BASKETBALL SEASON EARLY SEASON UPDATE

TOTAL DOMINATION BY THE TRIBE!

If the early season is any indication, this season's Gaffney boys basketball team is going to be great. The only close game has been their season opener at Dorman 51 to 46. The Cavaliers had already played four games and it was the season opener for the Indians. The Tribe then went into Byrnes and blew out the Rebels 104 to 67. The next game had the Tribe hosting the Boiling Springs Bulldogs, in their home opener, at The Burial Ground. They buried the Dogs 113 to 55. The next two games were the home rematches with Dorman and Byrnes. They defeated the Cavaliers 61 to 43 and the Rebels 84 to 67. Game number six, of the young season, had Union County coming to The Burial Ground and leaving with their stingers tucked between their legs, after a 111 to 55 Gaffney win.

The defending 4A State Champions are 6 and 0 and they have averaged beating their opponents 87.3 to 55.5. It has been TOTAL DOMINATION BY THE TRIBE! The Indians will host the Substation 2 Invitational at The Burial Ground on Monday and Tuesday, December the 20th and 21st. Teams in the field are Gaffney, Woodruff, Chesnee and Spartanburg Christian Academy. The Tribe will then take a break for Christmas before traveling over to Dorman on December 27, 28 and 29 for the Upwards Classic.

TRIBE NEWS..... The Cherokee County School Board has voted to make Dan Jones the permanent Head Football Coach and Mark Huff the permanent Athletic Director. They both had been the Interims, in those two jobs, since the resignation of Phil Strickland back in the spring of 2010.

TRIBE NEWS..... Gaffney QB DeEdward Burris played well in South Carolina's 42 to 10 victory over North Carolina in the 2010 Shrine Bowl of the Carolina's. Burris was 2 for 2 passing for 19 yards and a TD pass. He also had 16 yards rushing on four carries and two tackles on special teams. He showed that he is an outstanding athlete and would be a great signee for any college program.

This will be the final Tribe Blitz of 2010, we will be back after the holidays on January 5, 2011.

Until Next Time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

THE 2010-11 BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW

When last we talked about Gaffney basketball, the Indians had just wrapped up a 26 and 2 season and a 4A State Basketball Championship. The Tribe defeated Lexington 71 to 57, back on March 5th 2010. It was the Gaffney Indians 4th 4A State Basketball Championship in 8 years. So how does the 2010-2011 edition of the Indians look? Lets find out.

GAFFNEY BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW

The Gaffney Indians will start the 2010-11 basketball season in the same position that they ended last season, Ranked Number 1 in the State in 4A. Lets first look at who the Tribe lost off of last years championship team. They lost South Carolina Player of the Year Josh Corry, starting post player Chase Smith, their tallest player, in 6'4" back-up post player, Bo Wray and shifty starting wing player Dominique Byers. These players will be hard to replace.

Lets look at who the Tribe returns from last season. They return their floor leader in point guard Dershawn Dawkins, who excelled last season especially during the championship run, last season's 6'3" Soph sensation Quinshad Davis, last season's 6'4" 8th grader L.J. Peak, who starred during the championship run, 6'0" wing player William Smith, 6'1" wing player Zevonta Shands, 6'3" post player Chase Wright and 6'2" swing player Michael Wright. Dershawn Dawkins is the player that will make the Indians offense go, as he has been named as an "Elite 5" player in the state of South Carolina this season. So the Tribe returns 7 players from last season's State Championship team.

Lets look at this season's newcomers. You have Ron Best, Tee Hardy, 9th grader Shaquille Davidson, O'Bryant Davidson and Coby McDowell. These young players will step into reserve rolls. Depth is a key to Gaffney's success at running their full court defensive game. So some of these newcomers could play key stretches during the season.

Projected Starting Line-up..... 6'4" Quinshad Davis and 6'3" L.J. Peak at the Post positions. The Wing positions should be 6'1" Zevonta Shands and 6' William Smith. The Point Guard will be 5'11" Dershawn Dawkins.

Keys to the Season..... (1) Find a consistent three point shooter and scorer to pick up the scoring slack from the loss of Josh Corry. (2) Last season's roll players Shands, Smith, Michael Wright and Chase Wright adapting to bigger and more productive rolls this season. (3) The continued development of big young guys Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak. (4) Some of the newcomers to play key productive minutes. (5) Defense to step it up a couple of notches, especially early in the season till offense comes around.

Season Outlook..... I look for the Gaffney Indians to be very good and to improve as the season goes along. I would be shocked if they are not playing in Columbia, the first Friday in March, for another shot at a State Championship.

The Region 3 4A Outlook..... This looks to be a very strong region. Lancaster is very good and ranked in the Top 10. Northwestern is very good and Spartanburg moves into Region 3 and they will have a new Head Coach and should be good. Rock Hill should be pretty good and Clover is an improved team.

It should be another exciting High School basketball season for the Gaffney Indians. See you at The Burial Ground.

Until Next Time.

GAFFNEY @ IRMO RECAP

It was a game of turnovers and missed opportunities for the Gaffney Indians on Friday night, as they fell to the Irmo Yellow Jackets 12 to 7, in the 2nd round of the 4A Big 16 playoffs. A very frustrating night for the Tribe and their fans. Gaffney out gained Irmo 382 total yards to 214 total yards. The Tribe won every statistical category except turnovers, -3 in turnovers, and the scoreboard 12 to 7. It was a very long trip back up I-26 on Friday night. Lets look at the game by quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

The Tribe received the opening kick and quickly moved down the field to the Irmo 9-yard line. Gaffney QB DeEdward Burris would throw the first of his two interceptions on the night in the Irmo end zone, to stop the Tribe's opening drive. Little did we know that this would set the tone for the game. The Gaffney defense, that played lights out all night, would stop Irmo on their 1st offensive series. The Tribe would drive right back down the field and score on a 1-yard TD pass from Burris to Quinshad Davis to take a 7 to 0 lead with 3:25 left in the opening quarter. Little did we know that Gaffney would not score again all night. The 1st quarter ends with Gaffney in the lead 7 to 0.

SECOND QUARTER

Irmo would put together their best drive of the game and score on a 14-yard run from Dawan Scott. The PAT was missed and Gaffney remained in the lead 7 to 6. Gaffney's offensive frustrations continued, as they marched the ball into the Irmo red zone on all four 1st half possessions, only to score one TD. The defense was still playing very well, as the Jackets failed to even threaten to score the remaining of the 1st half. The Tribe lead 7 to 6 at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

The 3rd quarter was more of the same, as the Gaffney offense moved the ball up and down the field, only to self destruct in scoring position. The Gaffney defense was still playing lights out. We had no points scored by either team in the quarter and Gaffney continued to lead 7 to 6 after the 3rd quarter.

FORTH QUARTER

The 4th quarter started with Gaffney deep in Irmo territory. On the first play of the 4th quarter, a pass from Burris ricocheted off a receivers hands and was intercepted two yards deep in the end zone by Irmo's Kevin Baxter and returned 70 yards to set up Irmo's go-ahead score, a 2-yard TD run by Dawan Scott. Irmo would miss the 2-point conversion and the score remained Irmo 12 and Gaffney 7. The Indians would respond and drive the ball deep into Irmo territory again, only to be stopped by their third and final turnover of the game. Burris fumbled the ball after he was sacked. The Gaffney defense would quickly get the ball back for the offense after a 3 and out by the Irmo offense. The Gaffney offense did what they had been doing all night, they drove deep into Irmo territory. The Tribe looked as though they had scored on a 35 yard run by Burris, only to have the play called back because of a holding penalty. They still had about 3:00 left on the clock. The offense would continue to move the ball down into the red zone again. Anther big miscue would occur when Burris hit Davis across the middle at the Irmo 7-yard line, only to have Davis drop the football. He would have probably scored with less than a minute left in the game. The Tribe had one last play, as they had a 4th down and 6 and a pass to Davis was deflected incomplete. Irmo would get the ball with about 50 seconds left and they were able to run out the clock. Irmo had escaped with an improbable 12 to 7 win over Gaffney. The Indians season ends with a 2nd round playoff loss and a 9 and 4 record. Irmo goes to the semifinal match-up with Dorman that the Tribe and their fans expected they would be.

My View From The Stands..... (1) The home side of Hawkins Stadium was less than half full, while the Gaffney side was packed. (2) The dropped pass by Quinshad Davis late in the game, was a pass that he would catch 99 times out of 100. (3) All of the missed opportunities, especially in the first half, came back to bite the Indians in the end. (4) Watching this game unfold, I was shocked that Gaffney would hold Irmo to 12 points and lose the game. (5) The Tribe has a lot of talent coming back next year, so the future looks very bright.

FORMER INDIAN UPDATE..... Gaffney's Malcolm Long has become the total offense and total TDs career leader at South Carolina State. He also led the Bulldogs to their third consecutive MEAC Title and playoff birth.

Since the Indians are out of the playoffs, Tribe Blitz will be on hiatus until after Thanksgiving. You can catch another blog next week.

Until next Time.

4A PLAYOFFS ROUND 2 GAFFNEY @ IRMO

The Gaffney Indians did what the Gaffney Indians do this time of the year, they won. They defeated Wando 28 to 0 in the 1st round of the 4A Big 16 Playoffs, last Friday night at The Reservation. Next up for the Tribe is a Round 2 match-up at Irmo. Lets preview the game.

