I AM GETTING FOOTBALL FEVER!

Well it has been about 4 and 1/2 months since my last post on Tribe Blitz. My last post was on February 21st titled SHOCKER! SHOCKER! SHOCKER! I was in such shock after the Gaffney Indians lost in the 1st round of the basketball playoffs, to a lowly Byrnes team, that I had to take some time off to regroup mentally and emotionally. I did follow the Gaffney baseball team in the spring, but only attended one game. The Indians baseball team was a lot like the football team from last fall, they committed a lot of errors and beat themselves. They had a pretty good season and made the playoffs, but it could have been better if not for the physical and mental errors that finally cut their season short with an 0 and 2 record in the playoffs. So after the disappointing end to the baseball season, I took some more time off and the days and weeks kept going by. So here we are in the hot days of July and I am ready to get back into Gaffney Indians sports again, as I feel like I am recharged both mentally and emotionally. IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK!

Every year about this time I start getting a bad case of FOOTBALL FEVER. This year is no different, as I can feel my football fever rising with every passing day. I can't wait for practice to begin in a little less than three weeks. To start getting myself ready for the new Indians season, I have watched a couple of DVDs from past State Championship Seasons. Today I watched the 2006 Championship Game when Gaffney capped off an undefeated 15 and 0 season with a 45 to 0 drubbing of Irmo to win their 16th State Championship. If that don't get your football fever to go up there is something wrong. I have also been going over my notes that I made when I attended the Indians spring game back in May. You can't really tell a whole lot from spring games, but I did see several young players that look like they have play making ability. Especially on the offensive side of the ball with rising sophomore QB Luke Lancaster, sophomores Shaq Davidson and Hylek Foster at WR. Shaq Davidson also looked pretty good at QB as well. Hylek Foster also looked good at RB. Gaffney's Allstate WR Quinshad Davis did not play in the game because of foot surgery. Rising senior QB Joey Copeland looks like he is ready for his turn as the next great Gaffney QB. I believe it is his job to lose. Copeland looked good when he had the chance to play last season. The Gaffney defense is loaded with talent led by senior LB Savon Dukes, junior DE Jaylin Miller and senior DB Snoop Byers. Dukes is rated NO.1 LB in South Carolina by some recruiting services and Miller the NO.1 junior DE by some services. Quinshad Davis is rated the NO. 1 WR in South Carolina by some services. So now you can understand why my football fever is rising at an alarming rate. I can also feel the football fever of all Gaffney Indians fans going up as well. The Indians open the regular season in Week 0 of the season on August 19th hosting Boiling Springs.

In my next Tribe Blitz I will look at 5 questions that I want answered about this coming Gaffney season.

Until Next Time.

SHOCKER, SHOCKER,SHOCKER!!!

Here it is on Monday and I am still in shock with what I witnessed at The Burial Ground last Wednesday night. How did a 7 and 16 Byrnes team come into Gaffney's house and upset the defending State Champions? How did a BAD Byrnes team beat the best team in the state? How did Gaffney lose, in the first round of the playoffs, to a team they had already beaten twice during the regular season by an average of 27.5 points? If you will look back at my preview of this game you will see what I said. The only way Byrnes could stay in this game would be if the Gaffney Indians did not have their heads in the game mentally. You could see GAFFNEY WAS NOT MENTALLY READY TO PLAY THIS GAME! They were missing layups, free throws, not blocking out on rebounds and they were not playing with their usual defensive intensity. THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD JUST SHOW UP AND WIN! It was like the two teams switched uniforms after pregame warm ups. You have to give Byrnes some credit, they played the game of their lives. They were getting to the loose balls, the ball was bouncing their way all night long. As Gaffney's poor play kept them in the game, they did what they had to do to win the basketball game. As bad as the Tribe played they still had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds. Their Allstate Point Guard Dershawn Dawkins missed his second free throw with 6.7 seconds left, that would have given Gaffney a 3 point lead. Another thing I said in the Playoff preview, was free throw shooting could cost the Indians in a close game. IT DID IN DEED!! After the miss they let Byrnes get the rebound and dribble all the way through their defense, even though they had three fouls to give before they would put the Rebels into the one and one. The Rebels missed the off balanced shot, but they got the rebound and scored on a put back at the buzzer to force overtime. It was all Rebels in overtime, as the Indians were still in shock that this Byrnes team had taken them to overtime. The Rebels got the lead on a three pointer and they hit their free throws to get THE UPSET OF ALL UPSETS. The 7 and 16 Byrnes Rebels had shocked the High School basketball world, as they had upset the Defending State Champions and this season's favorite for the State Championship the Gaffney Indians by a score of 61 to 54 in overtime. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

