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.

BASEBALL UPDATE NUMBER 2 (2012)

Tribe Slumping Down The Stretch..... as they have dropped 5 of 6 games to fall to 8 and 8 overall and 5 and 3 in Region 3 4A. This bad streak started when they lost a heart breaker at home to Region 3 leader Northwestern and continued through the Southeastern Baseball Classic in Hartsville, South Carolina where they lost 3 of 4 games. The Tribe limped home from their disappointing performance in Hartsville to host rival and State Runner-up Byrnes on Monday. The Rebels had their way with the Indians, winning 18 to 8.

What Is The Problem?..... The pitchers throwing strikes has been a big problem. The pitching staff only gave up eleven hits in the four games at the Southeastern Baseball Classic but, they lost 3 of 4. Their inability to win the close game has also been a problem. They are finding ways to loose games instead of finding ways to win them. They just didn't play well in the game against Byrnes.

Can They Salvage Their Season?..... They stand at 8 and 8 overall and 5 and 3 in Region 3 but, they still control their own destiny and can finish second in Region 3 4A with wins in their two remaining region games this week against Rock Hill on Tuesday and Spartanburg on Friday. Both games are at home at Commissioner's Field. If they split the two remaining games they will need some help to finish second.

My View From The Stands.....(1) I really expected this Gaffney team to win more games this season. They have a lot of talent. They just haven't gelled as a team. Ace pitcher Micheal Wright has not had the senior season on the mound that most people expected. They have lacked the ace pitcher to win the big game when they had to have it. (2) I do expect them to win their two remaining games this week and finish in second place in the Region 3 standings. (3) They can win a game or two in the playoffs but, I see their playoff run ending sooner rather than later.

Until Next Time.

BASEBALL UPDATE NUMBER 1 (2012)

The Gaffney Indians are off to a pretty good start to the 2012 baseball season. They currently have a record of 6 and 3 overall and 4 and 2 in Region 3 4A. They have beaten Boiling Springs and Dorman in non-region play and they also fell to Dorman as well.

The Tribe is currently sitting in second place in Region 3 4A with a 4 and 2 region record. They have beaten Spartanburg, Lancaster, and Clover twice in region play. Their region losses have been to Lancaster and Region 3 4A's first place team Northwestern.

The Tribe has had a pretty good week thus far this week with an 8 to 3 win over Dorman and a 9 to 3 region win over Lancaster. Both of these wins avenged losses earlier this season to the Cavaliers and Bruins. The Indians travel to Rock Hill to face the Rock Hill Bearcats, for the first time this season, on Friday March 30th. This is a region game that the Tribe needs to win to stay in contention for the Region Championship.

Standout Players So Far This Season..... have been Josh Tate on the mound, as he has a couple of wins. He has been a pleasant surprise this season. Micheal Wright of course, he is just now getting into pitching shape and will become the ace that everyone expects down the stretch heading toward the playoffs. He has already been a standout hitter for the Tribe getting key hit after key hit. Josh Mata has had a very good start to the season both handling the pitching staff and swinging the bat. Jaylin Miller, Bryce Spurlin, Ryan Frock and Clay McKowen have also swung the bat well for the Tribe in the early part of the season. Sophomore Luke Lancaster pitched a great ballgame against Dorman on Monday pitching a two hitter over five innings to get the win. Josh Sereno and Kellon Stanley have also played well at times for the Tribe.

Outlook For The Rest Of Season..... I really expect the Tribe to make a run for the Region 3 Championship. They need to keep winning and have some help to catch Northwestern. They could really be a dangerous team come playoff time.

TRIBE FACTS..... The Tribe has already won the Region 3 Championship in football and basketball this school year. If they can catch Northwestern they could get the Championship in all three major sports in the same school year for the first time.

The next Tribe Blitz blog will be on Monday April 9th.

Until Next Time.

4A BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (2012) RECAP

UNBELIEVABLE FINISH to the 4A State Championship Game! The Gaffney Indians are State Champions again! Another Title for Title Town,SC! The headlines in the area newspapers said "Drama in Columbia" and "Wow"! I couldn't have said it any better. There was tremendous Drama in Columbia and Wow what a finish. The Tribe defeated the Lexington Wildcats 58 to 55 in overtime to win the State Championship of 4A basketball. Let's recap this classic Championship game.

