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!!!!!