My View From The Stands..... I came to this game expecting another Gaffney blowout. I came to this game expecting to see the Indians focused and ready to make another run to the State Championship. What I saw was my concerns coming true, they were not mentally ready to win the State Championship. The Tribe has not been mentally ready to win a State Championship since winning the Upwards Christmas Classic in dramatic fashion back in December. THEY GOT THE BIG HEAD! They peaked mentally after their dramatic Championship Game victory over Irmo. They were 12 and 0 and on top of the High School basketball world. Then they started listening to all of the praise that was being said about them. "They were unbeatable", "They were going undefeated" and " You might as well go ahead and give them the State Title now". After the Upwards Championship they went 10 and 3 the rest of the season. They looked like themselves at times, but they were not nearly as mentally sharp as they were the first twelve games. They played frustrated at times, when they usually face adversity with confidence. They end the season at 22 and 3 overall and 8 and 2 and Region 3 4A Champions. The future is bright for next season and beyond, as they are loaded with returning talent and young talent coming up from the JV team and the Middle Schools. It takes more than talent to win championships, as this years Gaffney Indians proved. As the returning players and fans think about what could have been, during the off season, maybe they will both be more mentally ready for a State Championship run next season.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Lady Indians fell to Greenwood 51 to 47 in overtime in the 2nd round of the girls 4A playoffs. The Lady Indians had a very good season as they finished as Co-Champions of Region 3 4A.

Bring on Baseball and Softball!

Until Next Time.

TRIBE ENDS SEASON AS REGION 3 4A CHAMPS

The Tribe ended the regular season as Region 3 4A Champions! They finished strong winning their last three games, after they were shocked at The Burial Ground by Lancaster 54 to 53. It was Gaffney's second loss to the Bruins this season. They followed up the Lancaster loss with road victories over Clover 70 to 62 and Northwestern 72 to 54. The Tribe then came home for the regular season finale and Senior Day against the rival Spartanburg Vikings. They rolled to their second victory over the Vikings this season 82 to 64. The Indians end the regular season with a 22 and 2 overall record and an 8 and 2 record and Champions of Region 3 4A. It is playoff time and the Tribe opens defense of their State Championship at home in The Burial Ground against Byrnes. Let's look at the first two playoff games.

Byrnes @ Gaffney..... The Rebels come into this 1st round playoff game with a 7 and 12 record and the Number 5 Seed out of Region 2 4A. The Tribe blew out the Rebels twice back in December by 37 and 18. It is a huge accomplishment for the Rebels to make the playoffs, as they won only one game last season. The Indians will be without key reserve Willy Smith, as he sits out a two game suspension for being ejected in the season finale against Spartanburg. Should the Indians win this game, it would be the upset of all upsets if they didn't, they will play the winner of J.L. Mann @ Westside on Saturday night at The Burial Ground.

My View From The Stands..... There is probably 8 to 10 teams that are legitimate threats to win the State Championship in 4A this season. The list is led by Gaffney and Irmo in the Upstate and Wando and Lexington in the Lowerstate. It is going to be a very tough and exciting 4A playoffs this season. Whomever wins the State Championship will have to earn it. Starting with the 2nd round through the finals there will be some monster match-ups. I still see Gaffney as the team to beat. The two keys for Gaffney to defend their Title will be (1) their mental approach and focus on each opponent. (2) Free throw shooting. If Gaffney plays the way they are capable I don't see anyone beating them.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Gaffney Lady Indians won their 1st round playoff game with Laurens on Tuesday night 46 to 31. The Lady Indians came into the playoffs as Co-Champions of Region 3 4A and the Number 2 seed out of Region 3. They Travel to play Greenwood on Friday night.

I will have another Tribe Blitz on Monday to recap this weeks playoff games and to look ahead to the next round.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS!!!!!

TRIBE ENDS JANUARY FIRST IN REGION 3 4A

The Tribe started the month of January in an unimpressive fashion going 3 and 1 after the holidays. They were in last place in Region 3 4A after their first Region game, a surprising loss at Lancaster. They followed up the Lancaster loss with another lackadaisical performance at Rock Hill, a game they did win 74 to 66. It appears that they have refocused, as their last four games in January have been more Gaffney like. They ended the month of January on a 5 game winning streak and they stand alone at the top of the Region 3 4A standings at 19 and 1 overall and 5 and 1 in the Region. Lets look at the last four games.

