STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECAP (2011)

Turnovers Doom The Tribe!! The Gaffney Indians turned the ball over 4 TIMES, in the Title Game Saturday afternoon, at Clemson's Death Valley and fell to the Byrnes Rebels 31 to 24. It was a very disappointing performance by the Indians, as they fell short in their quest for a perfect dream season and a 17th State Championship. They end the season on a sour note and a 14 and 1 record.

The game couldn't have started any better for the Tribe, as they held Byrnes to a three and out and then they drove the ball impressively down the field and scored on a 11-yard pass from Copeland to C.J. Miller to take an early 7 to 0 lead. The Gaffney defense held Byrnes again and started another drive down the field and that is when the momentum of the game changed. The Tribe's Quinshad Davis caught a short pass from Copeland and was hit and he fumbled the ball and the Rebels recovered in Gaffney territory. The Gaffney defense stopped the Rebels and they lined up to kick a 47-yard field goal that turned out to be a fake when the ball was directly snapped to the kicker Kaleb Patterson and he ran for 15-yards and a first down at the Gaffney 17-yard line. A few plays later the Rebels scored on a 15-yard screen pass from Bentley to Akia Booker. The score was tied at 7 to 7 after the 1st quarter.

With the score tied at 7 in the 2nd quarter the Tribe turned it over for a second time when Copeland threw the ball right to Byrnes' Skip Barnes who raced untouched 31-yards for a TD. The Rebels led 14 to 7. The Tribe would bounce back, as they drove the ball 65-yards in 10 plays and scored on a 5-yard run by Copeland to tie the game at 14 t0 14. Later in the quarter the Rebels got the ball at the Gaffney 31-yard line after a short Gaffney punt. They moved down to the 5-yard line and had to settle for a 22-yard Kaleb Patterson field goal with 14 seconds left in the 1st half. The Rebels led 17 to 14 at halftime.

The 3rd quarter started with Gaffney driving down to the Byrnes 10-yard line. The big play in the drive was a 59-yard pass play from Copeland to Quinshad Davis down the Indians' sideline. The Byrnes' defense held the Tribe out of the end zone and they settled for a 32-yard Victor Ramirez field goal to tie the game up at 17 to 17. Byrnes would then put together their best drive of the game, as they drove 65-yards in 8 plays and scored on a 4-yard run by Shakeem Wharton to go up 24 to 17 wit about half the 3rd quarter left. The Tribe would come back with another drive down the field into Byrnes' territory only to have Copeland throw his second INT of the game. The 3rd quarter would end with Byrnes in the lead 24 to 17.

The Indians put together another drive into Byrnes territory only to have the most bizarre play of the season severely hurt their chances at victory. With Gaffney trailing 24 to 17 they faced a 4th and 1-yard at the Byrnes 44-yard line. QB Joey Copeland ran a quarterback sneak and appeared to pick up the first down, but all of a sudden Byrnes' Melvin Armstrong stripped Copeland of the football and came running out of the pile, while the Gaffney players did not know what was going on, and ran down the sideline 57-yards for a TD. Everyone thought that the play was over and the Indians had a first down. Copeland pleaded his case that his knee was down, the ref said no, the TD counted and the Tribe found themselves down 31 to 17 with about 9:00 minutes left in the game. So the forth and final turnover of the game for Gaffney was a killer. The Tribe was not finished, as they responded with a 5 play 81-yard drive and scored on a 54-yard pass from Copeland to Davis to cut the lead to 31 to 24 with 7:48 left in the game. The momentum was back on the Gaffney sideline. The defense stopped Byrnes and got the ball back for the offense with about 4:00 minutes left and was on the move again. The momentum was stopped when Byrnes Brandon Bailey was injured while tackling a Gaffney receiver at midfield. He was lying on the field motionless and unconscious and play was stopped for about 20 minutes while they put him on a board and carted him off the field. When play resumed the Tribe's drive was stalled and they turned the ball over on downs around the Byrnes 40-yard line. The defense would get the ball back for the offense with about a minute left in the game. Facing a 4th down at midfield, Copeland's pass to Davis went out of bounds, as he was calling for a hold from the Byrnes DB. The referee did not call it and the Rebels ran the final 30 seconds off the clock and they had shocked the Indians and the South Carolina High School football world with a 31 to 24 upset of the Indians.