Gaffney @ Irmo

The Gaffney Indians and the Irmo Yellow Jackets have played on the football field 6 times. The Tribe has won 4 of the six meetings. All of the games between these two teams have been playoff games. Gaffney has won the last 4 meetings. The Indians and Yellow Jackets last met in the 2006 4A Division 1 Big 16 State Championship Game. The Indians won that game 45 to 0 to win Gaffney their 16th State Football Championship.

Irmo comes into this game with a 10 and 2 record and they are 6 and 0 at home. The Yellow Jackets have a great offense, as they have scored 445 points on the season for an average of 37.1 per game. They have not scored fewer than 28 points in any game this season. They are a power running football team that likes to run the ball right at their opponent. They have a big physical offensive line. They have a Sr. RB named Dawan Scott who has rushed for 1,957 yards and 29 TDs. Scott's back-up is Marcus Smith and he has rushed for over 1,100 yards. As you can see by their stats, they are a very potent running football team. They don't throw the football a lot, but they are very effective when they do. QB Cord Love has passed for 1,414 yards and 14 TDs on the season.

The Irmo defense is where the question marks are on this team. They are pretty young and they have given up some points. They have given up 268 points for an average of 22.3 per game. One of their problems is that their offense tends to score lots of points on big plays. They are on the field a lot. Last week in their 1st round playoff win over Spartanburg, the offense scored three TDs in their first 7 plays of the game.

The Gaffney Indians come into this 2nd round playoff match-up with a 9 and 3 record. They have won 8 of their last 9 games, against the states toughest schedule. They have a 3 and 2 record on the road this season. The Tribe has scored 351 points for an average of 29.3 per game. They have averaged 34.6 per game over their last 9 games. The story of Gaffney's season has been turnovers. When they don't turn the ball over they win. In their 3 losses they turned the ball over 11 times. That is more than the other 9 games combined. Gaffney's offense is led by Sr. QB DeEdward Burris, as he has 3,404 yards total offense with 36 total TDs. JR. WR Quinshad Davis has had a monster season, as he has 86 catches for 1,368 yards and 15 TDs. Another big weapon for the Tribe has been SR. WR Khris Brown with 50 catches for 877 yards and 8 TDs. The Indians can score with the big play, or with ball control.

The Gaffney defense has gotten better as the season has gone along. They have had injuries to key players all season, but they seem to be getting healthy at the right time. The defense seems to be peaking here at playoff time. They have given up 198 points for an average of 16.5 per game. They had a very dominant performance in last weeks 1st round win over Wando, as they held the Warriors to 111 total yards.

Keys to the game for Irmo..... (1) Do what they do beat, run the football behind their physical offensive line. (2) Get off to their usual fast start. They have scored a lot of points in the
1st Quarter all season. (3) Their defense needs to force some turnovers. It will be hard for their defense to stop Gaffney with out some turnovers. (4) Win the turnover battle.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) Do not let the Irmo offense to get off to their fast start. Win the 1st Quarter. (2) Take away the big play from the Irmo offense. Make them drive the football. (3) Win time of possession. Keep their young defense on the field. (4) DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER!!

Game Prediction..... This game has the potential to be a shootout. I believe that the Gaffney defense will be the difference in this game. They seem to be playing their best football of the season..... Gaffney 35 Irmo 24

TRIBE FACTS..... The Gaffney boys basketball team is ranked NO. 1 in the preseason 4A basketball poll that was released this week.

You can catch the Gaffney @ Irmo Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS BEAT IRMO!!!!!

WANDO @ GAFFNEY RECAP

It was all Gaffney last night at The Reservation, as the Indians pounded Wando, in the 1st round of the 4A Big Sixteen Playoffs, by a score of 28 to 0. The Tribe ran 72 plays to Wando's 29 plays and won time of possession 37:12 to 10:48. The Tribe out gained Wando 441 yards to 111 yards. You get the picture. Lets look at the game by quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

The Tribe started the game with a 6:35 drive that covered 75 yards that ended when DeEdward Burris hit Quinshad Davis for a 9-yard TD pass. The Gaffney defense stopped Wando after 5 plays and they got the ball back after a punt at their own 3-yard line. The offense would start another long drive that would carry over into the 2nd quarter. The 1st quarter ends with Gaffney on top 7 to 0.

SECOND QUARTER

The Tribe's second drive of the game would go 97-yards and end with a 3-yard TD pass from Burris to Khris Brown. The Gaffney defense would hold Wando to a three and out and their offense would put together another long time consuming drive, that would end the half with the Indians being stopped on the Wando 1-yard line. The first half ends with Gaffney leading 14 to 0. Gaffney had three long drives and Wando had only 8 plays in the 1st half.

THIRD QUARTER

The 3rd quarter was more of the same, as Gaffney would put the game away with two more long scoring drives. Gaffney's first drive of the 2nd half ends with a 4-yard TD pass from Burris to Brown. Their 2nd drive ends with a 1-yard TD run from C.J. Miller. The 3rd quarter ends with Gaffney leading 28 to 0. The 3rd quarter ends the night for the Gaffney starters as well.

FORTH QUARTER

Gaffney Head Coach Dan Jones emptied his bench in the 4th quarter and the Indians would move the football, but they didn't score any more points. The defensive subs would keep the shut out in tack and the Indians survived and advanced to the 2nd round of the 2010 4A Big Sixteen Playoffs. The Indians won the game 28 to 0. Next up for Gaffney is a 2nd round trip to Irmo.

My View From The Stands..... (1) The Gaffney offense showed that they can win by taking what the defense gave them. Wando was playing to take away Gaffney's big plays. (2) The Indians moved the ball so easy through the air, it looked like the QBs and receivers were just playing catch in the back yard. Burris was 22 of 24 for 256 yards and 3 TDs and Joey Copeland was 5 of 6 for 49 yards. (3) Wando brought less than 1oo fans, no cheerleaders and no band.

Until Next Time.

4A PLAYOFFS ROUND 1 WANDO @ GAFFNEY

The Tribe finished the 2010 regular season with a big win over longtime rival Spartanburg, last Friday night at The Reservation, 48 to 20. The Tribe ends the regular season with a record of 8 and 3 over-all and they finished as the Region 3 4A runner-up with a 4 and 1 region record. Region Championships are great, but Gaffney bases successful football seasons on winning State Championships. So it is that time of the year, PLAYOFF TIME! The time when the Gaffney Indians kick it up a few notches. The Indians players, coaches and fans expect to be in Columbia, the first Saturday in December, to try and win the school's 17 State Football Championship. Lets look at our Playoff round 1 game against Wando.

Wando @ Gaffney

The Wando Warriors come into this playoff game with a 5 and 6 record and they are on a 5 game losing streak. The Warriors offense runs out of the Veer and they have scored 236 points for an average of 21.5 per game. They have struggled on offense during their season closing 5 game losing streak.

The Wando defense has been very good all season. They have given up 182 points for a per game average of 16.5.

The Gaffney offense, comes into this 1st round playoff game, having scored 323 points for an average of 29.4 per game. The offense has been led by QB DeEdward Burris, who has accounted for 33 total TDs on the season. Quinshad Davis has 77 receptions and 14 TDs. Their offense was clicking on all cylinders last week, as they produced over 500 yards and 48 points against a very good Spartanburg defense.

The Gaffney defense has given up 198 points for an average of 18.0 per game. They have been sort of up and down this season, but they are as healthy as they have been all season going into this game.

Keys to the game for Wando..... (1) Time of possession. They have to win this battle to keep the Indians offense off the field. (2) Force some turnovers. (3) Score early to gain confidence.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER! When Gaffney don't turn the ball over they win the game. (2) Jump on Wando early. (3) Do what Gaffney does this time of the year, turn it up a few notches.

Game Prediction..... Wando comes into this game on a 5 game losing streak. Gaffney comes into this game with a lot of momentum having won 7 of their last 8 games. The Tribe will take care of business and get one step closer to their ultimate goal..... Gaffney 28 Wando 7

You can catch the Wando @ Gaffney Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS!!!!!

SPARTANBURG @ GAFFNEY RECAP

The Gaffney Indians got off to a slow start Friday night against their arch rival Spartanburg Vikings, as they were able to score 4 TD's, in a six minute span, to put the Vikings away. The Indians defeated Spartanburg 48 to 20, to wrap up sole possession of 2nd place in Region 3 4A. The Indians got another big game from QB DeEdward Burris, as he was 9 of 12 for 166 yards and 3 TD passes. He also rushed for 78 yards and one TD. Quinshad Davis had a huge game as well, with 6 catches for 118 yards and 3 TDs. The Tribe finishes the regular season with a record of 8 and 3 overall and 4 and 1 in Region 3 4A. Lets look at the game.

FIRST QUARTER

The Indians hurt themselves with penalties on their first possession of the game, but on their second possession they scored on a 9-yard TD pass from Burris to Davis. The defense was extremely strong in the 1st quarter, as they held the Vikings to only one 1st down. The 1st quarter ended with Gaffney ahead 7 to 0.

