When Terry Crawford began his stint as the head football coach in Abbott back in 1998, it was a basketball town.
After all, the Panthers had won just three games total in the four seasons prior as they tried to play 11-man football for the first time since 1971.
However, it’s safe to say things are different nowadays in the tiny city (pop. 354) most notably known for being the birthplace of Willie Nelson.
The Panthers transitioned back to six-man football in 1998 and haven’t looked back. They made it to the state title game in 2012, falling short to Throckmorton, before defeating Crowell 40-30 for their first state championship in 2015.
6-Man, D1, Abbott 40 Crowell 30…1st State Title in school history ..Willie Nelson will b proud ! pic.twitter.com/sFHMYiLfNp
— Ric Renner (@TheRicRenner) December 12, 2015
“We’ve tried to make it a balance now [between the sports],” Crawford said. “But, you know, the town, they’re passionate about all the sports.”
The football team has continued to reward its dedicated fans in the city located 25 miles north of Waco. Abbott is currently on a run of 20-straight regular season victories. Last year, it made a run to the state semifinals where it was narrowly defeated by May 50-48. It was a game where their comeback from a double-digit deficit came up narrowly short.
“We were pleased with it [the season]; the kids invested a lot into it,” Crawford said. “How do you look back at a semifinal season and think that it was a bad year? I wanted it for the seniors because we had some great senior leadership on that team, but sometimes, that’s not what’s in the plans.”
This year, Abbott has seven total starters back. And although star running back Robert Munoz (1,598 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns) has graduated, Crawford is still very confident about his offense’s prospects. He said he has as many as five running backs that he would trust on the varsity level.
One of those players to watch is senior Isaiah Singleton (334 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns). A physical presence at 5’10” and 220 pounds, he is expected to carry the ball more this year, according to Crawford. Riley Sustala should also continue to be a playmaker out of the backfield after rushing for 468 yards last year as a freshman.
Absolute game changing run from Junior running back Isaiah Singleton last night! Big time players, make big time plays, in big time games! #EAT #LetsGo #PantherPride #dctftop10 @dctf @Tepper pic.twitter.com/v0LhISKDuC
— Abbott Panther Football (@AbbottFootball) November 27, 2021
Crawford is more concerned about what his team will look like up front after its starting guard and split end both graduated. He said he expects Joey Pavelka to fill one of the two roles after he saw some game time on offense as a freshman a year ago.
However, at the quarterback position, there is no such concern for the Panthers as Karsyn Johnson (357 touchdown and nine touchdowns) returns for his third year as the starter.
Crawford said the experience he brings to the table for Abbott is invaluable.
“We’re going to have a lot of leadership in that huddle [with Karsyn],” Crawford said. “He’s seen a lot of things and hopefully, he can help those two line spots along the way.”
Defensively, the Panthers have four starters back, including Singleton (51.5 tackles) on the defensive line and Johnson (55 tackles and seven interceptions) in the secondary. Both earned all-state honors a year ago. Crawford also expects Sustala (55 tackles and four interceptions) to be an impact player on the Panther defense this season with a year of experience now under his belt.
Last year, Abbott gave up just 46 total points in its 10 regular season games. It’s an impressive benchmark the Panthers will aspire to reach again this season as the program continues to hang its hat on its stout defense.
“Our football program is built on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s kind of ironic because people associate six-man with wide-open offense,” Crawford said. “We put a lot of emphasis on defense, so we’re hoping that guys will step in and fill those spots [where players graduated], and we won’t miss a beat.”
Despite 2022 being a realignment year, District 12-1A Division I will look identical to the previous two years. That means Abbott will be facing Aquilla, Coolidge, Gholson, and Penelope.
Proud of all the guys for finishing phase 2 right! Back to back district champs! 20-0 in regular season games the last two years which makes them the first team in school history to do this. 21-1 the last 2 years but the 1 loss is the one fueling this group!
Abbott 54
Penelope 0 pic.twitter.com/WFzd2hfUDR— Abbott Panther Football (@AbbottFootball) November 5, 2021
However, the Panthers have a number of intriguing contests on their non-district slate as well, including a matchup against TAPPS Six-Man Division III champion Fort Worth Covenant Classical in week 2 and perennial UIL State contender Borden County in week six.
“I think it’s important to schedule some tough games,” Crawford said. “From the research we’ve done on Covenant, they’ve got a quarterback that can sling it. That’s going to be good for us. Our defense is going to need that early on because we don’t get to see that a whole lot in our district schedule. Our district schedule is pretty much line it up and pound each other a little bit.”
And after Abbott came up a game short of its first state title game appearance since 2015 last year, Crawford said his team is gearing up for a season that they hope will last long into December.
“We plan on being at AT&T Stadium [in the state title game] and we’re going to work like that,” Crawford said. “In sports, you’ve got to have some breaks along the way, so we’ll be prepared to take advantage of those opportunities that come our way.”
2022 Abbott Panthers Football Schedule
(Bold designates 12-1A Division I Matchup)
8/26 at Blum
9/2 vs. Fort Worth Covenant Classical
9/9 at Keene
9/16 at Bynum
9/23 vs. Avalon
9/29 vs. Borden County (@ Strawn)
10/7 at Aquilla
10/21 vs. Bynum
10/28 at Penelope
11/4 vs. Gholson
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