My View From The Stands..... (1) I said going into this game and all season, that the only team that could beat the Gaffney Indians this season was the Gaffney Indians. They beat themselves with 4 TURNOVERS that Byrnes took advantage of. (2) The ball also bounced the Rebels way as well, as they put the ball on the ground three times and the ball bounced back to them and the two that Gaffney put on the ground bounced to them too. (3) The ball that they took from Copeland on the QB sneak, in the 4th quarter, was probably the most bizarre play that I have seen in a long time. It appeared from my vantage point that he was down and the Tribe had a 1st down. The Indians thought the play was over and before they knew what had happened they were running down the sideline with the ball foe a TD. (4) Of Byrnes 31 points, 21 was set up by Gaffney turnovers. They turned two of the turnovers, the interception in the 2nd quarter and the stripped fumble in the 4th, into points scored by their defense. If Gaffney don't turn the ball over they win by at least two TDs. (5) The Gaffney side of Death Valley was more than double the crowd of the Byrnes side.

FINAL GAME COMMENT

It was a very depressing end to Gaffney's great season and it was a great season even though they lost the Championship Game. It could have been a dream season with a win over Byrnes in the big game. It even got more depressing when I saw the final game stats. You will see what I am talking about in the Game Stats Summary section. The Tribe finished the season 14 and 1 and was ranked as high as Number 2 in the nation.

Game Stats Summary

First Downs Gaffney 24, Byrnes 12
Yards Rushing Gaffney 45, Byrnes 113
Yards Passing Gaffney 358, Byrnes 126
Total Yards Gaffney 403, Byrnes 239
Penalties Gaffney 5 for 40 yds, Byrnes 10 for 81 yds.
Turnovers Gaffney 4, Byrnes 0

Gaffney won the statistical battle by a large margin except the TURNOVERS. They were -4 in the turnover battle. YOU CAN SEE IN BLACK AND WHITE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS GAME WAS!

Individual Game Stats Summary

QB Joey Copeland was 26 of 44 for 358 yards and 2 TD passes and 2 INTs, 1 Rushing TD
WR Quinshad Davis had 8 catches for 184 yards and 1TD
WR Brandon Bevis had 6 catches for 47 yards
WR Ryan Frock had 5 catches for 58 yards
RB C.J. Miller had 30 yards rushing and 5 catches for 38 yards and 1 TD
K Victor Ramirez was 3 for 3 in PATs and had a 32 yard field goal

Tribe Blitz is going on a hiatus until after the holidays. You can look for my next post the first week of January.

Until Next Time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

GAFFNEY VS BYRNES STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (2011)

The Gaffney Indians defeated the Boiling Springs Bulldogs 35 to 7 and the Byrnes Rebels defeated Blythewood 31 to 0, to set up the highly anticipated match-up between the Indians and Rebels for the 4A Division 1 (Big 16) State Championship. The game will be played at Clemson's Death Valley at 3 PM on Saturday. Let's take a closer look at this HUGE GAME between hated rivals.

Gaffney vs Byrnes

The Byrnes Rebels come into this showdown 12 and 2 and riding a 10 game winning streak. The last team to beat the Rebels was the Tribe back in week 4 by a score of 35 to 13. The Rebels are led on offense by QB Shuler Bentley, WR Akia Booker and RB Shakeem Wharton. They have scored 642 points for an average of 45.9 per game.

The Rebels are led on defense by DL Rashad Dillard, DL Jamaal Johnson and DB Shane Samuels. They play a 3-3-5 on defense and they try to pressure the QB with their three down linemen. They have a boat load of sacks and the defense forces turnovers. The Rebels defense also scores points. The Byrnes kicking game is topnotch led by K Kaleb Patterson. Anytime they get within 50-yards they are a threat to score a field goal. They have given up 155 points for an average of 11.1 per game.

