S.C. Week One Schedule

WEEK 1
Games at 7:30 p.m. unless noted

Thursday’s Games

Blackville-Hilda at Keenan
Eastside at Riverside
Greer at Rock Hill
Woodruff at Greenville
Hardeeville at A.E. Beach

Friday’s Games

Aiken at Silver Bluff
Airport at Brookland-Cayce
Andrew Jackson at Lancaster
Ashley Ridge at Cane Bay
Baptist Hill at Stall
Batesburg-Leesville at Lexington
Battery Creek at Estill
Beaufort at Hilton Head
Belton-Honea Path at Laurens
Berea at Carolina Academy
Bethune-Bowman at North
Boiling Springs at Greenwood
Bluffton at Ridgeland
Broome at York
Buford at Indian Land
Camden at Ware Shoals
Chapman at Seneca
Chester at Lewisville
Chesterfield at Timmonsville, 6 p.m.
Clinton at Newberry
Columbia at A.C. Flora
Conway at Summerville
Creek Bridge at Aynor
Crestwood at Sumter
Cross at C. E. Murray
Daniel at Easley
Dorman at Gaffney, 8 p.m.
Dutch Fork at Chapin
Eau Claire at C.A. Johnson
Emerald at Ninety Six
Fairfield Central at Blythewood
Fox Creek at Academic Magnet
Georgetown at Carvers Bay
Great Falls at Nation Ford
Green Sea-Floyds at North Central
Hanahan at Timberland
Hanna at Westside
Hartsville at Lamar
Hemingway at Kingstree
Irmo at Goose Creek
J.L. Mann at Woodmont
James Island at St. John’s
Johnsonville at Hannah-Pamplico
Lake Marion at Calhoun County
Lake View at Dillon, 8 p.m.
Lakewood at Colleton County
Latta at East Clarendon
Lee Central at Lake City
Liberty at Christ Church Episcopal
Lincoln at Garrett
Lincoln County (Ga.) at Abbeville
Loris at North Myrtle Beach
Lower Richland at Spring Valley
Lucy Laney (Ga.) at Strom Thurmond
Lugoff-Elgin at Fort Mill
Manning at Scott’s Branch
Marlboro County at Cheraw
Mauldin at Hillcrest
McBee at Blacksburg
Mid-Carolina at Whitmire
Midland Valley at North Augusta
Military Magnet at North Charleston
Mullins at Andrews
Myrtle Beach at Carolina Forest
Orangeburg-Wilkinson at Edisto
Pickens at Pendleton
Rangers (N.C.) at Southside
Richland Northeast at South Aiken
Ridge Spring-Monetta at Saluda
Ridge View at Wando
South Florence at West Florence
St. James at Waccamaw
St. Joseph’s at Southside Christian
Stratford at Berkeley
Swansea at Wagener-Salley
Travelers Rest at Landrum
Union County at Spartanburg
Wade Hampton (G) at Blue Ridge
Wade Hampton (H) at Allendale-Fairfax
Walhalla at West-Oak
West Ashley at Bishop England
Whale Branch at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler
White Knoll at Pelion
Williston-Elko at Barnwell
Wilson at Darlington
Woodland at Fort Dorchester
Wren at Palmetto

Saturday’s Games

Hoover (Ala.) at Byrnes, noon, at District 3 Stadium, Rock Hill
South Pointe at Northwestern, 4 p.m., at District 3 Stadium, Rock Hill

S.C.’s first full week of football comes bearing gifts

Photo Contributed by Larry Hilliard/ The Gaffney Ledger

Gaffney quarterback DeEdward Burris tries to escape a maze of Dorman defenders during last season's Class 4A "Big 16" semifinal contest. Burris gets his third -- and possibly final -- try at the hated Cavaliers Friday night at The Reservation.

