The lights are coming on. The bands are warming up. The cheerleaders are ready. The student sections are getting loud. And across Orangeburg County, it is finally time to say it: High school football is back!

Orangeburg County School District (OCSD) is kicking off the 2026 football season with a full slate of games featuring teams from across the district, creating a Friday night filled with competition, community pride and several can't-miss storylines.

The opening-week matchups include:

•       Bethune-Bowman vs. Clear Dot
•       Branchville vs. Whitmire
•       Edisto vs. Lake Marion
•       Hunter-Kinard-Tyler vs. Bamberg-Ehrhard
•       Orangeburg-Wilkinson vs. Fox Creek

From Bowman and Branchville to Cordova, Santee and Orangeburg, communities will once again gather under the Friday night lights to cheer for their student-athletes, marching bands, cheerleaders and schools.

“This is what we have been waiting for,” said OCSD Superintendent Dr. Shawn D. Foster. “There is something special about Friday night football in Orangeburg County. It brings generations together. Our students get to represent their schools, our families and alumni come together, and our communities get to celebrate everything that makes their schools special. We are excited about every one of our teams taking the field and beginning a new season,” he shared.

HISTORY UNDER THE LIGHTS AT ORANGEBURG-WILKINSON

When OWHS takes the field against Fox Creek, it will mark the inaugural football game in the brand-new Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School stadium, adding another historic first to the opening of the new school.

For Bruin Nation, it will be more than a football game. It will be the beginning of a new tradition.

“We have talked a lot about what this new school and athletic complex mean for our students and this community, but Friday night will allow people to experience it,” Dr. Foster said. “When those lights come on and our Bruins run onto that field, that will be a moment Orangeburg-Wilkinson students, alumni and this community will remember for years to come.”

EDISTO VS. LAKE MARION: EXPERIENCE MEETS A NEW ERA

Just as exciting is an early-season matchup between Edisto High School and Lake Marion High School that brings together two coaches with deep Orangeburg County connections but very different journeys to the head coach's position.

At Lake Marion, Kamrie Connell begins his first season leading the Gators after serving as the program's offensive coordinator since 2024. Connell brings 14 years of varsity coaching experience and has made discipline, accountability, respect and perseverance the foundation of his vision for Lake Marion. But, waiting on the opposite sideline will be one of South Carolina football's most experienced coaches.

Tommy Brown enters his first season leading Edisto with more than 40 years of coaching, athletic leadership and student mentorship. Brown's résumé includes head-coaching and athletic leadership positions at Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Fairfield Central, Calhoun County, Choppee and Bowman, along with collegiate coaching experience at Allen University. He has earned Region and Area Coach of the Year honors and was selected as head coach of the 2013 South Carolina Shrine Bowl. But there is an even better storyline - Connell is coming home!

The Lake Marion coach is a 2009 graduate of Edisto High School, where he was a four-year varsity letterman and three-year starting quarterback. He earned All-Region and All-State recognition before earning a football scholarship to North Greenville University.

Now, Connell will stand on the opposite sideline from his alma mater as the leader of the Lake Marion Gators.

A first-year head coach. A veteran with more than four decades of experience. A former Edisto quarterback returning to face his alma mater. Two Orangeburg County programs looking to make an early statement. It has all the ingredients for one of the weekend's most intriguing matchups.

“That's high school football,” Dr. Foster said. “There are stories everywhere you look. Coach Connell has an opportunity to begin a new chapter at Lake Marion, while Coach Brown brings decades of experience and leadership to Edisto. Both men care deeply about developing young people, and I know both teams will be prepared to compete, Dr. Foster shared.”

ONE DISTRICT. FIVE MATCHUPS. ONE BIG NIGHT.

While OWHS will make history and Edisto-Lake Marion provides a compelling coaching storyline, excitement will stretch across the county.

Bethune-Bowman will battle Clear Dot. Branchville will take on Whitmire. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler will face Bamberg-Ehrhardt. And OWHS will welcome Fox Creek for the first football game in its new stadium.

“When we say We Are One, nights like this are what we mean,” said Dr. Foster. “We may wear different school colors on Friday night, and we certainly want our teams to compete, but all of these young people are part of the OCSD family. We want our communities to fill the stands, cheer loudly, demonstrate great sportsmanship and make these environments something our students will always remember.”

OCSD encourages fans throughout Orangeburg County to wear their school colors, support their teams and help make the opening weekend of the 2026 football season one to remember.

Five matchups. Ten teams. One county ready for football.

The wait is over. The lights are on. The stands are ready.

Friday night football is back in Orangeburg County.

Orangeburg County School District
The mission of Orangeburg County School District, the catalyst of innovation and excellence, is to ensure all students discover and develop their person, purpose, and platform through high-quality educational experiences distinguished by a culture of collaboration, equity, and inclusion; a creative learning environment with inspiring opportunities; a commitment to nurture the academic, physical, social and emotional well-being of all. Visit us online at ocsdsc.org