SECOND QUARTER

The Vikings started the 2nd quarter with a drive that ate up almost 6:00 of the quarter and they scored on a 2-yard run by Sims, to tie the score at 7 to 7. The score stayed tied, until the Indians scored on a 23-yard TD pass from Burris to Davis, with a little over a minute left in the 1st half, to take a 14 to 7 lead. On Spartanburg's next possession, Gaffney's Reggie Fleming made a huge play, as he intercepted Adrian Kollock's pass at the Spartanburg 39-yard line with 56 seconds left in the half. Three plays after the interception, Burris hit Davis with a perfectly thrown 38-yard TD pass for a 21 to 7 lead. The Indians, on the strength of two TDs in the last two minutes of the half, had a 21 to 7 halftime lead.

THIRD QUARTER

The 3rd quarter would start with a bang for the Tribe, as they received the 2nd half kick and drove the ball quickly down the field and scored on a 15-yard run by Burris that made the score 28 to 7. Then, on Spartanburgs next possession, Gaffney DT Shaq Wilson intercepted a deflected pass and returned it 45-yards for a TD that made the score 35 to 7. The game was pretty much over from there. The Indians would take a lot of their offensive starters out of the game at that point. On Gaffney's next possession, they would score again on a 15-yard TD pass from back-up QB Joey Copeland to WR Ryan Frock. The Tribe led 42 to 7 late in the 3rd quarter. The Vikings would finally stop the string of 35 unanswered points by the Tribe, as they scored on a 70-yard screen pass from Kollock to Arland Woodruff. The score at the end of the 3rd quarter was 42 to 14.

FORTH QUARTER

The Indians would score their final points of the night, as Copeland would hit little used WR Drayton Queen on a 59-yard TD pass. Queen is the Tribe's long snapper. The score was 48 to 14. The Vikings would score one more time, against the Gaffney subs, on a 48-yard run by Kollock. The final score in this traditional rivalry game was GAFFNEY 48 SPARTANBURG 20.

The Gaffney Indians will start the 4A Division 1 playoffs at The Reservation on Friday night against Wando.

My View From The Stands.....(1) There were less than 100 fans in the visitors stands at The Reservation on Friday night. (2) Even though Gaffney vs Spartanburg is still a big rivalry, it is obvious that it takes a back seat to Dorman and Byrnes to most Gaffney fans these days. (3) If there is a better combination in the state than DeEdward Burris to Quinshad Davis, I have not seen them. (4) I see the Tribe as a serious threat to win the State Championship.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney QB DeEdward Burris was named to the 2010 Shrine Bowl team.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 11 SPARTANBURG @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

The house of horrors killed the Tribe again last week, as the Indians had five turnovers and QB DeEdward Burris had to play through a shoulder injury. The Indians fell to the Northwestern Trojans 42 to 28, as Northwestern won the Region 3 4A Championship. The Tribe now goes back to The Reservation to face rival Spartanburg, in the regular season finale. Lets look at this weeks game.

Spartanburg @ Gaffney

These two teams have a long and storied rivalry. There have been many great games and many great players, that have played in this rivalry over the years. Since 1960, Spartanburg leads the series 34 to 26. The Indians won last years game 14 to 7. The Tribe has won 6 of the last 8 in the series. Gaffney Head Coach Dan Jones played in the rivalry, was an assistant coach and now is a Head Coach. As he prepares his team for the showdown, he has seen the rivalry from all different angles.

Spartanburg comes into this game with a 5 and 5 over-all record and they are 2 and 2 in Region 3 4A. They have had the second toughest schedule in the state this season. They have a chance to force a tie for second in the Region 3 standings. If Spartanburg beats Gaffney and Clover beats Lancaster, there would be a three way tie for second. The Vikings offense is led by Jr. QB Adrian Kollock. They have scored 210 points this season, for an average of 21.0 per game. The Spartanburg offense has been a little inconsistent this season. They have had some turnover issues at times as well.

The Spartanburg defense has been pretty good all season. They have given up 175 points for an average of 17.5 per game. They have a very good secondary, led by Ronnie Martin, a commitment to the University of South Carolina. You could possibly see Martin on special teams and on offense at WR or RB. He is a special athlete. The Vikings will be trying to give Head Coach Freddie Brown his first winning season at Spartanburg.

The Gaffney offense played very well last week, except for the five turnovers. DeEdward Burris was limited to throwing the football, after his shoulder injury. A couple of the interceptions were forced, when he probably would have run the ball, if not for the injury. The Indians put up 28 points and 403 yards against a very good Northwestern defense. For the season, the Indians have scored 275 points for an average of 27.5 points per game. The Indians come into this game with a 7 and 3 over-all record and 3 and 1 in Region 3.

The Gaffney defense gave up 499 yards to the Trojans last week, but only 63 on the ground. They sacked the Northwestern QB 5 times. That is what the defense needs to do against Adrian Kollock, put pressure on him and force him into mistakes. The Gaffney defense has given up 178 points on the season for an average of 17.8 per game.

Keys to the game for Spartanburg..... (1) Make the Gaffney offense one dimensional. (2) Force some turnovers. Turnovers have been the biggest reason Gaffney has lost three games. (3) Make a big play in the kicking game. (4) Don't turn over the football.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER! (2) Stop the run. Make Kollock beat them with the passing game. (3) Forget Northwestern and don't think about the playoffs next week. FOCUS ON THE VIKINGS! (4) Play Gaffney football.

Game Prediction..... This is always a big football game. This is the first time that they have closed out the regular season against each other in a few years. A better playoff seeding is on the line for the Indians, as well as sole possession of 2nd place in the Region 3 standings. It is time for the Indians to kick it up another notch, as the playoffs are here next week..... Gaffney 28 Spartanburg 17

TRIBE FACTS..... The three opponents that have beaten Gaffney this season, Dorman, Greenwood and Northwestern have a combined record of 29 and 1.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Gaffney Indians have played the NO. 1 toughest schedule in the state this season.

You can check out the Spartanburg @ Gaffney Recap on Saturday. Check it out.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS BEAT THOSE VIKINGS!!!!!

GAFFNEY @ NORTHWESTERN RECAP

Two nights before Halloween, District 3 Stadium in Rock Hill, was again a House of Horrors for the Gaffney Indians. The Indians could not slow down the state's top passer Justin Worley, as he was 37 for 48 for 424 yards and 5 TD passes. The Indians had 5 turnovers, three of which were inside the Northwestern 10-yard line. Gaffney QB DeEdward Burris, was banged up in the 1st quarter and missed most of the 2nd quarter, with a shoulder injury. Then, there were two very questionable TD receptions by Northwestern receivers, that looked like the catch was made out-of-bounds, in the back of the end zone. Just another night in the House of Horrors known as District 3 Stadium, by the Gaffney Indians. Lets look at the game by quarters.

FIRST QUARTER

I guess you could say it was an omen, as on Gaffney's first play from scrimmage, after receiving the opening kickoff, Burris over threw a pass over the middle, that was intercepted by the Trojans. Justin Worley made them pay, as he would throw his first of 5 TD passes on the night, a 13-yard strike to Robert Joseph. The Indians would respond on their next two possessions, driving down the field and scoring first on a 7-yard run by Burris and then on a 4-yard run by C.J. Miller. A couple of plays before Miller's TD run, DeEdward Burris would have to leave the game with a shoulder injury. It looked like the injury sucked the life out of the Gaffney defense, as Northwestern moved quickly down the field, with very little resistance, and answered the two Gaffney scores with another Worley TD pass of 24-yards to Brandon Lewis. The 1st quarter ended with the score tied at 14 to 14.

SECOND QUARTER

The 2nd quarter started with Gaffney driving down the field in impressive fashion, with back-up QB Joey Copeland playing for the injured DeEdward Burris. It looked like the Tribe was going to take the lead again, but Copeland would fumble the ball over to the Trojans inside the Northwestern 5-yard line. Copeland was fighting for extra yardage and the ball was knocked loose. You can't fault the effort, but you have to take care of the football in a big game like this one. The teams would exchange punts and Gaffney got the ball back late in the quarter. DeEdward Burris would come back into the game with 4:26 to play in the 1st half. He would lead the Indians on a 56-yard scoring drive, which back-up QB Joey Copeland would score on a 1-yard run with 1:00 left in the 1st half. It looked like the Tribe was going to go in at halftime with a 21 to 14 lead. Justin Worley had another plan, as he drove the Trojans down the field and found Rontavious McClure with a 15-yard fade to the back corner of the end zone with 3.7 seconds left in the half. This was the first of the questionable TD catches in the game. It looked like he was clearly out-of-bounds. The 1st half ended with the score tied 21 to 21.

THIRD QUARTER

The 3rd quarter started with the Trojans driving the ball into Gaffney territory. The Gaffney defense would force a punt and the Indians would get it back. The Indians would start on an impressive drive that was stopped with an interception by Northwestern's Josh Shelton at the 6-yard line. Turnover number two inside the 10-yard line by the Tribe. The Trojans marched 94-yards on 12 plays to regain the lead, as Worley scored on a 7-yard run on forth-and-1. The 3rd quarter ended with Northwestern ahead 28 to 21.

