MAULDIN @ GAFFNEY 2012 PREVIEW

I want to apologize to my Tribe Blitz followers whom I like to call Tribe Blitzers for not having a Gaffney @ Wade Hampton Preview last week. I had computer issues and could not publish the blog. Since the game was such an embarrassing debacle I am going to move on to a brief recap of the game and preview the Mauldin @ Gaffney game this week.

Gaffney @ Wade Hampton 2012 Recap..... I am going to be short and and to the point. GAFFNEY HAD AN INEXCUSABLE LOSS TO AN INFERIOR FOOTBALL TEAM IN WADE HAMPTON LAST FRIDAY NIGHT!! THEY LOST 17 TO 10!! IT WAS EMBARRASSING, UNCALLED FOR AND SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED!!

My View From The Stands..... (1) The Indians were not ready to play emotionally and it showed big time. I blame the players and the coaches for this. (2) It was the worst play calling I HAVE EVER SEEN!! (3) The coaches need to get off of their arrogant high horses and make some changes to shake things up! You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING!!! (4) The coaches and the players think they can win based on how they played last season AND THEY CAN'T! THIS IS NOT LAST YEARS TEAM!! (5) I still think this team has enough talent to be a pretty good team but, they have to start being held accountable if they are not getting the job done. (6) The players and coaches need to start remembering the Pride and Tradition that is Gaffney Indians football.

Mauldin @ Gaffney Preview..... The Mauldin Mavericks and the Gaffney Indians both come into this game with 3 and 3 overall records. They both come in with 1 and 1 records in Region 2 4A. The Mavericks have beaten Wade Hampton 64 to 37 and lost to Dorman 49 to 14. Gaffney has beaten Dorman 14 to 0 and lost to Wade Hampton 17 to 10.

The Mauldin offense has scored more points than any other team in Region 2 4A this season. They have scored 241 points for an average of 40.2 per game. They are led by their elusive and athletic QB Dre Massey. He can beat you with his legs as well as his arm. He will remind Gaffney fans of former Shrine Bowl QB DeEdward Burris who starred in Gaffney.

The Mauldin defense has had its problems stopping opposing offenses this season. They run a 4-2-5 defense that is very similar to Gaffney's.

It should be an interesting game for the Indians. We are looking for some line up changes with Shaq Davidson playing more at QB and some changes on the offensive line as well. We will probably see Hyleck Foster and Jo Jo McGill in the game together more often too. We might even see Sr. DBs Cobby McDowell  and OB Davidson some at WR. We might even see QB Luke Lancaster playing some at WR. The Indians not only have to deal with these personnel changes but, with the distractions of homecoming as well.

I think it is long over due for some changes by the Indians but, you know what they say, " It's better late than never".

The Tribe's defense needs to play inspired football and they must contain Mauldin QB Dre Massey in order to win this ball game. He went off two weeks ago against Wade Hampton and the Mavericks scored 64 on the same Generals defense that Gaffney struggled against last Friday night.

Game Prediction..... At times Gaffney struggles to focus on playing football on homecoming. They must focus Friday night because of the way they are playing right now. They are no gimme wins for Gaffney this year. They should be excited to start the game and they need to maintain it for the whole ball game because Mauldin would like nothing better than to come into The Reservation and beat the Indians on homecoming. I see the Indians bouncing back and getting a hard earned win..... Gaffney 28  Mauldin 20 

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney is 4 and 0 all time against the Mauldin Mavericks.

Until Next Time.

DORMAN @ GAFFNEY 2012 PREVIEW

The Tribe went into their Open Date with a disappointing 2 and 2 record. Hopefully they have fixed their problems and will actually look like a football team this week against Dorman. Let’s look at this match-up of Region 2 4A rivals as they meet at The Reservation in the first Region game of the 2012 season.

Dorman @ Gaffney

The Cavaliers come into this game with a 3 and 1 record. They had a very convincing win over Dutch Fork last week. They are led on offense by QB Trey Robinson. He is completing 77% of his passes this season and he is a very good runner. The Cavaliers have a very strong running game and a much better passing game than last year.

The Dorman defense runs a 3-4 scheme and are very fast and aggressive. They have the ability to put pressure on the QB and they force turnovers. 

The Tribe has worked very hard during their open date making adjustments from a technical standpoint. They have worked on correcting their mistakes in execution. They probably will not have many personel changes.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR….. I look for the Indians to play much better this week and I expect a capacity crowd at The Reservation Friday night.

Game Prediction….. The Cavaliers come in on a roll and the Indians come in with a lot of questions. I look for a better performance by the Tribe but, I look for them to come up short….. Dorman 24  Gaffney 21

Until Next Time.

YORK @ GAFFNEY 2012 REVIEW

INDIANS FALL HARD AGAIN!!