The Indians come into this game 14 and 0 and ranked Number 1 in the state and as high as Number 2 or 3 in the nation. As Tribe fans know, the offense is led by QB Joey Copeland with 42 TD passes and 25 rushing TDs, RB C.J. Miller with 1,065 yards rushing and 13 TDs and WR Quinshad Davis with 100 catches and 24 TDs. They have scored 686 points for an average of 49.0 per game.

The Indians are led on defense by DL Edward Bigby, DL Jaylin Miller, LB Quan Weeks, LB Savon Dukes, DB Snoop Byers and DB Cobby McDowell. They have given up 138 points for an average of 9.9 per game. The Gaffney kicking game has been good led by K Victor Ramirez.

Keys To The Game For Byrnes..... (1) Keep the Gaffney defense off balance by mixing up the run and the pass. (2) Get off to a fast start and make the Indians play from behind. (3) Put pressure on QB Joey Copeland. (4) Force some turnovers and score a TD on defense or special teams.

Keys To The Game For Gaffney..... (1) Do what Gaffney does offensively, try to be balanced and take what the defense gives them. (2) Get off to a fast start. (3) DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER. (4) Put pressure on QB Shuler Bentley and get him rattled.

Game Prediction..... The Tribe with 16 State Titles and Byrnes with 10 State Titles. It don't get any better. It is the third game in a row that Gaffney has to play a team that they have already beaten during the season. They beat both Dorman and Boiling Springs for the second time and the Byrnes Rebels are next..... Gaffney 28 Byrnes 17

You can catch my State Championship Game Recap on Monday.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS BRING THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK TO TITLETOWN!!!

BOILING SPRINGS @ GAFFNEY PLAYOFF RECAP

The Tribe Is Death Valley Bound, as they ran past Boiling Springs 35 to 7, for the Upper State Championship, Friday night at The Reservation. The Tribe's offense took what the Bulldogs defense gave them and leaned heavily on the run, as QB Joey Copeland scored on a 9-yard run in the 1st quarter to give them a 7 to 0 lead. The Tribe's defense was dominant and Gaffney led 7 to 0 after the 1st quarter.

The 2nd quarter had Gaffney scoring two more rushing TDs, an 8-yard run by C.J. Miller and a 3-yard run by Hyleck Foster. The Bulldogs threatened to score, but was turned away by the Tribe's defense. The score at the end of the 1st half was Gaffney 21 and Boiling Springs 0.

The 3rd quarter started with Gaffney having to punt on their first possession of the 2nd half. The Bulldogs would then put together their best drive of the game, as they went on a 13-play, 92-yard drive to cut the lead to 21 to 7. The TD was scored by Deon Burgess on a 2-yard run. The Bulldogs would then surprise the Indians with an onside kick that was successful. On the Bulldogs ensuing drive, the Indians intercepted the ball, but they fumbled the ball back to Boiling Springs on the return. The Tribe's defense came up big again and stopped the Boiling Springs offense giving the ball back to their offense. The Tribe couldn't move the ball and they lined up to punt the ball. This set up the weirdest of all plays to turn the momentum back in Gaffney's favor. The Bulldogs' Jake Dills blocked the punt in Gaffney territory, but the Indians' Snoop Byers scooped up the blocked punt and ran for an Indian 1st down at the Boiling Springs 43-yard line. The Tribe would finish off the drive with a 10-yard TD run by Copeland and a 28 to 7 lead after the 3rd quarter.

The Tribe started the 4th quarter with a three touchdown lead and with all the momentum on their side. They would put together one more TD drive which was finished off by a 3-yard run by Copeland. This was Copeland's third TD of the game. The defense kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard the rest of the way and the Tribe won the Upper State Championship Game 35 to 7 over the Bulldogs. It's on to Clemson's Death Valley for the 4A Division 1 State Championship Game against Byrnes.

