing at Reinhardt University. Three hundred-pound offensive lineman Ayaan Sharfudeen is at Bryant University; leading tackler Jack Thexton is at Berry College; skilled defensive back Mikeal Grisson is at Benedict College; and BJ Grissom is at Fort Valley State. The Grissom brothers were nicknamed “Thunder and Lightning” by their coach.

There are only clear skies around winless Lakeside now. A year ago, the Panthers opened the season with wins over Grovetown, South Aiken and Evans. This year, they lost all three games to those schools.

South Effingham coach Loren Purvis is glad to see Lakeside without its full arsenal of weapons, but he isn’t taking anything for granted.

“They lost a lot of seniors. I don’t know how big their senior class is, but we don’t have many seniors either,” Purvis said. “They went to the playoffs last year, so their returning players are going to be proud and will know what it takes to win.”

New Playmakers

The Panthers are finding new playmakers. Quarterbacks Charlie Bowers and John Allen Williamson have combined for 539 passing yards and five touchdowns, with receivers averaging 15.8 yards per completion.

Junior Matthew White leads the team with 10 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Isaac Sherman (4-121, 1 TD) and Tristan Jones (5-112, 2 TDs) are additional threats.

Mustangs Struggle

The Mustangs (0-2) are in the midst of a 13-game losing streak dating back to the 2023 season finale. A year ago, Lakeside beat South Effingham 49-7, but in 2023, the Mustangs held off the Panthers 22-19.

South is coming off a bye week after losses to New Hampstead and Toombs County to start the season.

“We put emphasis on technique and knowing what to do in certain situations,” Purvis said. “We’re going to go through an eight-game stretch without a break, so we want to make sure we know all the nuances of what we do on certain plays, so we’re not teaching that during game weeks.”

Ready to Compete

Purvis said Mustangs quarterback Liam Coburn, who missed some time in the Toombs County game because of injuries, should be ready for the Panthers.

“Offensively, we have to limit our mistakes and play in front of the chains,” Purvis said. “Defensively, we want to be in the right positions and make the tackle. We’re still missing too many tackles. I told our kids, we’re going to get everyone’s best game because opponents think they can beat you.”