GAFFNEY @ UNION COUNTY WEEK 2 PREVIEW

Gaffney @ Clinton Week 1 Recap..... The Tribe got a character building bounce back victory last Friday night against the Clinton Red Devils at Wilder Stadium in Clinton. The Tribe unleashed a very balanced offense rushing for 249 yards and three TDs and passing for 255 yards and three TDs. They used their 504 yards of total offense and strong defensive play to defeat the home standing Red Devils 41 to 7. Tribe QB Luke Lancaster passed 23 of 32 for 255 yards and 3 TDs two to Bryce Spurlin and one to Shaq Davidson. The Tribe also got a 15 carries 138 yards and one TD rushing performance from RB Hyleck Foster. The Gaffney offense had 29 first downs for the game.

The Gaffney defense was very impressive allowing only 211 yards and 7 points to the Clinton offense. They only allowed 11 first downs and picked off two passes.

My View From The Stands..... (1) It was my first trip to Clinton to see a football game. I thought Wilder Stadium was a pretty good facility. (2) I saw a Gaffney football team come out and play with more intensity and they executed much better than the previous week. They still have a way to go to get where they want to be in December. (3) I saw a rising star in the making in Soph DB Jaylin Sims, as he picked off a pass and made an amazing 99-yard return for a TD only to have it brought back out to the Clinton 30-yard line because of a penalty. Sims also had two punt returns for 85 yards.

Gaffney @ Union County Preview..... The excitement of the Gaffney and Union rivalry has been on life support the last ten years. It has been one sided in favor of Gaffney. The last seven meetings have all been routs in favor of Gaffney by an average score of 41 to7. Enter new Union County Head Coach Steve Tanneyhill who has energized the Union County community and has pumped new excitement into the Gaffney and Union County rivalry. The Tanneyhill led Yellow jackets already have an upset under their belts this season, as they beat Spartanburg last week.

The Union offense is led by SR. QB Keiston Smith who carved up the Spartanburg defense last week completing 21of 27 passes for 343 yards. They also have a lotof speed at the skill positions. The Jackets also showed they can run the football, as they rushed for 145 yards against the Vikings. You also have to look for the trick play from Tanneyhill, as he called a fake extra point, an onside kick and a fake punt last week.

The Union defense has depth on the defensive line but, they do have some questions on this side of the ball. They gave up 33 points to a Spartanburg offense that isn't that explosive.

The Gaffney offense looked a lot better last week against Clinton. They racked up 41 points and 504 yards total offense. They got big games from RB Hyleck Foster, QB Luke Lancaster, WR Bryce Spurlin and WR Shaq Davidson. The Tribe will need to improve even more this week because they will need to score some points against the Jackets.

The Gaffney defense played with more intensity, was more physical and tackled better last week. They will be tested this week and they will need to step it up another couple of notches.

Game Prediction..... I see this as a very exciting football game with the potential for a lot of points to be scored. The Yellow jackets will be fired up and the Indians must match their intensity. I think the difference will be the Gaffney defense..... Gaffney 35  Union County 21

TRIBE FACTS..... The last time Gaffney lost to Union was 2002 which was Joe Montgomery's last season as Gaffney's Head Coach. The score was 41 to 20.

Until Next Time.

GAFFNEY @ CLINTON WEEK 1 2012 PREVIEW

NORTHWESTERN @ GAFFNEY WEEK 0 RECAP..... What an embarrassing and disappointing opening to the 2012 football season for the Gaffney Indians. The Northwestern Trojans came into The Reservation and pounded the Tribe 49 to 19. They jumped out to a 28 to 7 lead at the half and never looked back. The Trojans avenged their 49 to 20 loss to Gaffney last season. Northwestern starts their season with a statement and the Tribe starts their season with questions of WHAT HAPPENED? The Tribe opens their season 0 and 1 for the first time since 2009.

My View From The Stands.....(1) What I saw last Friday night was a Gaffney team that WAS NOT READY TO PLAY EMOTIONALLY when they came on the field to start the game. The coaches didn't seam to be ready and neither did the fans! I believe the players were caught up in what the team did last season and they had the BIG HEAD and felt like all they had to do was show up and win. They took Northwestern lightly. (2) What I also saw was a team that appeared to be OUT OF SHAPE WITH THEIR CONDITIONING with all the players that had to be helped off the field with cramps. (3) I saw an offense that didn't execute and a defense that could not tackle. The special teams were even worse, as they gave up a long kickoff return to set up one TD, gave up another kickoff return for another TD, a 6-yard punt that set up another TD and we missed two PAT's. (4) There was no school on Friday so who knows what the players did that day. One thing was obvious, they did not get themselves ready to play a football game on Friday night. This is not acceptable anywhere especially in Gaffney. When you play football in Gaffney you have a responsibility to be ready to play football and give it your all.