FORTH QUARTER

The 4th quarter started with Gaffney on the move. They moved the ball down the field and tied the score, on a 2-yard run by Joey Copeland, from the Wild Indian formation. With 10:16 left in the game, we had a 28 to 28 score. Northwestern's next scoring drive was set up by an interception in Gaffney territory by Montrece Kennedy, his second of the game. Worley would hit B.J. Boyd with a 10-yard TD pass giving the Trojans a 35 to 28 lead with 8:57 left in the game. Northwestern would force a Gaffney punt on their next possession and they would drive down and score on a 10-yard pass from Worley to McClure. This was questionable TD catch number two, It looked like he was clearly out of the back of the end zone. The score made it 42 to 28 late. Gaffney was not done, as they would hit a big pass play to Quinshad Davis, to get the ball down in the red zone. Montrece Kennedy would ice the game for the Trojans, with his third interception of the game, this one in the end zone. Turnover number three inside the Northwestern 10-yard line for the Tribe. The game ended with Northwestern winning 42 to 28. The Northwestern Trojans are the 2010 Region 3 4A Champions. The Gaffney Indians are left wondering, what if.

My View From The Stands..... (1) Gaffney fans out numbered Northwestern fans by a large amount. (2) I saw Quinshad Davis have a monster game, as he had 13 catches for 258 yards.
(3) Northwestern QB Justin Worley is the real deal. Tennessee is getting their QB of the future. (4) I saw another strange game for the Gaffney Indians at District 3 Stadium, better known by Indians fans as the House of Horrors.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 10 GAFFNEY @ NORTHWESTERN PREVIEW

The Gaffney Indians got off to a sluggish start offensively last week at Lancaster, but their defense was dominant and the offense put it together in the 2nd half. The Indians were able to defeat the Lancaster Bruins 31 to 0. The Tribe now has won 6 in a row and they have a 7 and 2 record over-all, 3 and 0 in Region 3 4A. It sets up their big clash with the unbeaten Northwestern Trojans, for the Region 3 Championship Friday night, at District 3 Stadium in Rock Hill. Lets look at this big game.

Gaffney @ Northwestern

The Indians and Trojans are big rivals and they have met in a lot of big games over the years. The Trojans defeated the Indians in the State Championship Game in 1993, 2 to 0. The Indians were able to defeat the Trojans in the 1997 State Championship Game, 37 to 30. Then last season, they met at The Reservation for the Region 3 Championship, won by Northwestern 30 to 23. These games are just three of the big games they have met each other over the years. Since 1960, the Northwestern Trojans hold a 23 to 20 lead in the all-time series.

The Northwestern offense has been very good this season. They run an offense very much like Mike Leach ran at Texas Tech. The Trojans probably pass the football about 90% of the time. Their pass happy offense is led by record setting QB Justin Worley. He has completed 254 of 355 pass attempts this season for 3,139 yards and 38 TD passes with only 6 interceptions.
They have a couple of receivers with 59 catches, in Sr. Robert Joseph and Jr. B.J. Boyd. They have 13 TDs and 8 TDs as well. The Trojans don't run the football much, but when they do run it they have Soph. Lathomas Long, who leads them in rushing with 387 yards. The Trojans have scored 358 points, for an average of 39.8 per game. They are averaging 352.6 yards passing and 69.0 rushing, for an average of 421.6 yards of total offense per game.

The Northwestern defense don't get the publicity that their offense does, but they are very good as well. They are led by a couple of bookend Defensive Ends, one of which is a South Carolina commitment named Gerald Dixon. They have given up 141 points for an average of 15.7 per game. Their defense is a typical Northwestern defense, fast and physical.

The Gaffney offense has played very well during their 6 game winning streak. They have averaged 34.5 points per game. Their offense for the entire season has scored 247 points for an average of 27.4 per game. The Indians have averaged 389.2 total yards per game, 230.0 passing and 159.2 rushing. The Tribe's offense has been led all season by QB DeEdward Burris with 1,960 yards passing and 19 TD passes. Burris has also led the Tribe in rushing with 640 yards and 9 TDs. Quinshad Davis has had a great season with 60 catches and 11 TDs. Khris Brown has had a good season as well, with 36 catches and 6 TDs. The Gaffney offense has gotten more and more balanced as the season has gone along.

The Gaffney defense has played pretty well most of the season, even with a number of injured players. They seem to be getting healthy and better. They have had their two most dominant performances the last two weeks. They have given up only 3 points the last two weeks. They were able to hold Lancaster to 45 yards and 4 first downs last week. For the season, the defense has given up 136 points, for an average of 15.1 per game. They will be facing the best passing team in the state this week. BIG TEST!

Keys to the game for Northwestern..... (1) Do what they do best, establish their powerful passing game. (2) Mix in the running game to keep Gaffney off balance on defense. (3) Contain DeEdward Burris, don't let him have a monster game. (4) Win the turnover battle.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) The defense has got to tackle the Trojan's receivers when they catch the short passes. Don't let a short gain turn into a big play. (2) They must disrupt the timing of the Northwestern offense. (3) Force some turnovers. (4) Score points on offense. They will probably have to out score them in a shoot out.

Game Prediction..... This is one of the games that the Indians have had circled on the schedule. They lost this game at home to these guys last season and they will look for revenge. Playing at District 3 Stadium, over the years, has been a house of horrors for the Gaffney Indians. It is Halloween weekend. I have been going back and forth all week, with who I think will win this game. It would not surprise me to see either team win. When a game is this close I tend to take the home team. In a close one..... Northwestern 31 Gaffney 28

TRIBE FACTS..... There are only 6 teams with winning records against Gaffney since 1960. Those teams are Northwestern 23 and 20, Spartanburg 34 and 26, Walterboro 2 and 0, Spring Valley 1 and 0, Conway 1 and 0 and Berkeley 1 and 0.

You can check out the Gaffney @ Northwestern Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

LETS TURN THE HOUSE OF HORRORS OF DISTRICT 3 STADIUM INTO A HOUSE OF WINS FOR THE TRIBE ON FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!!

GAFFNEY @ LANCASTER RECAP

The Gaffney Indians were able to work through a sluggish start, then were able to pull away in the second half, for a 31 to 0 victory over the Lancaster Bruins. The Indians used a balanced offense and a dominating defense to gain their 6th consecutive victory on the season. The Tribe gained 349 yards of offense, 176 rushing and 173 passing, as their defense held Lancaster to 45 yards of total offense. The Indians got 3 TD passes from QB DeEdward Burris and 1 TD run, to lead the offense. The Tribe also got a 31-yard field goal from Victor Ramirez. Lets look at the game by quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

The Tribe started off pretty well, as they drove down and scored on a 12-yard TD pass from Burris to Khris Brown, on their first possession of the game. Then on their second possession, they marched down the field, but had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Victor Ramirez. The Gaffney defense was very dominant in the first quarter and the Indians held a 10 to 0 lead after one quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

The Gaffney offense seemed to be out of sink through out the first half, as they had dropped passes, over thrown passes, receivers running the wrong routes and the offense putting the ball on the ground. Fortunately, the only 1st half turnover was an interception. The interception was late in the 2nd quarter and led to a 43-yard field goal try by the Bruins. The kick was short and behind a dominating defensive performance, the Tribe led 10 to 0 at the half.

THIRD QUARTER

The Tribe's defense picked up where they left off in the 1st half, as they continued their dominant play. The offense started picking up late in the quarter, as Burris hit Quinshad Davis with a 34-yard TD pass. The score at the end of the 3rd quarter was 17 to 0.

FORTH QUARTER

The 4th quarter was more of the same by the defense, as they continued their domination of the Lancaster offense. The Bruins did not even threaten to score in the 2nd half. The Gaffney offense was able to put together two more scoring drives, one ended with a 29-yard scoring pass from Burris to Davis and the other was a 12-yard run by Burris, as he took a hand-off from back-up QB Joey Copeland, from the Wild Indian formation. After a sluggish start by the Tribe, they ended up with a dominant win over Lancaster, 31 to 0. Next up for the Indians is a game at Northwestern, for the Region 3 4A Title.

My View From The Stands..... (1) There was a lot of empty seats on the home side of the stadium. (2) There was not as many Indians fans that made the 1 and 1/2 hour trip to Lancaster as I thought there would be. We need the visitors side full next week at Northwestern. (3) The biggest ovation from the Gaffney fans on the night, was when Victor Ramirez nailed his 31-yard field goal, in the 1st quarter. (4) The Tribe's offense was very sluggish for most of the game. Were they thinking about Northwestern instead of Lancaster?

TRIBE FACTS..... The Lancaster Bruins have not defeated the Gaffney Indians since 1980.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 9 GAFFNEY @ LANCASTER PREVIEW

The Tribe wrapped up their four game home stand in grand fashion Friday night, as they defeated Rock Hill and former Head Coach Joe Montgomery 28 to 3. The Indians have won 5 games in a row and their record is 6 and 2 overall 2 and 0 in Region 3 4A. The Indians go on the road this week, for the first time since September 10th, as they travel to Lancaster. Lets look at this week's game.

Gaffney @ Lancaster

The Lancaster Bruins and the Gaffney Indians have not met since the 2005 season, when the Indians defeated the Bruins 35 to 0. Lancaster comes into this game with a 4 and 4 overall record and 1 and 1 in Region 3. The Bruins have a young team, as they return 3 starters on offense and 6 starters on defense, from their team that went 7 and 5 last season.

The Bruins like to run the spread on offense and they have scored 183 points for a 22.9 points per game average. At times, they have been very impressive and other times they have shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Their most impressive win on the season was a 17 to 7 win over Rock Hill.

The Lancaster defense has a little more experience, but they have been up and down. They have given up 161 points for a 20.1 per game average. They played very well against the powerful Northwestern offense, in the first half last week.