Most teams come into the 2010 football season wanting to capture that winning feeling, and hope to somehow find themselves claiming the state’s top prize.
Dorman’s mission is simpler than that, yet possibly more difficult.
Repeat.
Winners of the 2009 Class 4A “Big 16” title, a 28-17 triumph over region rival Byrnes, the Cavaliers begin the quest Friday night as they take on Gaffney in a match-up between two of the state’s premier programs.
“The Cavaliers have been very business-like this off-season, taking a workmanlike approach into everything they did,” said RivalHigh Senior Analyst Dallas Jackson. “You can tell this season means a lot to them, and it starts at the top with head coach Dave Gutshall.”
While the quarterback position has been in flux for much of the preseason due to injuries, Dorman still was productive on offense by way of Clemson commitment Charone Peak. The 6-foot-4, 194-pound senior wide receiver led the team with 881 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and is expected to match those numbers -- or better them.
But the Cavaliers’ defense, which only returns three starters from a unit that gave up 10.5 points a game in 2009, will be tested by Gaffney’s prolific offense led by senior signal caller DeEdward Burris. The dual-threat accounted for 217 yards in the Indians’ 21-14 victory over Boiling Springs to open the season.
His favorite target was 6-foot-2 receiver Quinshad Davis, the recipient of two touchdowns last week against the Bulldogs.
To defeat Dorman, the Gaffney defense cannot wilt down the stretch like it did at Boiling Springs in the opener, nearly squandering a 21-point fourth quarter-lead.
That game is one of several key contests taking center stage around South Carolina this weekend, which includes a nationally-televised doubleheader in Rock Hill, S.C. Alabama Class 6A powerhourse Hoover makes the journey to the Palmetto State to take on the Rebels, and cross-town foes Northwestern and South Pointe renew acquaintances to open the 2010 campaign.
Defending Class 6A champions, the Bucs have yearned for the opportunity to play Byrnes, both schools’ dominance of the past decade running parallel tracks. Their paths will finally meet in a high noon contest at Rock Hill’s District Three Stadium, to be broadcast live on ESPN.
“When I talked to Hoover’s athletic director, the day she took the job there were a number of calls to her office requesting the school schedule Byrnes,” Jackson said. “The teams were already chirping a bit during passing camps, so they are definitely ready to settle things when it counts.”
Under center for Hoover is quarterback Ryan Carter, who Jackson believes is likely to commit to Mississippi State whenever an offer is made. He is quite a few weapons at his disposal, including receivers Jaylon Denson and Caleb Sims.
Not to be outdone, the Hoover (Ala.) defense is will do its part to stop a wounded, yet effective Rebels attack. Senior linebackers Teyrance Glaze and Tyler Roberts hope to put the clamps on Zach Blair and the rest of the Byrnes offense.
“Byrnes may be a bit down right now, while Hoover is riding high,” Jackson said. “But if Byrnes can stay close and maybe gain a little confidence in doing so, things could go their way.”
It will be strength on strength in when South Pointe takes on rival Northwestern (ESPNU, 4 p.m.).
The Stallions have dominated the series in winning three of four games, but the only defeat was a 24-6 loss to the Trojans in 2009 state playoffs.
Both squads have high hopes for 2010, led by top prospects Jadeveon Clowney (South Pointe) and Tennessee-commit Justin Worley.
“Swings of momentum will be key in this game, with a tipped ball and fumbles likely playing a role,” Jackson said. “As with any game, the team that plays the most poised, mistake-free football will win; particularly in a heated contest between rivals.”

Gaffney product Rice has hip surgery, could be ready by midseason

Gaffney and University of South Carolina product and current Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice had hip surgery Monday in Colorado, according to a report from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The team's leading receiver last season, he is expected to miss up to half of this year as he recovers from the injury sustained in the NFC championship game last January.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice is expected to miss up to half of the upcoming NFL season after undergoing hip surgery Monday, according to Judd Zuglad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Rice confirmed through a text message Tuesday morning to the Minneapolis (Minn.) - based newspaper that he had undergone the procedure at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo. In the text, the Vikings receiver said surgery went well, and that he is expected to be sidelined for the first half of the 2010 campaign.