Individual Game Stats Summary

QB Joey Copeland was 15 of 27 for 199 yards and 0 INTs, 52 yards rushing and 3 TDs
RB C.J. Miller had 16 carries for 135 yards rushing and 1 TD
RB/WR Hyleck Foster had 9 carries for 46 yards rushing and 1 TD, 2 catches
WR Quinshad Davis had 5 catches for 68 yards
WR Brandon Bevis had 3 catches for 25 yards
WR Ryan Frock had 4 catches for 53 yards

My View From The Stands..... (1) It appeared the Boiling Springs defense was keying to stop the Gaffney passing game. The Tribe's offense relied more on their running game, as they were taking what the defense was giving them. (2) The Tribe was balanced on offense with 199 yards passing and 233 yards rushing. (3) The Indians seemed to hit a little emotional lull starting the 3rd quarter with a 21 to 0 lead. (4) The onside kick by Boiling Springs seemed to surprise the Indians, but I told the guy next to me that I expected them to try it and they executed it to perfection.

It's on to Death Valley in Clemson for a rematch with Byrnes for the 4A Division 1 State Championship. Game time is 3 PM on Saturday. My State Championship Preview will be posted on Tribe Blitz on Friday afternoon.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 14 (2011) BOILING SPRINGS @ GAFFNEY

Round 2 of the Division 1 4A Playoffs went pretty much as expected. The favorites, to make it to the finals, both won big with Gaffney defeating Dorman 33 to3 and Byrnes defeating Summerville 56 to 20. The other two games had Boiling Springs pulling out a close 28 to 27 win over Dutch Fork and in the Cinderella Bowl 14 Seed Blythewood defeated 11 Seed Wando 13 to 8. At the start of this High School football season, I didn't see Boiling Springs and Blythewood being one win away from playing in the State Championship Game. Who did?

Boiling Springs @ Gaffney

The Bulldogs and Indians played way back in August in Week 0 and the Indians had their way with them 47 to 0. The Bulldogs have improved quiet a bit and so have the Indians. The Bulldogs are 10 and 3 on the season and finished 2nd in Region 2 4A. The Indians are 13 and 0 and are Region 3 4A Champions. This is the first time in Boiling Springs football history that they have made it to the State Semi-finals. This is the biggest football game ever for Boiling Springs.

The Boiling Springs offense is led by their very athletic QB Tyrecous Garrett. He is also a major weapon in the kicking game as well, as he ran a kickoff back 99-yards for a TD last week against Dutch Fork. They also have a strong runner at the RB position in Deon Burgess. Their bread and butter is their running game. They have scored 437 points this season for an average of 33.6 points per game. You throw away the first two games when they were shutout by Gaffney and Greenwood and their average is 39.7 per game. They do have a problem with turning the football over which could be a factor in this game. They are also a heavy penalized football team.

The Boiling Springs defense has gotten better as the season has rolled along. They also get penalized a lot with personal fouls that have cost them at times. For the season they have given up 286 points for an average of 22.0 per game. The bottom line is, against good football teams they give up points and against bad teams they don't.

The Gaffney offense continues to be explosive and efficient working like a well oiled machine. QB Joey Copeland has thrown for 42 TDs and rushed for 22 TDs and has completed almost 70% of his passes. WR Quinshad Davis has 93 catches with 24 TDs. RB C.J. Miller has rushed for over 900 yards and scored 12 TDs. For the season the Tribe has scored 651 points for an average of 50.1 per game. As all Gaffney fans and coaches and fans of teams we have played have figured out, the Indians are not a one man team.

The Gaffney defense had a dominating performance last week against Dorman. That has been the norm for them this season. They have been overshadowed by the offense for most of the season. Players like DL Jaylen Miller leads the team in sacks, LBs Quan Weeks and Savon Dukes lead the team in tackles and DB Cobby McDowell leads in INTs, DBs Marquise Brannon and Snoop Byers have had great years as well. The defense has given up 131 points on the season for an average of 10.1 per game. PRETTY DOMINATING IF YOU ASK ME!