Gaffney @ Spartanburg..... On January 21st the Indians traveled over to play old rival Spartanburg. Less than a week earlier the Indians had lost at Lancaster. To make things even more interesting, Spartanburg beat Lancaster after Lancaster had beaten Gaffney. Was the balance of power changing in Region 3 4A ? NOT HARDLY! The Indians got a visit from former Indians great and current Minnesota Vikings WR Sidney Rice before the game. Rice would watch the Indians jump out to a 12 to 0 lead and never look back, as the Tribe made a statement with a 101 to 77 rout of the Vikings. Freshman phenom L.J. Peak led the Indians with 26 points and Sr. Willy Smith had 14.

Northwestern @ Gaffney..... The Tribe finally had a game at home in The Burial Ground. This was the first game at home since the championship game of the Substation II Holiday Invitational all the way back on December 21st. Northwestern came into the game a very hot team. IT DIDN'T MATTER, Gaffney ran out to 42 to 19 halftime lead and coasted in the 2nd half, as they built the lead to as many as 26 points. The Indians defeated the Trojans 80 to 58 behind 20 points from Jr. Quinshad Davis and 17 from Sr. Dershawn Dawkins.

Rock Hill @ Gaffney..... Three days after their 22 point win over Northwestern, the Tribe would pound the Rock Hill Bearcats by 22 points as well. The Indians defeated the taller Bearcats 84 to 62. L.J. Peak led a very balanced Gaffney offense with 13 points. The Indians had 12 players to score in this game.

Clover @ Gaffney..... So the Indians were back out on the floor less than 24 hours after their rout of Rock Hill, as they hosted a rescheduled game against Clover. This was a big game to close out the month of January, as both Clover and Gaffney came into this game with 4 and 1 records in Region 3 4A. Both teams only Region losses were to Lancaster. You had contrasting styles with Clover trying to keep the game a half court game and Gaffney with their pressure full court game. Clover was able to make it an ugly game, as they controlled tempo with their slow down offense and very good half court defense. The score was only 23 to 17 at the half. Gaffney was able to force a little faster tempo in the 2nd half, but missed easy shots and a lot of missed free throws kept Clover in the game. Clover was able to cut the Gaffney lead to 49 to 44 with less than a minute to play. The Tribe finally hit some free throws, as "Q" Shands hit two clutch free throws and Dershawn Dawkins hit four clutch free throws down the stretch to nail down the Tribe's 55 to 44 win. L.J. Peak led Gaffney with 16 points and he made some very big defensive plays down the stretch as well. This win puts Gaffney in sole possession of first place in Region 3 4A with a 5 and 1 Region record and they are 19 and 1 overall.

My View From The Stands..... It appears that the Indians have refocused after a mid season let down, as they have won five in a row heading down the stretch of the regular season. They are 5 and 1 in Region 3 4A play and Clover is sitting at 4 and 2 with Lancaster and Northwestern at 3 and 3. There are four Region games left in the season and if the Tribe can keep from getting the BIG HEAD they should be in good shape. Their are two things that I see the Indians need to improve on (1) FREE THROW SHOOTING! Some games they shoot them good and some they don't. IT COULD COST THEM IN A CLOSE GAME! Just look at the Lancaster game when they lost by five and they were only 10 of 24 from the free throw line. (2) DEFENSIVE INTENSITY! At times their defensive pressure looks a little lazy. Just look at the Spartanburg game, they gave up only 16 points to the Vikings in the 1st half but they gave up 61 in the 2nd half.

TRIBE FACTS..... Fifteen of Gaffney's nineteen wins have been by double digits.

Remaining Regular Season Schedule..... has the Tribe hosting Lancaster tonight, as they try to avenge their only loss of the season. Friday February 4th they travel to Clover for a key Region 3 game. On Tuesday February 8th they travel down to Northwestern for another key Region 3 battle. Then they come home to The Burial Ground on Friday February 11th to close the regular season with rival Spartanburg. If the Tribe plays like they can and the ball bounces the right way they should have the Region 3 Title wrapped up possibly by this weekend.

FORMER INDIAN UPDATE..... Gaffney's Donald Sims who played on the Indians' three peat State Championship teams of 2003, 2004 and 2005 has become Appalachian State's all time leading scorer.

GO INDIANS!!!

Until Next Time.

