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!!!!!