STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 2012 PREVIEW

BLACK FRIDAY FOR THE REBELS..... In the retail world Black Friday is a great thing but, it was a bad thing for the Byrnes Rebels last Friday, as the Tribe defeated the Rebels 21 to 19 to win the Upper State Championship. It was the second time that Gaffney had beaten Byrnes at The Reservation this season having defeated them 22 to 18 during the regular season.

The 1st half was a defensive battle, as both teams were held scoreless by the other teams defense. The Tribe did threaten to score a couple of times and missed a field goal. The 3rd quarter started with the Byrnes' defense holding Gaffney to a three and out. Byrnes got the ball in Gaffney territory and drove down and scored to go up 7 to 0. On Gaffney's next possession they were forced to punt and Byrnes blocked the punt and scooped upthe ball and scored another TD. With the Rebels up 13 to 0 midway in the 3rd quarter one of the key plays of the game for Gaffney occurred when Jaylin Miller blocked the extra point to keep the door open for Gaffney. The 3rd quarter ended with the Tribe behind 13 to 0. Early in the 4th Gaffney returned the favor by blocking a Byrnes punt giving them possession on the Rebels' 18-yard line. Hyleck Foster scored on the next play on an 18-yard run to cut the lead to 13 to 7. The Byrnes offense would get the ball back and lightning would strike again for Gaffney when O'Bryant Davidson intercepted a Shuler Bentley pass and returned it for a TD. The extra point by Victor Ramirez gave the Tribe their first lead of the game. The game had changed for the Tribe from a 13 to 0 deficit to a 14 to 13 lead in a span of 52 seconds. The Gaffney defense would force another punt and the Gaffney offense would drive 66-yards, all out of the Chop formation with Hyleck Foster getting chunks of yards and eventually scoring from 3-yards out to put Gaffney up 21 to 13. The Rebels would get the ball and drive down and score with 1 minute and 4 seconds left to cut the lead to 21 to 19. The Rebels needed a two point conversion to tie the game and send it to overtime but, Gaffney's O'Bryant Davidson deflected the pass and it fell incomplete. The Rebels would try the onside kick which was recovered by the Tribe and then Gaffney took two knees and they had survived to play in the State Championship game in Columbia on Saturday. FINAL SCORE GAFFNEY 21 BYRNES 19.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I witnessed probably the largest crowd at The New Reservation Friday night. (2) I saw the Indians overcome the adversity of being down 13 to 0 in the 4th quarter to beat Byrnes. Most teams would have folded their tent and went home with a loss. (3) I saw dominating performances from RB Hyleck Foster and DE Jaylin Miller. (4) I saw the Indians extend their home playoff winning streak to 41 in a row.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW

Dutch Fork vs Gaffney..... Both of these teams are playing their best football of the season at the right time. Gaffney started the season 3 and 3 but, they have won 8 games in a row heading into the showdown for the 4A Division 1 State Championship. Dutch Fork started 2 and 3 and they have won 9 in a row heading into this game. Both Gaffney and Dutch Fork come into this game with 11 and 3 records. Dutch Fork has a very balanced offense, as they average over 200 yards a game passing and rushing. They are led on offense by QB Derek Olenchuk, WR Jordan Berry, RB Matt Colburn and RB Trey Greg. They run a multiple offense with a lot of looks and motion. They like to utilize the TE and sometimes two of them at once. The Silver Foxes' defense possesses a huge defensive front but, their defense has been their teams weakness at times this season, as they have given up the big play.

The Indians need to use their speed to get to the outside of their big but slow defensive front. They need to do what they do best run the football and run some more. They also need to get some plays from the passing game. Gaffney needs big games from RB Hyleck Foster, RB Jo Jo McGill and QB Shaq Davidson. The Indians also need another huge game from their defense. There is a large number of the Gaffney players that remember the disappointment of losing the State Championship to Byrnes last season. Their experience of playing in this game could be a major factor. Two things Gaffney can't do is turn the ball over, as that was what doomed them last year in this game. The other thing is they can't have the mindset that they won the State Championship last week by beating Byrnes. Dutch Fork is a good football team that is playing their best ball of the season and they are capable of winning the game.

Game Prediction..... I look for a very good football game. Dutch Fork is a very good team but, I have a hard time seeing Gaffney lose this game after they were able to beat Byrnes twice this season. Their experience and defense will be the difference..... Gaffney 35  Dutch Fork 24

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney is trying to win their 17th State Championship and Dutch Fork is playing in their 1st State Championship Game.

Until Next Time.