EARLY JANUARY BASKETBALL UPDATE

The Gaffney Indians rolled through their early season and holiday tournament schedule with a 12 an 0 record. So after Gaffney's championship in the Upwards Classic they have gone 3 and 1 and haven't been very impressive. Since the Upwards tournament the Tribe has beaten Boiling Springs 77 to 60, they beat them in early December by 58 points. From Boiling Springs they traveled down to Union County and beat the Jackets 70 to 59, they beat them by 56 points in mid December. Then the snow hit the state and their game at Rock Hill was postponed until January 19th and their game at Lancaster was rescheduled for January 15th. So the Tribe went down to Lancaster on Saturday afternoon and played a hard fought game with the Bruins and came home with their first loss of the season 67 to 62. Then they were supposed to have their first home game since December 21st, but the home game against Clover had to be rescheduled for January 29th because of Clover's exam schedule. So the Tribe was back out on the road, as they traveled down highway 5 to play their rescheduled game against a Rock Hill team that had been up and down with a 7 and 6 record. Gaffney won the game 74 to 66. The Gaffney Indians stand 15 and 1 and 1 and 1 in Region 3 4A play.

My View From The Stands..... I will tell you what I think is wrong with the Tribe right now. I expected them to be flat after their emotional Upwards Championship run. They also came out of the tournament with a couple of nagging injuries. The one player that they can not do without Dershawn Dawkins, the engine that runs the machine, has been hobbled with a foot injury since the Upwards tournament and Michael Wright has also been hobbled with a foot injury as well. So the first two games after the tournament was at two teams that they had already beaten by a total of 114 points. Then the snow came and they had the postponements and the rescheduled games. You also have to factor in they have not played at home at The Burial Ground since December 21st. You also have to factor in that they are the defending State Champs and they have a bullseye on their back and they will get everyone's best shot. During a basketball season teams go through stretches when they don't play their best. I remember last season when Gaffney lost a game to Fort Mill and it seem to help them refocus. They didn't lose again on their way to the State Championship. I am very confident that the Tribe will get it back together and I expect them to be back in Columbia defending their State Championship in March.

Schedule For The Week..... The Tribe is back on the road tonight at Spartanburg. They finally get to play at home next week as they host Northwestern on Tuesday January 25th and then Rock Hill on Friday the 28th and then their rescheduled game with Clover on the 29th.

Until Next Time.

HOLIDAY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT RECAP

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I had a very good holiday season celebrating with family and friends. I also saw some good holiday basketball. Lets recap the holiday basketball tournament action by the Gaffney Indians.

THE SUBSTATION II INVITATIONAL

The Gaffney Indians held their annual holiday tournament on Monday December 20th and Tuesday December 21st, at The Burial Ground. The Tribe blew out Woodruff 105 to 51 in their 1st round game. In the Championship game, the Tribe pounded the Chesnee Eagles 91 to 44. The Indians started pulling away from the Eagles about the midway point of the 2nd quarter and it was all Gaffney in the 2nd half. The teams that Gaffney played in this tournament were clearly outclassed by the Indians. The Tribe's Sr. PG Dershawn Dawkins was the Substation II Tournament MVP.

THE UPWARDS CLASSIC

The Indians would then play in the Upwards Classic at Dorman High School from December 27 thru December 30. This has quickly become one of the best holiday High School basketball tournaments in the southeast. You had some of the best High School basketball teams in the southeast participating. There were six states represented and Gaffney was one of four teams from South Carolina in the field.

Gaffney vs Carter (TN)..... The Tribe's first game was against Tennessee power Carter. The Indians did not shoot particularly well in this game, from the field or the free throw line, but their defense and depth wore down Carter and the Indians won going away 79 to 58. Michael Wright had a very good offensive game with 17 points.

Gaffney vs South Gwinnette (GA)..... In the 2nd round the Tribe played Georgia power South Gwinnette. The Indians played a pretty solid first half and led 38 to 26 at the half. The 2nd half was a different story, as Gaffney missed 16 of 22 free throws and also went cold from the field, but they held on to defeat South Gwinnette 57 to 55.

Gaffney vs Terry Sanford (NC)..... Gaffney's 2nd round win over South Gwinnette set up a 3rd round game with the tournament favorite Terry Sanford from Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Indians got off to a slow start, hitting only one field goal, in the 1st quarter and trailed 14 to 6 after one quarter. The Tribe's defense kept them in the game. From the start of the 2nd quarter till the end of the game, the Tribe took control of the game and out scored Terry Sanford 66 to 47 to win the game 72 to 61. Dershawn Dawkins took over the game in the 4th quarter for Gaffney.