Lexington Wildcats vs Gaffney Indians..... The game started slow with both teams struggling to execute offensively. Both teams were playing very good defense and the score at the end of the 1st quarter was Gaffney 7 and Lexington 6. The score looked more like a football score than a basketball score.

The Tribe built an early 2nd quarter lead of 11 to 6 but, Lexington would end the quarter with a 9 to 3 run to lead by 15 to 14 at the half. Gaffney's L.J. Peak would only score 3 points in the 1st half.

The offensive production picked up in the 3rd quarter with Lexington outscoring Gaffney 18 to 16 to lead 33 to 30 after the 3rd quarter. Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak scored all of Gaffney's 3rd quarter points. Peak really came out being more aggressive in the 3rd quarter, with his jump shot not falling he was taking it to the hoop. Davis and Peak ended the 3rd quarter in foul trouble and Lexington's star Shaq Roland was also in some foul trouble. The foul trouble added to the dramatic finish to the game.

The Tribe trailed the entire 4th quarter until the waning seconds and were down by as much as seven points with 2:35 left to play. With the score 46 to 39, the Tribe started storming back behind some clutch baskets and their press causing a couple of turnovers. Gaffney cut the Lexington lead to 47 to 45 behind a couple of baskets by Peak and a couple of free throws by Kerry Williams. Then with 10.7 seconds left and Lexington leading 50 to 48, Gaffney's Quinshad Davis fouled Shaq Roland and it put Roland on the line for two shots and it fouled Davis out of the game. All Roland had to do was hit both free throws and Lexington probably wins the game but, he misses both free throws and then fouls Peak in frustration, as Peak was driving the ball passed half court with 7.1 seconds left. Peak calmly swished both free throws and the Tribe had tied the game up at 50 to 50. Another dramatic point in the game was the foul of Peak by Roland which sent Roland to the bench with his 5th foul. Lexington still had one last try to win the game in regulation, as Sam McDermott missed on a drive to the basket and also missed a put back by Nygel Gates as time expired in regulation. So we were headed to overtime tied at 50 to 50. We are also headed to overtime with Gaffney's Quinshad Davis having fouled out and Lexington's Shaq Roland had fouled out as well. Lexington's Sam McDermott also had an injury at the end of regulation.

The overtime started with Lexington going up 52 to 50 and then Gaffney got the lead for the first time since the 2nd quarter on an old fashioned three point play by Peak that put the Tribe up 53 to 52. Peak then added to the drama by fouling out with 2:48 left. Lexington went back in front 54 to 53 before the tribe got a basket and a free throw from Cobby McDowell and a free throw from Keenan Littlejohn to put Gaffney up 57 to 55. Gaffney's Kerry Williams then went to the line with the Tribe up 57 to 55 with 19.8 seconds left and made one of two to put Gaffney up 58 to 55. Lexington came down and tried to get off a three point shot but, had to call timeout with three seconds left. Lexington put three point specialist Sam McDermott back in the game and he tried an off balance three pointer that was missed and the Tribe had escaped with an unbelievable overtime victory 58 to 55 over Lexington.

My View From The Stands..... (1) It was a tremendous crowd in the Colonial Life Arena on Friday night. Gaffney had a great turnout as did Lexington. (2) There was an outstanding atmosphere for a tremendous basketball game. (3) If you would have told me that both Quinshad Davis and L.J. Peak would foul out and Micheal Wright would not score and Gaffney would win the ball game I would have thought you were crazy. (4) Davis and Peak were outstanding in the 2nd half before fouling out. (5) The Gaffney bench came up big late in the 4th quarter and overtime. (6) I have never seen a team handle adversity as well as this Gaffney team did this season. They just found a way to win ball games when things were stacked against them. (7) I saw 39 fouls called in this game. There were several questionable calls.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

L.J. Peak..... 22 points
Quinshad Davis..... 15 points
Kerry Williams..... 12 points
Cobby McDowell..... 6 points
Tee Smith..... 2 points
Keenan Littlejohn..... 1 point
Micheal Wright..... 0 points
Tee Hardy..... 0 points
Ron Best..... 0 points

The next edition of Tribe Blitz will be on April 1st.