He has been on the team's physically unable to perform (PUP) list since the beginning of training camp due to a hip injury suffered in the Vikings' overtime loss to eventual Super Bowl-champion New Orleans last January. The receiver initially used Sept. 9 as a target date for his return, the day Minnesota returns to the Superdome for a rematch against the Saints to kickoff the 2010 NFL season.

Rice nor the Vikings have said much about the receiver's ailing hip, which during camp has impacted his ability to cut and get in and out of breaks, Zuglad said. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune sports writer also reported "the issue could have been taken of this offseason but Rice elected not have surgery, despite the fact that two of three specialists he saw suggested that might be the best idea."

A product of Gaffney (S.C.) High School and the University of South Carolina, Rice was chosen in the the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Last season proved to be his best as a professional however, catching a team-leading 83 passes for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns, heavily contributing to the receiver being voted to his first Pro Bowl.

Rice's surgery further complicates the Vikings' problems at the wide receiver position, already dealing with Percy Harvin and his ongoing bout with migraines. The second year speedster out of Florida has missed much of camp due to the medical condition, which last week caused him to collapse on the practice field.

Harvin could return to practice this week, but his availability remains day-to-day, according to Zuglad.

A State Steeped in History: High School Football in South Carolina

By JOE L. HUGHES II

Published: The Gaffney Ledger, Aug. 23, 2010

Little has changed about high school football in South Carolina through the decades, yet in towns from the Upstate to the Lowcountry people line up in droves hoping to get a view of their hometown team.

The state’s love for the gridiron was a subject John Boyanoski was quite acquainted with when he relocated to the Palmetto State from Scranton, Pa., to begin a new chapter in his journalism career. Yet, he wanted to delve further, find out more about what makes Friday nights under the lights such a time honored tradition in South Carolina.

“I had written two books and was wondering what should I do next,” Boyanoski said. “Then it hit me — I should look into South Carolina’s rich football tradition. After all, I always wanted to know where this all started, and where did this come from?”

An award-winning journalist who through the years has written for The Greenville News and the Spartanburg Herald- Journal, and contributed to the likes of the Associated Press and Sports Business Journal, Boyanoski tries to capture more than a century’s worth of history in his latest work, “High School Football in South Carolina: Palmetto Pigskin History.” The 208-page book jumps headfirst into the state’s tradition on the gridiron, getting state residents acquainted with Florence High School — sometimes dubbed the Yellow Jackets or the Golden Tornadoes — winners of the first four state football titles, a mark that has been tied, yet never broken.

He also discusses key events on and off the field, including the aftermath of a 1922 contest between teams from Columbia and Charleston in which fans from the state’s capital city sent their friends from the Lowcountry home with egg on their faces — literally. “After the game, violent Columbia fans hurled eggs at the Charleston train as the players left for home,” Boyanoski said.

The longtime journalist began his search for answers in Columbia, making several treks around the state to libraries, schools and sometimes homes in locales such as Charleston, Florence and Summerville, looking through any publication he could get his hands on, whether it be a newspaper or a yearbook stashed away in a high school’s media center.

“The biggest thing I wanted to do was chronicle some of the past stories and careers that make the state unique, and hunt down some of those stories and characters that somehow fell through the cracks due to the passing of time,” Boyanoski said. “I pulled from some of the major dailies covering particular areas of the state as well as publications serving communities looking for clues as to what that newspaper said about a certain year or era. I really wanted to go directly to the source and see what was being said in these local papers.”

While some would consider the current batch of athletes as the best era ever collected by the Palmetto State, Boyanoski begs to differ.

“Those that played in the early 1970s, the likes of Harry Carson and Mike O’ Cain, in my opinion that era has to top the list,” he said. “There have been many really talented eras, but when you break everything down, nothing compares to that era.”

According to the author, Carson’s case was quite intriguing.

“For a Pro Football Hall of Famer, you do not see too many articles or mentions of him in publications or for that matter the S.C. high school football history books,” Boyanoski said. “He wasn’t a superstar in high school, and did not play in either the Shrine Bowl or the North — South (All-Star) game. Yet, he went on to have one of the more dazzling careers in NFL history, and was recognized by being inducted into the hall of fame.”

