WEEK 1 DORMAN @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

We have made it to Week 1 of the High School football season and we have the biggest game in the state at The Reservation on Friday night as the defending Division 1 4A Champions the Dorman Cavaliers are coming to take on the Tribe. The Indians are fresh off of their Week 0 victory over the Boiling Springs Bulldogs by a score of 21 to 14. The Cavaliers played in a jamboree last week and this is their season opener. There are a lot of coaches out there that says that a team improves more from game one to game two than at any other time during the season. The Tribe needs to make major strides this week to play with the Cavaliers and have a chance to defeat them. So lets look at the game and see what the keys will be for Gaffney to pull off the upset.

Dorman @ Gaffney..... The Cavaliers have won the last three meetings in this series including two games last season. The Cavaliers have a potentially lethal offense with arguably the top wide receiving tandem in the state led by Sr. Charone Peake who is 6'4" 194 lbs. and is rated as the No. 12 prospect on the ESPNU 150 list and a 5 star rating. The Cavaliers have suffered some injuries during the preseason especially at the QB position where they have had to rotate some guys in. Reports have said this week that starting QB Nelson Hughes might play some Friday night. Defensively the Cavaliers return only three starters from their dominating defense that led them to the State Championship last season. The Cavaliers defense is very fast and swarm to the ball very well, but they are smaller than they were last season.

The Indians have probably the most elusive QB in the state in Sr. DeEdward Burris. The Indians also have a very talented wide receiving tandem of their own in Jr. Quinshad Davis and Sr. Khris Brown. Like the Cavaliers the Indians have been plagued by injuries during the preseason, most notably on the defensive side of the ball. The Tribe was without four starters last week against Boiling Springs and had some players banged up and several players suffered from cramps. The Indians are extremely young on defense as they could start as many as seven sophomores. Some good news for Gaffney is they should get Jr. DL Edward Bigby and their top CB Jr. Snoop Byers back to play some this week. That should help with depth.

Keys to the Game for Dorman.....(1) Find a QB to get the ball to their talented wide receivers. (2) Keep there opening game mistakes to a minimum. (3) Put the ball in Charone Peake's hands as much as possible. (4) The Cavaliers defense needs to keep DeEdward Burris in the pocket to keep him from making big plays off of the scramble.

Keys to the Game for Gaffney..... (1) The Tribe's defensive front must put pressure on which ever Dorman QB in in the game. (2) The Tribe must keep their key players on the field, no more cramps. (3) They have to do a better job against the Wildcat formation which has killed them the last two seasons against Dorman. (4) They are not going to stop Charone Peake but they need to contain him and not let him take the game over. (5) The offense needs to put some points on the board early to gain some confidence against these guys, as they have been shut out two of the last games against them. (6)They must take care of the football and not give Dorman a short field.

Game Prediction..... The Indians will play well but come up a little short..... Dorman 17 Gaffney 13

GO INDIANS BEAT THE CAVALIERS!!!!

Until Next Time.

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.

WEEK 0 GAFFNEY @ BOILING SPRINGS PREVIEW

Here we are in the third week of August and we are very much looking forward to the opening game of the season for the Gaffney High School Indians. Normally we are getting ready for the Jamboree at The Reservation on the third Friday of August, but this year we are getting ready for the first regular season game of the 2010 High School football season. The Indians open with a Week 0 match-up against the Boiling Springs Bulldogs in Boiling Springs. I am ready for the season, the players are ready for the season and the many Gaffney fans are ready for the season to get underway. It will be very interesting to see how the coaching changes at Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator and at the top with Head Coach Dan Jones will effect the Tribe this season. One thing is for sure, the Tribe is loaded with talent and it should be very exciting. So lets take a closer look at Fridays season opener with the Bulldogs.

Week 0 Gaffney @ Boiling Springs..... The Indians were 10 and 4 last season and advanced to the Upperstate Championship before losing to eventual State Champion Dorman. The Tribe returns 6 offensive starters and 5 defensive starters from last years team. The strengths for Gaffney will be the return of all everything Sr. QB DeEdward Burris and a strong and talented defensive line led by Soph. DE Jaylen Miller. The weaknesses for the Indians will be the youth at certain positions on defense and the kicking game. The Indians will be missing four key defensive starters for the game because of injuries. The Indians will be without their top Cornerback Jr. Snoop Byers, two off of their talented defensive line Jr. Edward Bigby, Soph Rod Ogelsby and Soph. LB Quan Weeks.

The Boiling Springs Bulldogs were 8 and 3 last season but were ineligible for the playoffs. The Dogs return 5 offensive starters and 6 defensive starters from last years team. The strengths for Boiling Springs are their offensive line with 4 starters returning and their defense. The weaknesses for the Dogs will be the inexperience at the skill positions on offense especially at QB where they have to replace Shrine Bowler Dylan Thompson who is at the University of South Carolina. Top players for Boiling Springs this season are Sr. DE Taylor Anderson, Sr. CB Kody Nelson and Sr. RB Tyler Leach.