Until Next Time.

4A BASKETBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW (2012)

The Gaffney Indians defeated Dorman 55 to 47 to win the Upper State Championship on Friday night at the Bilo Center in Greenville. The Lexington Wildcats defeated Aiken 44 to 36 to win the Lower State Championship on Friday night at the Florence Civic Center in Florence. This sets up a rematch of the 2010 4A State Championship Basketball Game between Gaffney and Lexington. The Gaffney Indians defeated the Lexington Wildcats 71 to 57 to win the 2010 State Championship. Let's preview the 2012 State Championship Game between Gaffney and Lexington.

Lexington vs Gaffney..... Lexington comes into this game on a roll. They have won 14 games in a row and they have an overall record of 25 and 5. They are coached by their longtime Head Coach Bailey Harris. He is considered one of the best coaches in South Carolina High School basketball. He has won a State Championship. The Wildcats are led by 2011's Mr. Football winner Shaq Roland. He was a starter and leading scorer on the 2010 Wildcats that lost to Gaffney in the State Championship Game. Roland not only excels on the football field he is a tremendous basketball player as well. He averaged 17.7 points per game this season. For the season the Wildcats averaged 67.0 points per game and they have given up an average of 50.4 points per game. To get to this State Championship Game they have beaten Ridge View 75 to 47, West Ashley 61 to 51, White Knoll 56 to 43 and Aiken 44 to 36 to win the Lower State Championship. During their playoff run the Wildcats have averaged 59.0 points per game and they have given up an average of 44.3 points per game. They have played good defense all season and they have kicked it up a notch in the playoffs.

Gaffney also comes into this game on a roll having won 16 of 17 games after a 6 and 4 start. They have an overall record of 22 and 5. Gaffney is coached by arguably the best High School basketball coach in the state of South Carolina Mark Huff. Coach Huff's record speaks for itself, as he has won four State Championships at Gaffney. The Indians became the only 4A team in South Carolina basketball history to win three consecutive State Championships from 2003 thru 2005 . The Indians had an 81 and 3 record during their three-peat seasons. Coach Huff also has another State Championship while at Southside High School. He also has a State Runner-up at Gaffney in 2009. He is going for his 5th State Championship at Gaffney and sixth overall. The Indians are led by sophomore sensation L.J. Peak with an average of 17.8 per game. Senior Quinshad Davis has averaged 11.7 per game and has really stepped up his game during the playoffs. Davis and fellow senior Micheal Wright have really shown a lot of senior leadership and they have made clutch play after clutch play during the Indians playoff run. For the season the Tribe has averaged 68.4 points per game and they have given up an average of 55.4 points per game. They have beaten Mauldin 83 to 40, Easley 81 to 77, Irmo 59 to 58 and Dorman 55 to 47 to win the Upper State Championship. During their playoff run they have averaged 69.5 points per game and they have given up an average of 55.5 points per game. The Tribe has shown a very good ability to overcome adversity and win close ball games all season and especially during the playoffs.

I look for this to be another fantastic basketball game. Two story lines to keep in mind during this game is Lexington losing to Gaffney two seasons ago in the State Championship Game and the rivalry between Quinshad Davis of Gaffney and Shaq Roland of Lexington. Davis defeated Roland in the basketball State Championship in 2010 and Roland beat out Quinshad Davis for the Mr. Football award back in the fall. Davis failed to get a football ring in the fall and he would like to keep Roland from getting a ring and he wants his second one before he goes off to Chapel Hill in the fall to play football for North Carolina.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney is a football school and has 16 State Championships. They also have 5 basketball State Championships and they are going for number 6 on Friday night.

You can look for my State Championship Game Recap on Monday March 5th.

Until Next Time.

GO INDIANS AND BRING THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK TO TITLE TOWN!!