GAFFNEY @ BOILING SPRINGS GAME RECAP

I was on my way down I-85 toward Boiling Springs Friday evening and it hit me like a ton of bricks, I am on my way to the first Gaffney game of the season. HARD TO BELIEVE! It was a great atmosphere for a High School football game. I have been to Boiling Springs to football games in the past and last night was the best atmosphere I have ever seen there. It turned out to be a very good High School football game. Gaffney won the game 21 to 14. Lets recap the game.

Gaffney @ Boiling Springs..... The game started with the Indians defense dominating the Boiling Springs offense. The defense was very physical and quick to the ball. On the Tribe's second possession of the game they moved the ball down the field and were stopped on forth down at the Boiling Springs 3 yard line. Missed scoring opportunity number one for the Tribe. The Gaffney defense continued it's dominance and the offense finally got on the scoreboard as QB DeEdward Burris found WR Quinshad Davis for a 39 yard TD down the sideline. That made the score 7 to 0 Indians with 10:45 left in the 2nd quarter. Later in the quarter Burris hit Khris Brown with another 39 yard pass down to the Bulldogs 18 yard line which would a few plays later lead to a 2 yard TD run by RB C.J. Miller and a 14 to 0 lead at halftime. The Tribe had very good field position in the 1st half, set up by their defensive dominance, but could only score twice. The defense held the Bulldogs to two first downs in the first half.

The second half started with Gaffney's offense looking very impressive as they moved down the field deep into Bulldog territory but a lost fumble after a run from Burris gave the possession back to Boiling Springs. Missed scoring opportunity number two for the Tribe. The Gaffney defense came up big one more time as they stopped the Bulldogs on a 4th and one at the Boiling Springs 39 yard line to set the offense up in great field position. Gaffney would make the Bulldogs pay as they would drive down the field and score on a 7 yard TD pass from Burris to Quinshad Davis. The score was 21 to o in favor of the Indians and some of the Bulldog non faithful started heading for the exits. This is the point in the game when the game started to turn. A lot of the Boiling Springs fans thought the game was over, a lot of the Gaffney fans thought the game was over and it looked as if the Gaffney players thought the game was over. Up until this point in the game the Gaffney defense had been dominating the Bulldogs offense as they had not even crossed midfield. The only ones in the stadium that thought the game was not over was the Bulldog's coaches and players as they got the ball on their next possession and drove it 16 plays and 76 yards for a 2 yard TD run by Hunter Cummins. That made the score 21 to 6 as the PAT was blocked. Then the play that really got the Bulldogs back in the game happened 9 seconds later as Cummins struck again when he intercepted a Burris pass and returned it 24 yards for a TD. With the two point conversion run by Tyler Leach the score was all of a sudden 21 to 14 with most of the 4th quarter left. The Indians would respond behind there Houdini like QB DeEdward Burris as he led the Tribe down the field with a couple of 1st downs and into Bulldogs territory. Burris would escape several potential tacklers on the drive, but the drive would stall after an intentional grounding call pushed the Tribe back across midfield. Gaffney punted the ball and the Bulldogs got it around their 33 yard line. Boiling Springs still had the momentum on their side and started driving down the field and into Indians territory. The Bulldogs would convert on two 4th down conversions to keep the drive alive and would drive all the way down to another 4th and goal at the Gaffney two yard line with 33 seconds left in the game. With 4th and goal and the game on the line Gaffney's Soph defensive lineman Tyquille Byars made the play of the game for the Gaffney defense as he stopped Bulldog's RB Tyler Leach a yard away from the endzone to preserve the Indians 21 to 14 victory. The win was the first of Head Coach Dan Jones' career. I am sure he will remember it from now on.

In a game that Gaffney dominated for three quarters and looked as if they were going to get an opening game blowout, the Indians survived and left Boiling Springs after a 21 to 14 victory and a 1 and 0 record to start the 2010 season. I saw a lot of potential for this years version of the Gaffney Indians but I also saw a lot of things that need to be improved upon. A win is a win whether it be pretty or ugly and I feel better this morning being 1 and 0 rather than 0 and 1. Lets bring on the next one on the schedule and see what happens.

Until next time when we preview game 2 against Dorman.