Keys To The Game For Boiling Springs..... (1) They must control their nerves. None of their players have played in a game of this magnitude. (2) They MUST be able to run the football consistently. Running is how they move the football and it will shorten the game and keep Gaffney's offense off the field. (3) They CAN'T turn the ball over. (4) They can't have the stupid penalties that have plagued them at times this season.

Keys To The Game For Gaffney..... (1) DO NOT OVERLOOK THE BULLDOGS!! Come out focused on beating them. (2) Do not beat themselves with turnovers and penalties. (3) Do what Gaffney has done all season execute on offense and spread the ball around. (4) Take away the Bulldogs running game and make them have to beat you passing.

Game Prediction..... I look for this game to be a little closer than the Week 0 game. That game was over by halftime. I expect the Tribe to put the game away in the 2nd half..... Gaffney 42 Boiling Springs 14

TRIBE FACTS..... Joey Copeland needs 1 TD pass against Boiling Springs to break Kentrell Jones school record of 42 TD passes in a season. He tied it last week against Dorman.

You can check out my Boiling Springs @ Gaffney Recap on Monday due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Until Next Time.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM TRIBE BLITZ!!

DORMAN @ GAFFNEY RECAP (2011)

Defense Dominates Dorman, as the Indians roll past the Cavaliers. The Indians defense gave up a 58-yard drive to the Cavaliers and fell behind 3 to 0 early in the 1st quarter, but it was lights out the rest of the game. The Tribe got a 3-yard TD pass from Copeland to Davis to lead 6 to 3 after the 1st quarter.

The Tribe continued to dominate on defense and they got a 27-yard TD pass from Copeland to Davis to lead 12 to 3. Joey Copeland finally started to get in rhythm with his passes, as he was missing high on some throws and he also threw an INT. The high throws and the INT kept the Cavaliers in the game in the 1st half. The Tribe led 12 to 3 at halftime.

The Tribe started pulling away in the 3rd quarter, as they scored on a 1-yard run by Copeland to go up 19 to 3. Copeland also had another INT in the quarter, but the Gaffney defense shut the Cavaliers down and got the ball back. The Tribe led 19 to 3 after the 3rd quarter.

The Indians put the game away in the 4th quarter, as they scored two more TDs. Their first score of the quarter came on another 1-yard run by Copeland and they completed their scoring with a 12-yard run by Hyleck Foster. The Cavaliers never threatened to score against the dominating Gaffney defense after the 1st quarter. The Tribe won the game 33 to 3 and advanced to the Upperstate Championship Game on Thanksgiving Friday against Boiling Springs.

Game Stats Summary

First Downs Gaffney 24, Dorman 9
Yards Rushing Gaffney 149, Dorman 63
Yards Passing Gaffney 250, Dorman 59
Total Yards Gaffney 399, Dorman 122
Turnovers Gaffney 2, Dorman 2

Individual Game Stats Summary

QB Joey Copeland was 18 of 31 for 250 yards and 2 TD passes and 2 INTs, 63 yards rushing and 2 TDs
WR Quinshad Davis had 7 catches for 105 yards and 2 TDs
WR Brandon Bevis had 6 catches for 61 yards
WR Ryan Frock had 5 catches for 84 yards
RB C.J. Miller had 65 yards rushing
WR/RB Hyleck Foster had 17 yards rushing and 1 TD

My View From The Stands..... (1) Dorman fans failed to fill up the visitors side of The Reservation. (2) QB Joey Copeland was missing high with some passes in the 1st half. It looked like he may have been to pumped up for the game early. (3) The Gaffney defense recorded 6 sacks and they shut down Dorman stud RB Raymond Smith, as they held him to 58 yards on 17 carries. (4) It is usually tough to beat a good team twice in one season, but the Tribe beat the Cavaliers by 21 points back in week 1 and by 30 points Friday night.