The Indians and Bulldogs have not played since the 2007 season. The last five meetings between the two teams the Indians have won big. Past history has shown that the Bulldogs usually get up for Gaffney and play them tough. With the season starting early for both teams I see the mistakes being more than usual for both teams. The defenses will be ahead of the offenses and mistakes will lead to some scoring opportunities. I see the Indians QB DeEdward Burris being the difference as Gaffney finds away to win the game..... Gaffney 19 Boiling Springs 10

GO INDIANS!!!

Until Next Time.

WHAT IS THAT SMELL IN THE AIR?

I have been enjoying life and trying to stay cool during this hot and humid summer.. We just got back from a vacation to Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago. Every since we got back to Gaffney, I have been smelling something in the air and I have been trying to figure out what it is. It finally hit me that it is the smell of GAFFNEY INDIANS FOOTBALL! Yes it is that time of the year again, FOOTBALL TIME! Yesterday I went to Gaffney High School and purchased my season tickets and you could really smell football in the air. Yesterday morning was the first day of full contact drills for this years edition of the Gaffney Indians. I stayed and watched the morning workout and it made my blood start pumping. IT MADE ME PRETTY DANG EXCITED! What I would like to do on Tribe Blitz today is share a poem that I wrote a few years back that should get your blood to pumping and get you PRETTY DANG EXCITED about the start of football season.

FOOTBALL IS KING

There is a small southern town
that lives for the season of fall,
it means one thing to them
it's time for their beloved football.

The pride and tradition of their
mighty team is second to none, the hard work and desire of the
players and coaches makes the game fun.

The town is so proud of the many
championships the team has won,
and you can be assured they will
give it another good run.

On football Friday nights loud
and loyal fans fill up the seats,
to cheer for their gallant team
in victory or defeat.

As you hear the teams fight song
that the many fans will sing,
this can only be Gaffney
the town where football is king.


GO INDIANS!!!!!!

Until Next Time.

COACHING SEARCH UPDATE

Well we are in the 2nd week of June and the Gaffney Indians are still without a full time Head Football Coach and Athletic Director. We are about six weeks away from the start of preseason practice. As much as I would like for Gaffney to get a big name coach that might be the next Vince Lombardi or Joe Paterno or even John McKissick, the best thing for the Gaffney football program at this late date would be to keep Interim Head Coach Dan Jones through the 2010 season. There is noway that they can bring in someone from outside the program and make the necessary offensive and defensive system changes that a new coach would want to install. I say let Interim Head Coach Dan Jones keep the Interim tag through this coming season and let him audition for the job. He knows the players, the offensive and the defensive systems very well. He is well liked and respected by the players and fans. It would not be fair to the players, coaches and fans of the Indians to go into next season with their gun half loaded with a new system. If Coach Jones does a good job and the Indians have a successful 2010 season and he wants the job and the School Administration thinks he is the one for the job, take away the Interim tag and make him the permanent Head Coach. If things don't work out this season, then you have more time to search for the right coach for the Tribe. The last time that the Tribe went into the season with an interim Head Coach was 1980 when A.L. Curtis took over on an interim basis. Curtis would lead the Indians to a 10 and 2 record and was given the full time Head Coach position after the season and had a very successful run as he was the Tribe's Head Coach until the summer of 1990. So lets do the right thing for everyone, keep Dan Jones as the Interim Head Coach for 2010 and see what happens.

Until Next Time.

HEAD COACH POSSIBILITIES

Here we are a little more than two weeks after the shocking resignation of Gaffney Head Coach Phil Strickland. There are numerous names floating around about who will be the new commander-in-chief of the most storied high school football program in the state of South Carolina. The hiring of the Head Football Coach in Gaffney is a very big deal. To most people, in Gaffney, it probably means more who the Head Football Coach is rather than who the Mayor is. There will be a lot of interest in the Indians Head Coaching position, as they have already received as many as a dozen or so resumes and the job has just officially been posted as open by the School District. I would like to look at some names that I think the search committee should look at and at least contact to see how much interest there might be by both parties.

1) Doc Davis..... the longtime Head Coach at Spartanburg High School where he won five State Championships in 18 years. He has been the Head Coach at the new Ashley Ridge High School near Summerville the past two seasons. Davis recently announced his retirement a couple of months back, but has said that the Gaffney job is one of the very few that he might come out of retirement for. He would never say it, but you know he would like to have the opportunity to beat Spartanburg, after they gave him the shaft three years ago that led to his resignation. I say talk to him and see if there is a fit for him in Gaffney.