The Gaffney offense had another impressive performance last week, as their rushing attack continues to get better. The Tribe scored four TDs last week, all on the ground. They are beginning to get more and more balanced on offense. The Tribe has scored 216 points for a 27.0 points per game average. Tribe QB DeEdward Burris had another big game, as he continues to put up big numbers in his Senior season.

The Gaffney defense had a very good game last week, as they forced a couple of turnovers and held the Rock Hill Bearcats to only a field goal. They have given up 136 points for a 17.0 per game average. Quan Weeks and Jaquan Barnes had big games from their LB positions.

Keys to the game for Lancaster..... (1) Get off to a good start to build confidence. (2) Do not turn the football over. (3) Force some turnovers.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) Bring their winning attitude from home with them on the road. (2) Do not look past Lancaster, with Northwestern looming next week. (3) Play Gaffney Indians football.

Game Prediction..... This could be a trap game for the Indians. They have not played on the road since September 10th, at Union. They have the big game at Northwestern next week, that will be for the Region 3 Title. I see Lancaster keeping it close for awhile, but the Indians will pull away in the second half for the win..... Gaffney 34 Lancaster 17

You can catch the Gaffney @ Lancaster Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS!!!!!

ROCK HILL @ GAFFNEY RECAP

It was all Gaffney last night at The Reservation, as the Indians jumped on Rock Hill early and coasted to a 28 to 3 victory over the Bearcats. The sweet thing about this win was it came against former Gaffney Head Coach Joe Montgomery. The Indians were again led offensively by QB DeEdward Burris, as he had 10 rushes for 103 yards and 2 TDs. He also passed for 200 yards. The Gaffney defense held Rock Hill to 222 total yards and forced 4 turnovers. The Gaffney offense had 401 total yards and 1 turnover. Lets look at the game.

FIRST QUARTER

The Tribe got off to a fast start by scoring on their first three possessions of the game. The first possession ended with Burris scoring on a 1-yard run. The second possession resulted in a 40-yard run by RB C.J. Miller. The third score of the first quarter was a run for the highlight reel, as Burris ran, broke tackles and zigzagged his way to a 38-yard TD run. The Gaffney defense held Rock Hill scoreless and led 21 to 0 after the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

The second quarter had Rock Hill running the Wildcat offense and eating up time of possession, as they were able to get a field goal to cut the lead to 21 to 3. The Indians moved the ball, but turned it over with a fumble and led 21 to 3 at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

The third quarter started with Rock Hill putting together their best drive of the game, as they drove deep into Gaffney territory, but the Tribe's defense forced a fumble at the 10 yard line. The Indians would put together a 90-yard drive, that ended with back-up QB Joey Copeland scoring from 1-yard out, from the Wild Indian formation. The Tribe led 28 to 3 after the third quarter.

FORTH QUARTER

Gaffney Head Coach Dan Jones would empty his bench in the forth quarter and the Indians didn't score any more points, but were able to keep the Bearcats off of the score board. The final score of the game was 28 to 3.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I saw a dominating performance by the Indians on both sides of the football. (2) The visitors side of The Reservation was almost empty. Maybe the Rock Hill fans knew how the game was going to play out. (3) I saw a Gaffney kicking game that has improved quiet a bit, since the open date. (4) I saw a Gaffney offense that continues to make big plays.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Gaffney Indians are 3 and 1 against former Coach Joe Montgomery.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 8 ROCK HILL @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

The Gaffney Indians got off to a good start in their Region 3 4A schedule last week, as they defeated Clover on Homecoming at The Reservation 41 to 27. The Tribe's offense continues to get better and better as the season goes along. The defense forced three turnovers in the victory over the Blue Eagles. The Indians end a four game home stand on Friday night against the Rock Hill Bearcats. Lets look at the game.

Rock Hill @ Gaffney

One of the interesting story lines in this game is former Gaffney Head Coach Joe Montgomery bringing his Bearcats to The New Reservation for the first time. The Indians and Bearcats have not played since the 2007 season when Gaffney beat Rock Hill 20 to 7, at The Old Reservation. Rock Hill comes into this game with a 5 and 2 overall record and 0 and 1 in Region 3 4A. They were upset by Lancaster in their Region 3 opener last week. The Indians come into this game riding a four game winning streak and they have a 5 and 2 overall record and 1 and 0 in Region 3.

The Bearcats offense has scored 167 points, for an average of 23.9 per game. They have used three QBs this season and nobody knows which one will start this game. The Rock Hill offense has looked good at times, but they have been plagued with turnovers and penalties. When the season started they only had one offensive starter returning, from their 11 and 1 team of last season. They have a very good kicking game.

The Bearcats defense has given up 134 points, for an average of 19.1 per game. They are very athletic and physical on defense. They have played pretty well most of the season. They have been put in some bad field position, because of their turnovers on offense. Coming into the season they had five defensive starters back from last year. Expect a typical Rock Hill defense, fast and swarming to the ball.

The Tribe's offense has scored 148 points, for an average of 37.0 per game during their four game winning streak. They only scored 40 points, for an average of 13.3 per game during their 1 and 2 start. They are getting better and better and they are taking care of the football. The running game had their best game of the season, last week against Clover.

The Tribe's defense has given up 133 points, for an average of 19.0per game. During the four game winning streak they have 11 take aways. The defense is beginning to get healthy, as they have been hurt with a lot of injuries all season.

Keys to the game for Rock Hill..... (1) Don't beat themselves with turnovers and penalties. (2) Don't give up the big play. (3) Keep it close so their strong kicking game can make a difference.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) Keep spreading the ball around on offense and stay balanced. (2) Must cut down on the penalties, especially the personal fouls. (3) NO TURNOVERS!! (4) Force some turnovers on defense.

Game Prediction..... The Bearcats already have a loss in the Region and they can't afford to start 0 and 2. Gaffney has momentum and they are heading toward a possible showdown for the Region Title in a couple of weeks. I see the Indians doing what they have been doing, improving on both sides of the ball and finding a way to get the win..... Gaffney 27 Rock Hill 13

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney QB DeEdward Burris has had a stellar Senior season so far. He has accounted for 2,046 yards of total offense, for an average of 292.3 per game. He has also accounted for 22 TDs.

FORMER INDIAN UPDATE..... Gaffney's Josh Corry, former 4A basketball player of the year, has decided to leave Wofford and find another school to play his college basketball. He helped lead the Tribe to the 4A Basketball State Championship last season.

LETS SEND COACH MONTGOMERY BACK HOME WITH ANOTHER LOSS TO HIS FORMER TEAM!!!!!

You can catch the Rock Hill @ Gaffney Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

CLOVER @ GAFFNEY RECAP

What we had at The Reservation on Friday night was offense, offense and more offense. The Gaffney Indians defeated the Clover Blue Eagles 41 to 27. The teams offenses did it in different ways, as Clover did it on the ground, by eating time of possession and Gaffney did it with the big play and a balanced attack. Clover had the ball for 65 plays for 382 yards, 362 of the yards on the ground, with a time of possession of 31:36. Gaffney had the ball for 42 plays for 489 yards, 241 on the ground and 248 passing. Gaffney's DeEdward Burris had a huge night, as he ran for 129 yards on 8 carries scoring 3 TDs and passing 10 of 16 for 248 yards and 2 TDs. Lets look at the game by quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

Clover received the opening kick and moved down the field deep into the Gaffney red zone. It looked as if they were going to take an early lead, but the Tribe forced a fumble to halt the Eagles drive. The Indians would quickly move the ball down the field and would score on a 54-yard TD run by DeEdward Burris for a 7 to 0 lead. Clover would answer right back, as they moved down the field and scored with a 1-yard run from QB Aaron Miller to tie the score 7 to 7 at the end of the 1st quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

Gaffney would get the ball back and move into Clover territory, but Clover would intercept a Burris pass to stop the Indians drive. Clover's offense would do what they had done all game, move it into Gaffney territory looking like they were going to take the lead. Gaffney's defense would force another fumble to stop the Clover drive. The Gaffney offense shifted back into big play mode, as they would score on a 57-yard run by C.J. Miller for a 14 to 7 lead. Clover moved the ball back down the field, aided by Gaffney penalties and a fake punt, but was held to a 33-yard field goal to cut the Gaffney lead to 14 to 10 at the half.

THIRD QUARTER

Gaffney started the second half with an impressive drive that ended with Burris scoring his second TD of the game with a 19-yard run to make the score 20 to 10. The Clover offense would respond again, as they drove the ball down the field an scored on a 5-yard run by Davantay Brown, to cut the Indians lead to 20 to 17. The Gaffney offense was not finished in the third quarter, as they quickly drove the ball down field and scored on a 12-yard run by Burris, his third rushing TD of the game, to increase the Tribe's lead to 27 to 17 at the end of the third quarter.