Gaffney vs Irmo (SC)..... What a game the Championship game turned out to be. Irmo led by their Jr. PG Jordan Roper, who would score 43 points in the game, got off to a very hot start. They were hitting almost every thing they shot. They would lead by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Tribe would scratch and claw themselves back into the game by halftime, as they trailed by only 6 points. The 3rd quarter was much the same as the 1st half, as Irmo was still hot. The Indians would finally get their first lead of the game late in the 3rd quarter, by 2 points. Irmo would take control again and led by 6 points after 3 quarters. In the 4th quarter the Indians would make another run and get it down to 2 points. Behind Jordan Roper, Irmo stretched the lead back to 9 points with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game. The Tribe would trail 70 to 65 with 5 seconds left when Quinshad Davis hit a three pointer to cut the Irmo lead to 70 to 68 with 2.5 seconds left in the game. The Tribe then fouled Roper and he had a chance to put the game on ice if he could hit both free throws. Roper hit one of two free throws to give the Tribe a chance. So with 2.5 seconds left Irmo led 71 to 68. So Michael Wright (baseball pitcher) took the ball out of bounds, he throws a perfect pass 3/4 down the court to Quinshad Davis (football WR) he passes to FR. L.J. Peak who steps behind the three point line and drills a three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 71 to 71 forcing overtime. In the overtime the Tribe got the early lead, but Irmo came back and had a 84 to 83 lead with about 9 seconds left when Gaffney got the ball back. The Tribe would hurry the ball down court and Michael Wright missed a layup and L.J. Peak would tip the ball in at the buzzer to give the Tribe the victory, 85 to 84. What a basketball game! The Tribe ia 2010 Upwards Classic Champions. Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak were on the all tournament team and Dershawn Dawkins was the tournament MVP.

My View From The Stands..... The Gaffney vs Irmo Upwards Championship Game was the best High School basketball game I have ever seen. It had everything. It very well could be a State Championship Game preview.

Games this Week

The Indians have a record of 12 and 0 and a NO. 1 state ranking and they have games at Boiling Springs tonight and at Union County on Friday night. The Tribes game at Rock Hill scheduled for Tuesday next week has been rescheduled for Monday at Rock Hill.

Until Next Time.

BASKETBALL SEASON EARLY SEASON UPDATE

TOTAL DOMINATION BY THE TRIBE!

If the early season is any indication, this season's Gaffney boys basketball team is going to be great. The only close game has been their season opener at Dorman 51 to 46. The Cavaliers had already played four games and it was the season opener for the Indians. The Tribe then went into Byrnes and blew out the Rebels 104 to 67. The next game had the Tribe hosting the Boiling Springs Bulldogs, in their home opener, at The Burial Ground. They buried the Dogs 113 to 55. The next two games were the home rematches with Dorman and Byrnes. They defeated the Cavaliers 61 to 43 and the Rebels 84 to 67. Game number six, of the young season, had Union County coming to The Burial Ground and leaving with their stingers tucked between their legs, after a 111 to 55 Gaffney win.

The defending 4A State Champions are 6 and 0 and they have averaged beating their opponents 87.3 to 55.5. It has been TOTAL DOMINATION BY THE TRIBE! The Indians will host the Substation 2 Invitational at The Burial Ground on Monday and Tuesday, December the 20th and 21st. Teams in the field are Gaffney, Woodruff, Chesnee and Spartanburg Christian Academy. The Tribe will then take a break for Christmas before traveling over to Dorman on December 27, 28 and 29 for the Upwards Classic.

TRIBE NEWS..... The Cherokee County School Board has voted to make Dan Jones the permanent Head Football Coach and Mark Huff the permanent Athletic Director. They both had been the Interims, in those two jobs, since the resignation of Phil Strickland back in the spring of 2010.

TRIBE NEWS..... Gaffney QB DeEdward Burris played well in South Carolina's 42 to 10 victory over North Carolina in the 2010 Shrine Bowl of the Carolina's. Burris was 2 for 2 passing for 19 yards and a TD pass. He also had 16 yards rushing on four carries and two tackles on special teams. He showed that he is an outstanding athlete and would be a great signee for any college program.

This will be the final Tribe Blitz of 2010, we will be back after the holidays on January 5, 2011.

Until Next Time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!