GAFFNEY @ CLINTON PREVIEW..... Gaffney and Clinton are pride and tradition rich football towns. Both have numerous State Championships. They have not met on the football field since 1959. The Indians lead the all time series 3-1-1.

The Red Devils were State 3A Champs a couple of seasons ago but, they had a down year last season with a 4 and 7 record. They were a better football team than their record showed, as they lost all seven games by seven points or less. They are a football team that likes the power running game, as they probably run it about 85% of the time. They lull you to sleep and then they like to hit you with a big play with play action. They have a big and physical offensive line. Defensively they run a 4-2-5 which is very similar to Gaffney. They are a very disciplined defense that will fly around to the football. Two of their players play both sides of the ball.

The Indians need to learn from what they didn't do right last week and then put it behind them and not let it happen again. They had some bright spots last week, as WR Eddie Studyvance made an impact on offense and QB Luke Lancaster played well at times. They need to execute better on offense this week and get the ball to Shaq Davidson to help him get his confidence back.

The Gaffney defense needs to tackle better and play with more intensity. They need to force some turnovers and stop the run to force Clinton to pass.

Keys To The Game For Clinton.....(1) Establish their running game to take time off the clock. (2) Hit a couple of big plays in the passing game. (3) Force some turnovers.

Keys To The Game For Gaffney..... (1) The big key for Gaffney is to come out with intensity to play football. They need to be emotionally ready to play. (2) Execute on offense and get an early lead. (3) Hit some big plays on offense.

Game Prediction..... I really do expect the Indians to come out with a better effort this week. I look for them to execute better and tackle better. If they do these things they will take care of business and come back down I-26 with a win..... Gaffney 34  Clinton 14

Until Next Time.

NORTHWESTERN @ GAFFNEY WEEK 0 2012 PREVIEW

Tribe Blitz is back after a few months hiatus and it is time for SOME GAFFNEY INDIANS FOOTBALL! The Tribe had a great season in 2011 going 14 and 1 but, it ended in disappointment losing the State Title Game to Byrnes back in December. Some of the hurt from losing the Title Game to Byrnes went away when the Gaffney basketball team won the 2012 4A State Championship back in March. There will always be disappointment about the way the 2011 season ended but, we have to put it behind us and try to finish the job this season. We are hungry for Gaffney's 17th State Football Championship. It is finally football time again and the Tribe opens their 2012 football season Week 0 at The Reservation against Northwestern. Let's look at this match-up.

Northwestern @ Gaffney..... The Trojans and Indians were Region 3 rivals the last few seasons and they usually found themselves playing for the Region Championship. This season finds these two old rivals playing Week 0 as non region opponents. The Trojans, to their standard, had a disappointing record of 8 and 5 last season and they lost to the Tribe big at The Reservation.

The Trojans are led by Jr. QB Mason Rudolph and they have a group of athletic receivers in Mustaffa Love, Dupree Hart, Ahmad Dewese and Torrie Adams. They like to throw the ball all over the yard. The Trojans have a new defensive coordinator and will run a 3-3-5 defense and will probably blitz more than they have in the past.

The Tribe will be trying to replace the offensive firepower they lost with the graduation of QB Joey Copeland, Quinshad Davis and C. J. Miller. They will be starting a new QB in Jr. Luke Lancaster and they have a number of play makers back in RB Hyleck Foster, WR Shaq Davidson, WR Brandon Bevis, WR Bryce Spurlin and a new offensive weapon Eddie Studyvance. The Tribe will probably run the ball more this season and try to be more balanced. The Gaffney defense has the potential to be very dominant again this season. They have one of the best D-lines in the state. The line consist of DE Jaylin Miller, DE Rod Ogelsby, DT Ty Byars and DT Russell Hughes. The LB's are strong and led by Quan Weeks and Reco Smith. Sr. CB Cobby McDowell anchors the secondary. This has the potential of being a great game.

Game Prediction..... Both of these teams need to win this game for different reasons. Northwestern needs it to make a statement that last season was a fluke and they are back among the state's elite teams. Gaffney needs this game to help put the disappointment of the State Title game behind them for the players, coaches and fans. I see this as a very good early season showdown and the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. I see..... Gaffney 27  Northwestern 20

I will be posting a New Tribe Blitz every Friday morning at 10 AM throughout football season and a few others periodically through the season. I hope you enjoy and find them informative.

Until Next Time.