A number of names recognized by the masses also turn up in the book, including Cale Yarbrough, the NASCAR legend who was once a standout at Timmonsville High School; former chairman of Augusta National Golf Club Hootie Johnson, who earned a football scholarship at the University of South Carolina due to his performance on the gridiron at Greenwood High in the late 1940s; and Anderson’s Jim Rice, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Of course, Gaffney makes quite a few appearances in the book, according to Boyanoski.

“According to some research I conducted, when Gaffney won its first state football championship in the 1920s, an estimated 5,000 people waited into the wee hours of the morning at train station awaiting the team’s return from Columbia. ... Gaffney’s been a football power for forever and a day, the fans are so in love with the Indians and how they perform on the field,” he said.

The book, which was published by History Press, also contains all-time win-loss records for schools, in addition to the state’s long line of All-State performers on the gridiron. It is currently available at www.historypress.net for $19.99.

Week Zero — Palmetto State Pigskin

Photo Courtesy of Larry Hilliard / The Gaffney Ledger

Gaffney wide receiver Khris Brown looks for room to run during the Indians' season opener at Boiling Springs. Gaffney held on the victory, 21-14.

Week Zero Rankings & Results

Rankings courtesy of S.C.Varsity.com

Class 4A

1. Byrnes (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Hoover (Ala.) (ESPNU — noon Sat.)

2. Dorman (0-0) — NEXT: at Gaffney

3. Northwestern (0-0) — NEXT: vs. South Pointe (ESPNU — 4 p.m. Sat.)

4. Goose Creek (0-0) — NEXT: at Cane Bay

5. North Augusta (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Midland Valley

6. Blythewood (1-0) — def. South Florence 14-7, NEXT: vs. Fairfield Central

7. Gaffney (1-0) — def. Boiling Springs 21-14, NEXT: vs. Dorman

8. Summerville (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Conway

9. Wren (0-0) — NEXT: at Palmetto

10. Dutch Fork (0-1) — lost to Irmo 28-26, NEXT: at Chapin

Class 3A

1. Myrtle Beach (0-0) — NEXT: at Carolina Forest

2. South Pointe (1-0) — def. AFC Rangers (N.C.) 51-6, NEXT: at Northwestern (ESPNU — 4 p.m. Sat.)

3. Berkeley (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Stratford

4. Clinton (0-0) — NEXT: at Newberry

5. Fairfield Central (1-0) — def. Eau Claire 24-9, NEXT: at Blythewood

6. Chester (1-0) — def. Abbeville 35-21, NEXT: at Lewisville

7. Daniel (0-0) — NEXT: at Easley

8. Belton-Honea Path (0-0) — NEXT: at Laurens

9. Crestwood (0-0) — NEXT: at Sumter

10. Greenville (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Woodruff (Thu.)

Class 2A

1. Lake City (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Lee Central

2. Strom Thurmond (1-0) — def. Williston- Elko 7-0, NEXT: vs. Laney (Ga.)

3. Manning (0-0) — NEXT: at Scott's Branch

4. Central (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Lewisville (Sept. 3)

5. Timberland (1-0) — def. Carver's Bay 13-6, NEXT: vs. Hanahan

6. Dillon (1-0) — def. Cheraw 35-7, NEXT: vs. Lake View

7. Silver Bluff (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Aiken

8. Batesburg - Leesville (0-0) — NEXT: at Lexington

9. Broome (0-0) — NEXT: at York

10. Columbia (1-0) — def. Lower Richland 28-0, NEXT: at A.C. Flora

Class A

1. Chesterfield (0-0) — NEXT: at Timmonsville

2. Williston - Elko (0-1) — lost to Strom Thurmond 7-0, NEXT: at Barnwell

3. Calhoun County (0-1) — lost to Marlboro County 34-12, NEXT: vs. Lake Marion

4. Lamar (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Hartsville

5. Abbeville (0-1) — lost to Chester 35-21, NEXT: vs. Lincoln County (Ga.)

6. Carvers Bay (0-1) — lost to Timberland 13-6, NEXT: vs. Georgetown

7. Allendale-Fairfax (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Wade Hampton

8. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (1-0) — def. Orangeburg-Wilkinson 49-48, NEXT: vs. Edisto

