Dec. 16 -- Another high school football season is in the books following this past weekend's South Carolina High School League state championships.
The fastest four months of the year have come and gone, and though it feels like preseason watch lists were just being published it's now time for the postseason awards to start rolling in.
The first of those on the statewide level are the South Carolina Football Coaches Association's Palmetto Champions, which were named ahead of last week's title games. Two area players and two coaches were recognized as the best of the best in their respective classifications.
Barnwell brought home a pair of Class AA awards after winning the Lower State title and finishing the season as state runner-up. Quarterback Cameron Austin was named Offensive Player of the Year, and Brian Smith was named Head Coach of the Year.
Austin finished his senior season 154 of 247 passing for 2,183 yards and 19 touchdowns against only seven interceptions, and he also rushed for 791 yards and 16 more scores on 163 carries for an average of 4.9 yards per attempt. Austin was also named the Region 5-AA Offensive Player of the Year.
Smith guided the Warhorses to a record of 13-2 that included Region 5-AA and Class AA Lower State championships. Barnwell won 10 consecutive games leading up to the Class AA state championship game, beating their opponents by an average of 20.9 points per game during that stretch. That also included a 47-0 win over Silver Bluff that set a new record for largest margin of victory in the rivalry.
South Aiken's Jevon Edwards, a recent Coastal Carolina signee, was named the Class AAAA Lower State Offensive Player of the Year after leading the state in rushing yards. Edwards, who leaves South Aiken as the program's all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, rushed for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns on 293 carries as a senior. He averaged 224.9 yards per game and 8.4 per carry and was also named Region 4-AAAA Offensive Player of the Year.
North Augusta's Kevin McKiver was named Class AAAA Lower State Assistant Coach of the Year after leading a stifling Jackets defense. North Augusta won 12 games this past season, including an undefeated run to the Region 4-AAAA championship and a trip to the Lower State championship game. The Jackets allowed 14.9 points per game for the year, and they gave up more than 21 points in a game only twice.