FORTH QUARTER

The forth quarter was more of the same, as Clover would answer the Gaffney score with one of their own, with Davantay Brown scoring on a 30-yard TD run to cut the lead to 27 to 24. The Gaffney offense came right back and scored on a 30-yard TD pass from Burris to Khris Brown to increase the score to 34 to 24. Clover would come right back, but their drive would stall and they had to settle for a 26-yard field goal to cut the lead to a one possession game. With the score 34 to 27, the Gaffney offense would respond with another big play, as Burris connected with Khris Brown on a 41-yard TD pass to make the score 41 to 27. This score would be the one that put the game away, as time was on the side of the Indians. Clover tried to mount one last drive, but Gaffney's Coby McDowell would end their last drive with an interception. The Indians would run out the clock and escape from The Reservation with a hard fought exciting victory over Clover 41 to 27. The Tribe improves their record to 5 and 2 over-all and 1 and 0 in Region 3 4A.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I saw a Gaffney offense that was firing on all cylinders and is getting better and better. (2) I saw a Gaffney defense that needs to start playing better against the run. (3) I saw a Gaffney team that committed way to many penalties, especially of the personal foul variety. They need to play more disciplined. (4) I saw an improved kicking game. They need to continue to get even better.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 7 CLOVER @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

The Gaffney Indians are coming off of a bye week last week, as they get ready for their Homecoming Game against an unbeaten Clover team. The Tribe focused on themselves during the bye week, by trying to improve on things they have struggled with during the first six games of the season. This week they focused on trying to stop Clover's Double Wing T Offense. Lets look at this weeks game with Clover.

Clover @ Gaffney

During the last two seasons, the Clover vs Gaffney games have gone down to the wire. Two years ago Clover defeated Gaffney, by kicking a late field goal at The New Reservation. Last season Gaffney returned the favor, by defeating the Blue Eagles 35 to 28, at Clover. This season Clover comes to The Reservation with a 6 and 0 record to face Gaffney who has a 4 and 2 record.

The Clover Blue Eagles run the Double Wing T Offense, which Gaffney don't see much and the way they run it makes it hard to simulate in practice. Clover has scored 179 points for an average of 29.8 points per game. The Eagles average 322.2 yards per game rushing and 23.5 per game passing for an average of 345.7 yards of total offense per game. The Clover offense is led by their talented QB Aaron Miller, who has rushed for 824 yards and 11 TDs. He averages 137.3 yards rushing per game. The Eagles don't throw the football much, as they are only 8 for 40 for 141 yards and 2 TDs for the season. Derrick Carothers is second on their team in rushing with 422 yards and 4 TDs.

The Clover defense has been pretty solid this season as well, as they have only given up 88 points for an average of 14.7 per game. Their defense has 7 interceptions on the season, but they have only managed 5 sacks. Their defense is not on the field much, because of the time of possession by their offense.

The Gaffney offense comes into this game having scored 147 points, for an average of 24.5 per game. They have averaged 133.3 yards per game rushing and 239.5 per game passing for a total offense per game average of 372.8. The Tribe's offense is led by QB DeEdward Burris, as he has completed 100 of 157 passes for 63% with 14 TDs and 3 interceptions. Burris also leads the Indians in rushing with 342 yards and 3 TDs. Gaffney's second leading rusher is RB C.J. Miller with 309 yards and 2 TDs. Quinshad Davis leads the receivers in receptions with 46 for 629 yards and 9 TDs. Khris Brown has also had a good season, with 24 receptions for 456 yards and 3 TDs.

The Gaffney defense has given up 106 points for an average of 17.7 per game. The Tribe's defense has managed to pick off 7 passes led by Marques Brannon with 3. The Tribe's defensive front has been led by Jaylin Miller and the LBs by Savon Dukes and Jaquan Barnes.

Keys to the game for Clover..... (1) Do what they do best, run the ball and run some more. (2) Win the time of possession battle. (3) Force some turnovers. (4) Hit a big play with the passing game.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) Play disciplined assignment football on defense. (2) Tackle good on defense. (3) DO NOT TURN THE FOOTBALL OVER! (4) Execute on offense. (5) Improve in the kicking game.

You can check out the Clover @ Gaffney Game Recap on Saturday. Check it out.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS BEAT CLOVER!!!

INDIANS MID-SEASON REPORT CARD

We are through six games of the Gaffney Indians 2010 football season. The Indians go into their open date this week with a 4 and 2 record. Since we don't have a game to preview this week, I would like to look back at the first half of this season and give the Indians a grade on their first half performance.

OFFENSE

The Offensive Line..... has been inconsistent during the first half of the season. At times they have had problems picking up blitzes and opening up holes for the running game. The line has definitely had problems in the red zone. At times their pass protection and run blocking has been good. The line has a chance to be very good, if they can develop more consistency.
GRADE..... C

The Running Backs..... The Indians have not had a running back gain a 100 yards or more this season. C.J. Miller came the closest against Greenville with 97 yards. Wookie Littlejohn has seen some action the last three games at running back, and has a chance to add some power and play making ability to the position. The backs have fumbled the ball away a few times. GRADE.....C-

The Wide Receivers..... have been very good this season. Quinshad Davis has led this group with 47 receptions and 9 TD's. Khris Brown is another big play receiver, who had his best game of the season against Greenville last week. Ryan Frock has been a pleasant surprise, as he has made some big catches to keep drives alive. Mike Wood and Wookie Littlejohn have played well at receiver as well. This group has a chance to be one of the best receiving corps in the state, as they continue to get better as the season goes along.
GRADE..... A

The Quarterback..... position has been very productive this season. Led by Sr. DeEdward Burris, who has thrown for 1,324 yards and 14 TD's with only 3 interceptions. He has also been the teams leading rusher and has scored a couple of rushing TD's. This has been Burris' best season, as he has done a much better job of spreading the ball around to different play makers. Back-up QB Joey Copeland has played pretty well when he has had to play. The QB needs to execute the offense better when in the red zone and protect the ball better. GRADE..... B+

The Offense as A Whole..... The story of the first half of the season for the Gaffney offense has been, the first three games turnovers and missed opportunities kept the production down, as they averaged only 13.3 points per game. The last three games they have turned it over only three times and they have averaged 35.6 points per game. The Tribe has scored 147 points for an average of 24.5 per game for the season. The offense has struggled at times in the red zone, they have turned the ball over 11 times and they have gotten off to slow starts. The offense has improved as the season has progressed and I expect them to get even better.
GRADE..... B-

DEFENSE

The Defensive Line..... has played very well at times and not so good at other times. They have had a lot of injuries that has hurt their production. They are very young and they have potential to be very dominant. They must produce more sacks during the season's second half.
GRADE..... C+

The Linebackers..... have played pretty well as they are making a lot of tackles. The injury bug has hit this unit as well. Savon Dukes and Jaquan Barnes have made big plays and have been the leaders of this unit.
GRADE..... B

The Secondary..... is very young and they have had injuries to deal with. Their best DB Snoop Byers has missed a lot of playing time. They have been up and down so far during the season. They should get better as they get healthy.
GRADE..... C

The Defense as a Whole..... has played pretty well considering the offense has put them in bad field position with all of the turnovers. They got off to a slow start forcing turnovers, but the last three games they have forced 9. They need to play better up the middle, as teams have had success running right at the defense. I see this unit getting better as the season goes along and they get healthy.
GRADE..... C+

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Kickers..... The Kicking game has been very very bad. I can't remember the Gaffney kicking game being this bad. A school this size should be able to find someone that can consistently kick a PAT. It is very embarrassing.
GRADE..... F

Punting..... has been better than the kicking game, but it is still below average for a high school program like Gaffney.
GRADE..... D+

Kick Return Game..... has not been very productive this season. The punt return game has been better than the kick off return game. These teams must get more productive the second half of the season.
GRADE..... C-

Kick Coverage Team..... has been the strength of the special teams. Kick off coverage has been pretty good as has the punt coverage team. They did give up a punt return for a TD against Greenville.
GRADE..... B

Special Teams As A Whole..... They have to get better in the kicking game, they have to get better in the return game and they have to get better in the coverage game. The Tribe did block a field goal against Greenville that proved to be a big play in that game.
GRADE..... C-

The Tribe's 4 and 2 record is pretty good, but it could have been better and it could have been worse. The bottom line is, this team has potential to be very good if they can improve their grade in all areas of their team. I believe that they will. It should be a very exciting second half of the season.

Until Next Time.

GREENVILLE @ GAFFNEY RECAP

HEART STOPPER AT THE RESERVATION!! The Gaffney Indians were emotionally flat, lost a fumble inside the 1- yard line trying to score, roughed the punter twice, had a punt returned against them for a TD, had a long TD pass called back on a penalty and missed three PATs, but they still found a way to beat Greenville Friday night. These were the negative things that happened to them. The positive things that happened was they finally got their offense going and rolled up over 500-yards and five TDs. The defense played pretty much lights out in the 2nd half, that allowed the offense to finally get the lead and then hold on at the end. Lets recap the game.

FIRST QUARTER

The Indians came out flat and the Red Raiders came out on fire, as they jumped on the Indians 14 to 0 after their first two possessions. The Red Raiders looked unstoppable and the Indians looked lifeless. The Tribe's offense finally started showing a little life late in the 1st quarter, as they drove down and scored on a 6-yard TD pass from DeEdward Burris to Quinshad Davis, to cut the lead to 14 to 7 after the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

The Gaffney defense finally started showing signs of life, as they stopped the Red Raiders to give the ball back to their offense. The momentum of the game had swung over to Gaffney, as their offense moved down the field and had a first and goal inside the 5-yard line. The Tribe's DeEdward Burris would fumble the ball away inside the 1-yard line, as he tried to score on a quarterback sneak. The Gaffney defense would hold the Red Raiders to a three and out to force a punt from deep in the end zone. The Indians would rough the punter, but the Red Raiders had a motion penalty that offset the roughing the punter penalty. The Red Raiders had to punt the ball again and Gaffney roughed the punter again to give the Greenville offense a first down. This completely changed momentum back to Greenville, as Gaffney had returned the punt inside the Greenville 20-yard line. The Greenville offense would respond, as they drove down with help from a Gaffney unsportsman like conduct penalty, to kick a 32-yard field goal for a 17 to 7 lead.
The Gaffney offense was out of sink on their next possession and punted the ball back to Greenville. The short Gaffney punt was returned 34-yards for a TD by the Red Raiders and the lead was extended to 24 to 7 late in the first half. The Indians' offense would respond with a drive that ended with a critical TD seconds before halftime, as Burris hit Khris Brown with a 15-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 24 to 13 at the half.