9. Scott's Branch (0-0) — NEXT: vs. Manning

10. Hemingway (1-0) — def. Hannah-Pamplico 35-0, NEXT: at Kingstree

Week Zero Results in South Carolina

A.C. Flora 34, Gilbert 3

Andrews 63, Johnsonville 20

Aynor 21, Lake View 15

Bamberg-Ehrhardt 49, Orangeburg Wilkinson 48

Blackville-Hilda 8, Barnwell 0

Bluffton 39, Hilton Head 0

Blythewood 14, South Florence 7

C.A. Johnson 36, North 0

Camden 28, Spring Valley 21

Carolina Forest 33, Socastee 7

Chester 35, Abbeville 21

Christ Church Episco 42, Travelers Rest 7

Clover 22, South Point (N.C.) 7

Columbia 28, Lower Richland 0

Conway 35, North Myrtle Beach 0

Crescent 18, Calhoun Falls Charter 14

Dillon 35, Cheraw 7

Dixie 23, Southside Christian 7

Easley 31, West-Oak 13

Fairfield Central 34, Eau Claire 9

Fox Creek 41, Branchville 0

Gaffney 21, Boiling Springs 14

Garrett 47, Academic Magnet 0

Green Sea-Floyds 42, West Columbus (N.C.) 26

Greer 41, Seneca 14

Hanahan 32, Hartsville 28

Hemingway 25, Hannah-Pamplico 0

Hilton Head 26, Bluffton 14

Irmo 28, Dutch Fork 26

Lake Marion 44, Denmark-Olar 0

Lewisville at York (PPD)

Loris 36, St. James 3

Marlboro Co. 32, Calhoun Co. 12

McCormick 18, Edisto 17

Mullins 22, Georgetown 2

Nation Ford 28, Forestview (N.C.) 16

Palmetto 40, Walhalla 14

Pelion 27, Wagener-Salley 6

Richland Northeast 54, Dreher 7

Ridge Spring-Monetta 27, Whitmire 7

South Pointe 51, AFC Rangers (N.C.) 6

Stall 32, Lincoln 0

Strom Thurmond 7, Williston-Elko 0

Timberland 13, Carvers Bay 6

Waccamaw 50, Latta 0

Whale Branch 26, Baptist Hill 14

Happy Football Days!

While the journalism business has its problems, there are times when you can only say one thing: "What a job this is."

For me, with the arrival of each Fall comes another football season, ripe with hope and belief for programs all over the country.

This year, I look forward to the opportunity to bring gridiron coverage to you from around the Southeast; regardless if it is Louisiana or Mississippi, North Carolina or Florida.

Of course, there will be an emphasis on South Carolina, my home state and the place in which I work. As seen in the picture above, DeEdward Burris and the Gaffney Indians have aspirations of a state title in 2010, which would be the program's 17th overall — a Palmetto State record.

Of course, I will also keep everyone abreast with what is going on in college and professional football, which will be cranking up in coming weeks.

Happy football days everyone! It's the most wonderful time of the year ... let's enjoy it!

It's a question of where...

Former Gaffney and current S.C. State quarterback Malcolm Long leaps across the goal line during the Indians' drubbing of Irmo in the 2006 S.C. Class 4A "Big 16" title game at Williams-Brice Stadium. Programs in the state's highest classification discussed the possibility of moving its two championship contests from the venue earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of Larry B. Littlejohn/ The Gaffney Ledger)

Published : Aug. 13, 2010 — The Gaffney Ledger

By Joe L. Hughes II

Some summers are best spent inside.

This year happens to be one of them, with temperatures near or surpassing 100-degrees, the easy stroll to the mailbox has become somewhat laborious. I almost feel sorry for those who must make a living in the sun — construction workers, street crews and especially the mailman who must deal with both the afternoon heat and a pit bull nipping at his heels.