The Tribe now gets to do what all High School teams want to do, they get to practice on Thanksgiving Day in preparation for their Upperstate Championship Game against Boiling Springs.

Until Next Time.

WEEK 13 (2011) DORMAN @ GAFFNEY

Round 1 of the 2011 4A Division 1 Playoffs are in the books. The Tribe won big over West Ashley 52 to 27, but they played the game with very little intensity. The only other game this season that the Tribe played with a lack of intensity was the Clover game. They won that game 55 to 3. So far even a lack of intensity can't stop the Tribe. Things start getting a little tough this week, as they face the Dorman Cavaliers for a second time this season. The Tribe won the first meeting 35 to 14 back in week 1 of the regular season. Let's look at this Round 2 Playoff Game.

Dorman @ Gaffney

The Cavaliers come into this game with a 7 and 5 overall record. They finished the regular season as the 3rd place team in Region 2 4A. They are the Number 9 seed in the Division 1 4A Playoffs and they defeated Number 8 seed Sumter 46 to 21, on the road, in Round 1. The Indians come into this game with a 12 and 0 overall record and they finished the regular season as Region 3 4A Champions. The Indians are the Number 1 seed in the Division 1 4A Playoffs.

The Dorman offense is led by RB Raymond Smith. He is their leading rusher with 188 carries for 1,788 yards and 30 TDs. He is also their leading receiver with 21 catches for 215 yards and 3 TDs. As Raymond Smith goes so goes the Dorman offense. Their QB is Trey Robinson and he has passed for 1,146 yards and 8 TDs. He also has 701 yards rushing and 5 TDs. The Cavaliers have scored 401 points for an average of 33.4 per game. They are averaging 263.2 yards per game rushing and 110.0 per game passing. So they are averaging 373.2 yards of total offense per game. They have a very strong running game and play-action passing game.

The Dorman defense is small, but they are very quick. They are led on defense by Ron Ogelsby, DeAndre Long and Sevelt Thompson. They have given up 190 points for an average of 15.8 per game. They are giving up 148.5 yards per game rushing and 106.6 yards per game passing. So they are giving up 255.1 yards per game in total offense.

The Gaffney offense continues to be led by QB Joey Copeland with 40 TD passes and 20 TD runs. He has thrown for 3,340 yards with a completion percentage of .690 and only 6 INTs.
He also has 508 yards rushing. WR Quinshad Davis has 86 catches for 1,644 yards and 22 TDs. They have also gotten very good production from WR Brandon Bevis with 37 catches and 4 TDs and WR Ryan Frock with 31 catches and 7 TDs. They are led in rushing by C.J. Miller with 840 yards and 12 TDs. Miller has also been productive in the passing game with 13 catches. The Tribe has scored 618 points for a per game average of 51.5. They have averaged 178.7 yards per game rushing and 309.4 yards per game passing. So the Tribe has averaged 488.1 yards per game in total offense.

The Gaffney defense continues to be dominant, as they are giving up an average of 232.0 yards per game in total offense. They are led by LBs Quan Weeks, Savon Dukes and DLs Jaylin Miller, Edward Bigby and DBs Snoop Byers, Cobby McDowell and Marquise Brannon. They have given up only 128 points for an average of 10.7 per game. The starting defense has only given up an average of 6.0 points per game. The defense has been sort of overshadowed by the powerful Gaffney offense.

Keys To The Game For Dorman..... (1) They must be able to run the football. That is what they do best. It will also help with time of possession in keeping the Gaffney offense off the field. (2) They must force some turnovers. (3) Make it a 4th quarter game. Gaffney has not had a game all season that was still in doubt in the 4th quarter.

Keys To The Game For Gaffney..... (1) They must contain Raymond Smith. They are not going to stop him, but they can't let him run wild and take over the game. (2) DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER!! They can't beat themselves with turnovers. (3) Play with the intensity and fire of a champion. They can't play flat like they did last week. (4) Execute on offense. The only team that can beat Gaffney is Gaffney.