THIRD QUARTER

The Gaffney offense moved the football with their first couple of possessions of the quarter, but they stalled. Greenville would move the ball down into Gaffney territory, but were forced to try another field goal that was blocked by the Indians which would prove to be huge late in the game. The Gaffney offense would move the ball down the field and score on a 12-yard TD pass from Burris to Quinshad Davis. The PAT was missed, so the Tribe trailed 24 to 19 at the end of the quarter.

FORTH QUARTER

The Gaffney defense would come up with an interception on Greenville's next offensive possession and their offense moved the ball down the field and scored on a 1-yard TD run by DeEdward Burris. The Indians would score the two point conversion on a pass from Burris to Khris Brown to put the Indians on top for the first time in the game 27 to 24. The crowd was into the game and Gaffney had all of the momentum on their side. On Greenville's next possession the Gaffney defense came up big again, as they hauled in another interception. The first play after the interception Burris hit Khris Brown with a 63-yard TD pass to extend the Gaffney lead to 33 to 24. The Indians would miss their third PAT of the game. The Indians would force the Red Raiders to punt on their next possession and the Indians would hit another big play, as the scrambling DeEdward Burris hit Ryan Frock with a long TD bomb that had The Reservation rocking. The only problem was the Indians were flagged for holding. Greenville would then force a punt and they drove the ball down the field and scored on a 12-yard TD pass to cut the Gaffney lead to 33 to 31 with about 4:00 left in the game. The Gaffney offense responded with a drive that carried into Greenville territory that ate up most of the clock. On a third and long play the Greenville defense came up with a big play, as they would intercept a tipped pass at their 30-yard line with about 1:20 left in the game. Greenville had their chance. Because of the missed PATs by Gaffney, all the Red Raiders had to do was get into field goal range to have a chance to win the game. They would move the ball inside the Gaffney 35-yard line needing about ten more yards for an attempt at a game winning field goal. The Gaffney defense came up with a huge sack on third down that pushed them back. The Red Raiders would be flagged for delay-of-the-game and pushed back five more yards on 4th down. On 4th down, the Red Raiders threw a pass down inside the Gaffney 15-yard line that was intercepted by Khris Brown, with 12 seconds left in the game, to preserve a heart stopping win for the Gaffney Indians 33 to 31. What a wild game it was. The Indians improve to 4 and 2 on the season and have an open date next week.

My View From The Stands..... (1) The Indians were emotionally flat for most of the first half coming off of their big win over Byrnes. (2) The Indians probably have the best one two punch at WR in the state in Quinshad Davis and Khris Brown. (3) The Gaffney coaching staff did a great job with their halftime adjustments that seem to put life back into the Indians defense. (4) DeEdward Burris is getting better and better as a QB. He was 22 for 37 for 339 yards and 4 TD passes. He also had a TD run.

Until Next Time.

CONGRATULATIONS INDIANS ON ANOTHER BIG WIN!!!!!

WEEK 5 GREENVILLE @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

It was an awesome sight, last Friday night at The Reservation, watching the Indians come on to the field walking together and seeing DeEdward Burris throw the spear into the ground at midfield. The Indians made the night even more awesome with their performance on the field, as they defeated the Byrnes Rebels 26 to 16. It felt really good to beat those class less Rebels and to watch as the visitors side became almost empty halfway through the 4th quarter. It was no doubt the biggest win for the Tribe at The New Reservation. The Indians have to get back to business this week and get ready for the unbeaten Greenville Red Raiders who invade The Reservation on Friday night. Lets take a closer look at this week's match-up.

Greenville @ Gaffney

The Greenville vs Gaffney games have been very close and exciting the past few years. The last four meetings have been decided by 10 points or less with Gaffney winning three of the four games. Last season, the Tribe trailed 29 to 7 in the 3rd quarter before rallying for a 39 to 35 victory. The 2008 game was played at The New Reservation and the Tribe won 23 to 13. The 2007 game was won by Greenville 21 to 14. The 2006 game was won by Gaffney 38 to 35. As we Indian fans know, the 2006 Gaffney team went 15 and 0 and won the State Championship. The bottom line is, Greenville is very good and they play Gaffney tough.

The Greenville Red Raiders are 4 and 0 with wins over Woodruff, Daniel, J.L.Mann and Greer. The Red Raiders offense is very much like the Byrnes offense that Gaffney saw last week. Some people have called them Byrnes West. They are averaging 27.5 points per game out of their spread offense. They have talented receivers with a lot of speed. They have a young but talented QB who is getting better and better.

The most impressive thing about the Red Raiders is their defense. They have given up only 30 points through their first four games. The Greenville team lost a lot off of last years defense and this year was supposed to be a rebuilding year, for that side of the ball. They have played very good against some good offenses. They are strong at LB and in the secondary.

The Gaffney Indians played very well last week against Byrnes on both sides of the ball. The offense was led by QB DeEdward Burris who completed 21-of-32 for 212 yards and 3 TDs. He also added 56 yards rushing. The Gaffney offense was a ball control machine, as they controlled the time of possession 35:00 to 13:00. The Indians did not turn the football over on offense for the first time all season. Gaffney WR Quinshad Davis had another big game as he caught 8 passes for 101 yards and 2 TDs.

The Gaffney defense played very well last week against Byrnes. They had an interception which set up the Tribe's first TD. They put a lot of pressure on the Byrnes QB, which knocked their timing off. They were strong against the run as well. The reason I am telling you what they did to Byrnes is because they should have the same game plan against Greenville. Greenville and Byrnes are very similar, especially on offense.

Keys to the game for Greenville..... (1) Get off to a good start so they can take the Gaffney fans out of the game early. (2) Force some turnovers. (3) Make Gaffney's offense one dimensional. (4) Hit some big plays.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) Go into the game with the right attitude. Build on the big win over Byrnes. (2) NO TURNOVERS! (3) Win the time of possession battle, to keep their offense off the field. (4) Play Gaffney Indians football.

Check out the Greenville @ Gaffney Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS!!! DEFEND OUR HOUSE!!! BEAT GREENVILLE!!!

BYRNES @ GAFFNEY RECAP

THE SWAGGER IS BACK AT THE RESERVATION!! The Gaffney Indians pulled off their biggest win of the season and the biggest win in the history of The New Reservation, as they defeated the Byrnes Rebels 26 to 16 in front of a packed house. The score of the game was closer than the game actually was, as Gaffney took control in the second quarter. This is the first victory by the Indians over the Rebels since 2006, when they defeated them twice. This was also the biggest win for Head Coach Dan Jones, in his short time as The Commander-In-Chief of the Indians football program.

The game started with Gaffney holding the Rebels to a three and out on their first offensive possession of the game. The Indians would take possession after the Byrnes punt and we would soon see what the offensive game plan would be for the night. The Indians moved the ball down the field with a ball control short passing and running game eating up time of possession. The Indians would move into the Rebels redzone, but they would turn the ball over on downs. The Byrnes offense put together their best drive of the game, as they drove down deep into Indians territory. The Indians came up big on defense and forced the Rebels to settle for a 32-yard field goal and a 3 to 0 lead to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter the game started to change in favor of the Tribe, as Gaffney's Snoop Byers would intercept a Zach Blair pass at the Rebels 35 yard line. The Gaffney offense, which had moved the ball very well with no points to show for their effort, would finally cash in as QB DeEdward Burris found WR Quinshad Davis, with the first of his two TD receptions, from three yards out and a 7 to 3 Gaffney lead with 5:50 left in the first half. Burris would hit Davis for another TD from five yards with 15.6 seconds left in the half and a 13 to 3 halftime lead.

The Indians received the second half kickoff and continued their ball control attack, as they drove the ball inside the Byrnes thirty yard line. Burris would then throw one toward the end zone to WR Khris Brown which he caught for a 29-yard TD that would extend the Tribe's lead to 20 to 3. Later in the third quarter, the Byrnes offense would get the ball inside the Gaffney 30-yard line after a Gaffney punt and they drove down to the Indians 6-yard line and faced a forth-and 2. The Gaffney defense came up big once again as a pass to the end zone was knocked away. The Indians led 20 to 3 after three quarters of play.