The Tribe fell to 0 and 2 at The Reservation this season falling to York 34 to 19. Penalties, turnovers, missed opportunities and a lack of execution doomed Gaffney Friday night. The Game was tied at 13 to 13 at the half only to have the Tribe to draw first blood in the 3rd quarter to go up 19 to 13. It should have been a sign of things to come, as they missed the PAT. Things went down hill from there for the Indians, as York out scored them 21 to 0 the rest of the way to leave Cherokee County with a big win over the Tribe and an unbeaten record. Gaffney falls to 2 and 2 on the season as they go into their open date.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I saw a very good effort from the Gaffney team Friday night but, they are still making way to many mistakes and they are not executing on offense. (2) I saw an offense still looking for an identity and a young defensive secondary struggling to make plays. (3) I saw a dominating performance from the Gaffney defensive front seven, as they forced five turnovers and had eight sacks. It was another dominant performance from Jaylin Miller with 4 sacks and several QB hurries. (4) I saw a Gaffney passing game that continues to struggle. It was their worst game of the season so far. QB Luke Lancaster went 9 for 28 for 147 yards and 2 INTs with 1 TD pass. I also saw receivers dropping passes, the QB not seeing open receivers and receivers running bad routes. (5) I saw Gaffney trying to be a running football team out of a shotgun spread offense. IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK!! To be a good running team out of the spread you have to have a threat of a passing game. WE DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!!

WHAT SHOULD GAFFNEY DO NEXT?

The team, coaches and fans can't panic and give up on the season. They're is still time to fix it and get better. I think the players and coaches need to be held accountable for what they are not doing. Instead of talking about fixing the problems DO IT! I also think they need to try someone else at QB. I think Luke Lancaster has the talent to be a good High School QB but, he needs to sit and watch and try to learn from his mistakes. The coaches need to coach better as well. Hopefully we will see a better product on the field next Friday night against Dorman.

GAFFNEY HAS OPEN DATE

Since the Indians opened the season in week 0 they have an open date this Friday night. In my opinion the open date has come at a good time so they can try to find some answers and regroup to get ready for the start of Region 2 4A play next week against Dorman at The Reservation.

Until Next Time.

YORK @ GAFFNEY WEEK 3 PREVIEW

INDIANS WIN A THRILLER IN UNION!! The Tribe won a game in the closing seconds for the first time in a while, as they escaped Union with a 28 to 21 victory over the Union County Yellow Jackets. The Tribe led 21 to 7 with about a minute and a half left in the game when Union County scored but, had their extra point blocked by Jaylin Miller and trailed 21 to 13. Union County would then recover the onsides kick and then score again in three plays and then got the two point conversion to tie the game at 21 to 21. The Tribe got a good kick off return from Hyleck Foster out to the Gaffney 44 yard line. With less than a minute left the Tribe went to work. After a running play, QB Luke Lancaster threw his best pass of the night when he connected with Eddie Studyvance in stride for a nice gain down to the Union County 21-yard line. After a short gain on a pass to Shaq Davidson, reserve RB JoJo McGill took a hand off which was suppose to go to the left to put the ball in the middle of the field to set up a possible game winning field goal but, he cut back to the right and got a great block from WR Bryce Spurlin and went in untouched for the game winning TD with 3 seconds left. The Tribe won a thriller 28 to 21 over Union County.

My View From The Stands..... (1) Gaffney DE Jaylin Miller had a dominating game against the Jackets. He had several tackles, batted down 6 passes, had 1 sack and blocked a PAT. (2) It was good to see life pumped back into the Union County program from new Head Coach Steve Tanneyhill. (3) I saw a tremendous game from Gaffney's reserve RB JoJo McGill, as he had 150 yards rushing and 2 TDs including the game winner with 3 seconds left. (4) I saw the best atmosphere for a Gaffney and Union game since the consolidation of the Union County schools.

YORK @ GAFFNEY PREVIEW

The York Cougars come into The Reservation unbeaten and confident and looking to knock off the Tribe. York has a new offensive coordinator whom has installed the spread offense that is very similar to Gaffney's. They are led on offense by their QB Spencer Carroll their coach's son. He has been starting since the 9th grade.

The Cougars strength is their strong and aggressive defense. They are experienced with 10 seniors starting. They play an aggressive 3-4 defense that thrives on forcing turnovers. They ran two INTs back for TDs last week against Boiling Springs and had another that they ran back deep into Bulldogs territory to set up another score.

The Indians need to continue to improve on offense and try to get the ball into their play makers hands. Try to get Foster and McGill on the field at the same time. Luke Lancaster needs to spread the ball around manage the game and not turn it over.

The Gaffney defense has looked better the past two weeks. They need to get even better and try to play with more intensity. They need another big game from Jaylin Miller and the others on the defensive front. Put pressure on Spencer Carroll and force some turnovers. Gaffney needs to improve on their kicking game.

Game Prediction..... I see the Cougars giving the Tribe all they want. The Reservation home crowd will be a factor and I see the Tribe getting the win..... Gaffney 24  York 17

Until Next Time.

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.