It is hard to believe that in a few short months the temperature will go from the 90s to near freezing.

Being a football fan, each week sitting among the crowd at the nearest high school football stadium yields the opportunity to see nature at work. During the first few weeks of the season, it seems the sun does not go down until the second half, fans typically getting a glimpse of the sunset — the makings of a perfect date in my opinion.

My wife may tend to differ — yet she still winds up in the crowd with me every Friday night. Now, back to the subject.

With every week, it seems the weather gets a bit more nippy, with a torrential downpour every ruining the plans of those wanting to see the home team play.

Then just like that, it's the playoffs and a state champion has been crowned.

With the exception of a few years in which the games were held in Clemson and Orangeburg (Class 1A held state title games at S.C. State University for the past several years), Columbia and the University of South Carolina's Williams- Brice Stadium has been the goal of high schools throughout the Palmetto State. Providing the opportunity for some athletes to achieve the dream of walking onto the venue's hallowed turf, it is quite a reward for players and coaches alike — win or lose.

However, with each passing year it seems the debate of whether to move the event, aptly named the "Weekend of Champions", from the capital city.

Following last year's Weekend of Champions, the Class 4A football committee consisting of a representative from each of the classification's eight regions toyed with the idea of moving the Division I and II games to separate venues, with expenses from the event being at the heart of the issue.

Under the current format, the schools involved in a title game receive an equal amount of revenue from ticket sales despite the number of tickets sold.

In an effort to cut costs, the Class 4A football committee proposed the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) move its Division II title tilt to Saturday, being played the same afternoon as the Class 2A and Class 3A championship games. The committee went as far as to solicit bids from other venues including Clemson, Furman and Spring Valley High School in Columbia to host the games.

The Class 4A football committee later wound up keeping the state title game in Williams-Brice Stadium, deciding not to bail on their peers in Classes 2A and 3A, who would have had to find a way to come up with $62,000 for use of the venue and the fact it would not bring the savings once perceived by the governing body.

With school districts scrambling to stay afloat in today's unstable economic climate, I can definitely understand why Class 4A football officials at least looked into moving the game. After all, what should take preference — making sure every student has a book or how much money the school and school district should commit should it be lucky enough to advance to Columbia?

Speaking of Columbia, my hometown really is the one which benefits most from the weekend, bringing in a large amount of money from visitors lodging at the city's hotels and eating at the municipality's many restaurants.

Two years ago, the SCHSL tinkered with the idea of moving the Weekend of Champions to Clemson, which offered a change of pace for all involved. According to friends who went to games during the two-day event it was a resounding success, not to say if it were in Columbia it would not do well.

In my opinion, the state's high school athletic commission ought to follow the blueprint of its contemporaries in Alabama, which chose to alternate between Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Auburn, Ala., as hosts for its high school title games. The championship games were previously held in Birmingham, Ala., the home of the Super 6 Championships for more than a decade.

The school not hosting the annual Iron Bowl matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers would a week or so later welcome the 12 schools advancing to their respective classification's championship game. For example, with the Iron Bowl being held in Tuscaloosa this year the Super 6 Championships will take place in Auburn this year, alternating each year.

If the SCHSL adopted this measure, it would have little bearing on this year's games as Williams-Brice Stadium would host the Weekend of Champions, with Death Valley being the site of the 2010 renewal of the Carolina-Clemson game.

While the plan would not necessarily ease all complaints or ever will, rotating the site of the Weekend of Champions would ease the burden of Upstate schools one year and those from the Midlands down the following season. It would also offer some student-athletes the opportunity to walk the same field Frank Howard, Woody Dantzler and more recently C.J. Spiller walked, instead of only being offered the chance to see where Gaffney product Sidney Rice spent four years.

It would offer the total experience for them — if they cared. These kids are only concerned with making their dreams of a championship come true.

However, if money is the issue, there is nothing wrong with looking at other options. When sports and athletic success becomes more important than the hard work necessary in the classroom, that's when I have a problem.

After all, that's why the word student comes before athlete when referring to athletes (student-athlete) in high school and college, right?