The Rebels would get the ball back in Gaffney territory, after another short punt, and they would finally cash in for points. With 10:08 remaining in the game Rebels RB Shakeem Wharton scored from 3-yards out to cut the Gaffney lead to 20 to 10. The Gaffney offense would respond on their next possession with a 76-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard TD run by Burris for a 26 to 10 advantage. The Indians got two huge plays on the drive, one by WR Ryan Frock on a third-and-8 for a first down and a 36-yard pass to Quinshad Davis down to the Byrnes' 1-yard line to set up the score. The Rebels would add another TD with 2:41 left in the game, which was set up when the Gaffney punter fumbled the snap and had to fall on the ball in Gaffney territory. Byrnes QB Zach Blair would hit WR Akia Booker with a 21-yard TD pass to make the score 26 to 16. The two point conversion failed and the Rebels could get no closer. The Game ends with the Gaffney Indians winning 26 to 16.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I saw a Gaffney Indians team come out and establish the tempo of the game in the first quarter and gain more and more confidence as the game went along. (2) I saw a Gaffney team that had a very good game plan on both sides of the ball and were able to execute that plan. (3) I saw the best Jr. WR in the state in Gaffney's Quinshad Davis have another great game. He had his forth 100-yard receiving game of the season and two more TD's. (4) I saw QB DeEdward Burris continue to get better and better and he is developing into one of the best QB's in the state.

CONGRATULATIONS INDIANS ON A BIG WIN!!

Until Next Time.

WEEK 4 BYRNES @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

The Gaffney Indians showed last Friday night what they are capable of when they don't turn the football over on offense and they force turnovers on defense. The Tribe was +4 in the giveaway takeaway category against Union County. The Gaffney defense forced five Yellow Jacket turnovers and their offense turned it over once. The Tribe put together their best game of the season to date, as they defeated the Union County Yellow Jackets 48 to 14. The competition gets even stronger this week as the hated rival Byrnes Rebels come to The Reservation. Lets preview this monster match-up.

Byrnes @ Gaffney

The Byrnes vs Gaffney rivalry has really heated up in the last eight years. It has become one of the most anticipated games of the High School football season. The game reached national interest in 2006 as the game was nationally televised by Fox Sports Net. The game in 2006 featured Byrnes' highly regarded QB Willy Korn and Gaffney's QB Malcolm Long. The Indians won the game 28 t0 15. The Tribe also won a second round playoff meeting with the Rebels, in 2006, by a score of 16 to 13. Both games were played at The Old Reservation. The Indians would go on to finish 15 and 0 and win their 16th State Championship. The last three meetings in the series has been all Byrnes, as they have outscored Gaffney 151 to 35.

This Friday night's game with Byrnes should be a dandy. The Rebels lost a lot of talented players off of last years team, but they are still a very good football team. The Rebels have six starters returning on offense including four on the offensive line. They are led on offense by their Sr. QB Zach Blair and a very good Jr. RB Shakeem Wharton. The Rebels always have an abundance of receivers to throw the ball to and this year is no exception. Their top pass catcher is Soph. Akia Booker.

The Byrnes defense returns three starters, but they are still extremely fast and aggressive. The defense is led by Sr. LB Andre Brewton and Jr. DB Davon Terry. The Rebels are always strong in the kicking game.

The Gaffney Indians regained some confidence last week with their blowout win over Union County. The Indians were able to improve their running game, their defensive aggressiveness and their giveaway takeaway statistic. The addition of Wookie Littlejohn at RB gives the Tribe another offensive weapon. Indians QB DeEdward Burris had another strong game as did back-up QB Joey Copeland.

The Gaffney defense intercepted three passes and LB Jaquan Barnes returned one for a TD. The Indians are very excited about the game with Byrnes and they have worked very hard to get ready. The Tribe owes the Rebels after the way they ran the score up last season.

Keys to the game for Byrnes..... (1) Jump out front early and take the Gaffney fans out of the game. (2) Intimidate the young Indians into making mistakes. (3) Put pressure on Gaffney's young secondary and make them make plays. (4) Make Gaffney's offense one dimensional.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) Go into the game believing they can win the game. (2)
Do not let Byrnes intimidate them. Remember they put their pants on just like we do, one leg at a time. (3) DO NOT TURN THE FOOTBALL OVER!! (4) Make the tackle on defense. (5) Disrupt their timing on offense.

Game Prediction..... I see the young Indians getting off to a good start and their confidence building as the game progresses. Gaffney forces a couple of turnovers and they make enough plays to get it done. The Tribe gets their swagger back..... Gaffney 20 Byrnes 17

Tribe Facts..... The Gaffney Indians lead the overall series with Byrnes 11 to 10.

Former Indian Update..... Gaffney's Joe Craig, a Freshman at Clemson, is going to red shirt this football season.

Check out the Byrnes @ Gaffney Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS BEAT THOSE REBELS!!!!!!

GAFFNEY @ UNION COUNTY RECAP

What a difference it can make in the results of winning or losing a football game when you don't turn the ball over on offense and you force turnovers on defense. The Gaffney Indians did just that last night in front of a packed house at Union County Stadium. The Indians did not turn the football over and their defense forced five Union County turnovers that led to the Tribe blowing out the Yellow Jackets 48 to 14.

The Indians led 7 to 0 at the end of the first quarter with dominating defense and a six yard TD run by QB DeEdward Burris. The Gaffney defense did not allow the Jackets offense to record a first down through the first quarter of action.

The Indians pretty much put the game away in the second quarter as they scored 28 points led by TD passes from Burris to Quinshad Davis of 52 and 18 yards, a 10 yard TD run by Wookie Littlejohn and an interception return of 21 yards for a TD by Jaquan Barnes. The Yellow Jackets lone score of the first half occured when the Gaffney secondary had blown coverage and Union County QB Keiston Smith hit a wide open Victor Ruth for a 74 yard TD pass. The Gaffney defense forced four Yellow Jacket turnovers and held them to one first down as the Tribe led 35 to 7 at the half.

The second half would be more of the same, as the Indians forced a fumble on the second half kick-off, which set up the Gaffney offense with a short field. The Tribe would score a few plays later on a 14 yard run by RB C.J. Miller. The Indians led 41 to 7 after three quarters.

The forth quarter started with Gaffney in the middle of a 98 yard drive that would take a total of 10:00 off of the clock. The impressive thing about this drive was Gaffney had their second string offense in the game. The drive started in the 3rd quarter and ate up most of the 4th quarter before back-up QB Joey Copeland would end Gaffney's scoring with a 6 yard TD run. Union County would put together a late scoring drive, against the Gaffney reserves, scoring on a 28 yard pass with less than a minute to go in the game. The final score of the game was Gaffney 48 Union County 14.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I saw a very focused Gaffney football team that was determined to turn their season around. (2) I saw a Gaffney offense that has a lot of weapons and can be very potent, if they cut out the turnovers and mistakes that plagued them the first three games. (3) I saw a defense that was very dominant, as they held Union County to 4 first downs and 12 yards rushing. (4) I saw a young Gaffney football team that has a ton of potential and will only get better and better as the season goes along.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 3 GAFFNEY @ UNION COUNTY PREVIEW

After Week 2 of the High School football season the Gaffney Indians have one win against other schools and two wins against themselves as they beat themselves with turnovers for a second consecutive week. The Tribe fell to Greenwood 10 to 7 to fall to 1 and 2 on the season. (The High School league won't let them count the two games they beat themselves in the win column). So we are to game 4 of the season for the Tribe as they travel down to Union County to face the old rival Yellow Jackets. Lets look at this weeks game.

Gaffney @ Union County

The Union County Yellow Jackets have been a little snake bit so far this season, as they lost a close game against Spartanburg in Week 1, as the Vikings had a late goal line stand to preserve a 27 to 19 win. Then in Week 2 the Jackets came out a little flat against Broome and dropped another close game 20 to 13. Which Yellow Jackets team will show up this week?

The Jackets have five starters returning on offense and seven returning on defense from last season when they finished strong and won their Region Title. They lost most of their offensive fire power from last season and they have changed their offense to the spread to try to capitalize on their team speed and athleticism. They have some young receivers that can really run and they have a QB Keiston Smith who can run it or throw it. The offensive line has pretty good size, but they are young. Their offense as a whole is very young.

The Union County defense should be their strength as they are led by Division 1 prospect DE Desmond Floyd. They also have an outstanding LB named Jordan Sims. So far through the first two games the defense has been a little inconsistent. The Jackets are a team like Gaffney that gets better as the season goes along.

The things that the Gaffney Indians need to do this week are NO TURNOVERS ON OFFENSE AND FORCE SOME TURNOVERS ON DEFENSE!! The Gaffney offense moved the ball very good last week against Greenwood as they put up almost 400 yards. Turnovers, penalties and bad clock management at the end of the first half cost them points. The QB DeEdward Burris was very sharp, as he completed passes to six different receivers and passed for 306 yards. They need to continue distributing the ball around to different players and try to improve the running game.

The Tribe's defense has played pretty well this season, considering the position the offense has put them in with the turnovers and the injuries that they have had, but they do need to tackle a little better and tighten up against the run. They have had a bend but not break mentality so far this season. They need to be more aggressive an try to force some turnovers. They still have some starters out on defense as DL Edward Bigbe is still out as is DB Snoop Byers.

Keys to the game for Union County..... (1) Come out with a lot of intensity and get their crowd in the game. (2) Score early to give their young offense some confidence. (3) Force the Gaffney offense to turn the ball over.

Keys to the game for Gaffney..... (1) DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER! (2) FORCE SOME TURNOVERS ON DEFENSE! (3) Tackle better on defense.

Game Prediction..... I see the Indians going on the road and playing their best game of the young season. Gaffney will come home with a much needed confidence building victory..... Gaffney 26 Union County 17

GO INDIANS!!!!!

Check out the Gaffney @ Union County Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.