Game Prediction..... This is Round 2 of the playoffs and Round 2 against Dorman this season. It is much more difficult to beat a team twice in a season. I see the Indians playing with the intensity that we are used to seeing and I see the Indians winning round 2 and advancing in a big way..... Gaffney 42 Dorman 14

TRIBE FACTS..... The Tribe is 7 and 2 against Dorman in the Division 1 Playoffs.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney's last playoff victory over Dorman was in 2005. Their last playoff game against the Cavaliers was a loss in the semi-finals in 2009.

You can check out my Dorman @ Gaffney Recap on Saturday.

Until Next Time.

WEST ASHLEY @ GAFFNEY RECAP (2011)

Even A Lack Of Intensity Can't Stop The Indians, as they pound West Ashley 52 to 27. They got two TD passes from Joey Copeland from 3-yards to Quinshad Davis and 30-yards to Ryan Frock to lead 14 to 0 after their first two possessions. The scores were set up by the Gaffney defense holding the Wildcats to two three and outs forcing two short punts and giving the offense a short field. The Wildcats put together a drive to eat up the remaining 6:50 off of the 1st quarter clock. The Tribe led 14 to 0 after the 1st quarter.

The 2nd quarter started with West Ashley capping their long drive with a 1-yard TD run by QB Karon Eady. The score was a surprising 14 to 7 early in the 2nd quarter. The Indians came right back down the field and scored on a 31-yard TD pass from Copeland to Davis. The Tribe's next possession ended with a Copeland TD run of 7-yards. They would then get a 30-yard yard field goal from Victor Ramirez to close their 1st half scoring. The Tribe scored on all five 1st half possessions to lead 31 to 7 at halftime.

The 3rd quarter started with the Tribe scoring, on their second possession, on a 2-yard run by Copeland to go up 38 to 7 with about half the quarter remaining. The intensity level really started to disappear for the Tribe at this point in the game. The Wildcats got a 56-yard TD pass from QB Thomas Woodhead to cut the lead to 38 to 13. The Indians ended the quarter with a 5-yard TD pass from Copeland to Frock and a 7-yard fumble return for a TD from LB Savon Dukes. The score after the 3rd quarter was 52 to 13 in favor of the Indians.

The 4th quarter started with Gaffney making wholesale substitutions. The Wildcats put a scoring drive together late in the quarter to make it 52 to 20. Then with a couple of minutes left in the game they got a pick six from David Campbell when he intercepted back-up QB Luke Lancaster to end the games scoring. The Final Score in Round 1 of the Division 1 4A playoffs was Gaffney 52 and West Ashley 27.

Game Stats Summary

First Downs Gaffney 21, West Ashley 15
Yards Rushing Gaffney 113, West Ashley 140
Yards Passing Gaffney 190, West Ashley 98
Total Yards Gaffney 303, West Ashley 238
Turnovers Gaffney 1, West Ashley 3

Individual Game Stats Summary

QB Joey Copeland was 19 of 24 for 188 yards and 4 TD passes, 40 yards rushing and 2 TDs.
RB C.J. Miller had 17 carries for 70 yards rushing, 3 catches for 15 yards.
WR Quinshad Davis had 8 catches for 99 yards and 2 TDs.
WR Ryan Frock had 3 catches for 42 yards and 2 TDs.
WR Brandon Bevis had 4 catches for 28 yards.
K Victor Ramirez had a 30 yard field goal.
LB Savon Dukes had a fumble recovery and return of 7 yards for 1 TD.

My View From The Stands..... (1) The intensity was not as good with the team, as it had been all season. (2) The Gaffney offense scored on their first five possessions of the game. (3) The offense was taking what the defense was giving them. The Wildcats defense was taking away the deep ball. (4) The intensity was not there with the fans as well. After winning the Region Championship, over rival Spartanburg, last week it is understandable that the team and fans would be a little flat playing a team you are suppose to beat handily.

It's on to Round 2 of the Playoffs next week, as the Tribe plays Dorman.

Until Next Time.