2) Chris Miller or Bobby Bentley at Byrnes..... you ask why would they want to leave Byrnes where they have had the most successful run for the past decade than any High School Football team in South Carolina history? The answer is, to many Head Coaches at the same school. Chris Miller is technically the Head Coach, but he has Bobby Bentley the coach that built the Byrnes program into what it is today looking over his shoulder. At some point this will cause problems. How long does Miller want to stay at Byrnes with Bentley looking over his shoulder? How long will Bentley's ego allow him to not be the man fully in charge of the Rebels football program? I say talk to both, to see if either one has any interest in coming to Gaffney.

3) Doug Shaw at Mauldin..... would be a very good coach to talk to as well. He is the son of former longtime Head Coach at Myrtle Beach High School Doug Shaw Sr. He has won everywhere he has been including winning 9 games at Mauldin High School last season. Mauldin is a very hard place to win, as it is in Greenville County and they have virtually no football tradition. What could Doug Shaw do at a school with the tradition that Gaffney High School has? I think pretty good. I say contact him and see if there might be a fit.

4) Steve Tanneyhill at Chesterfield..... would be a very interesting coach to consider. He has done a spectacular job at resurrecting the football program at 1A Chesterfield High School. He has had the Rams in the State Championship Game the last four seasons, winning the last three. He is a very good football coach and I really think he would be a good fit for Gaffney. The problem with Steve Tanneyhill is, he does not have a teaching certificate. I say it would be worth the Gaffney search committee's time to talk to him and see if something could be worked out.

5) Allen Sitterle at Lexington..... would be another interesting coach to consider. He was the coach that Gaffney fans loved to hate when he was at Spartanburg High School back in the 80's. He was also at Daniel High School for several seasons and won State Championships while there. He has won everywhere he has been and he is doing a very good job turning around the Lexington program. I say talk to him and see if there is a fit.

6) Dan Jones the current Interim Head Coach at Gaffney..... would be the best choice if they decide to promote from within. He is a Gaffney native and has done a very good job as Defensive Coordinator at Gaffney under Phil Strickland. He has been a very big part of Gaffney's success of winning State Championships the last several seasons. He is well liked by the team and is very knowledgeable on the offensive and defensive schemes that Gaffney wants to run. The time of the Strickland resignation also makes him a very good candidate, because bringing in someone from outside could pose problems with changing of coaching philosophies with the start of preseason practice just a little over two months away. I say talk to him and see if he might be the man for the job.

This Gaffney coaching search is going to be very interesting to follow and Tribe Blitz will be there to follow it with you.

Until Next Time.

FRUSTRATED PHIL STRICKLAND WALKS AWAY

"I'm tired of beating my head against the wall." This is what Former Gaffney High Head Coach Phil Strickland said on Tuesday following his resignation from his job as Athletic Director and Head Coach of the Gaffney High School Indians. Coach Strickland also said, "This job here in Gaffney should be the best high school job in South Carolina, and in some ways, it is. I love the people here, the kids, the fans, but things could be a lot, lot better in other areas." Coach Strickland would not throw stones or talk specifics when he said these things, because he is to classy for that, but we all know what a lot of the problems are, Don't we? As it has been well documented that Strickland and certain members of the Cherokee County School Board have not seen eye-to-eye the past few years, especially since the construction of the new Reservation football stadium. The truth is that, Coach Phil Strickland has been on the School Boards "Hit List" ever since the controversy over the new GHS stadium a few years ago. Some of the School Board members did not like it when Coach Strickland and his wife Debbie, stood up at a public school board meeting and spoke against the board's excuses and repeated delays that eventually resulted in a lesser stadium that wound up costing more money. It is obvious who screwed up that decision, ISN'T IT? The School Board members can probably still hear the loud chorus of "BOO'S" that they received from the Gaffney fans following the State Championship game in Columbia when they were introduced. There has also been at least two of the School Board members conducting a campaign against Phil Strickland for not re-designating the reserved seating assignments at the new stadium, reportedly because a handful of their friends wanted "better" seats. As for Phil Strickland, there has been numerous bumps along his path over the past few years. For the most part, he has kept his mouth shut and negotiated his way around them. On Tuesday, however, he had had enough. Phil Strickland had intended to stay in Gaffney, as he had already signed his contract for next year. Phil Strickland is a very good football coach, a good person and a class act that cares about his players, coaches and the fans of Gaffney High School. PHIL STRICKLAND DID NOT DESERVE TO BE TREATED THIS WAY! That is more than we can say about the majority of the Cherokee County School Board. The board cares only about themselves and the politics, not the kids and their teachers. If anyone should be leaving it should be the School Board not a great man and coach like Phil Strickland. As parents and fans of Gaffney High School, lets do something about this School Board. Lets go to the polls and vote these people out of office!!!

Until Next Time.