What We Saw: Gaffney 27, Spartanburg 24

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>GAFFNEY | </strong>The Indians just kept making plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Down 24-7 to Spartanburg, Gaffney rallied behind a pair of fourth quarter TD passes from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284134' first='Jayvon' last='Gilmore']</strong> to <strong>Shane Davidson</strong> and a stingy second-half defense to beat the Vikings 27-24 and claim the Region II-5A title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Our kids keep battling back and keep fighting, and if they do that, regardless of whether they win or lose, you've got to be proud of them," Gaffney coach Dan Jones said. "Our kids just seem to find a way to get it done when they need to. It's special for these seniors. It's always about those guys."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Davidson showed a knack for the dramatic. His touchdown all came in pressure situations against good defense. He tied the game early at 7-7 on a 31-yard catch on 4th and 8. On the first play of the fourth quarter, facing 3rd and 9, his 17-yard score made it 24-13. His last of the night came from 33 yards out and gave Gaffney a chance late, pulling the Indians to within 24-19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254122' first='Jamarcus' last='Smith']</strong> had an outstanding game for the Indians. His first nine touches netted 76 yards, including 62 on three catches. He ended the night with seven catches for 107 yards and rushed 10 times for 24 yards. But when the chips were down, and Smith was doubled, Davidson, who was returning from an injury, stepped up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He's a dog," Davidson said of Smith. "When they double team him, I have to come in and get the job done. We got it done tonight. It feels great to be region champions."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indians couldn't convert on a blocked punt by <strong>Daquan Croker</strong> that was recovered at the 10 by <strong>Zyon Ratchford</strong>, but the defense stood up and forced a punt. The ensuing drive saw two Gilmore scrambles, an interference penalty, two completions to Smith, and a five-yard touchdown run by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell']</strong> that put the Indians in front for the first time all night. Smith capped the win with a two-point conversion for the final margin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the offense was performing some heroics, the Indians defense was bouncing back. Gaffney allowed just 54 yards of total offense in the second half, including 38 on the ground. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1172345' first='Trenton' last='Lynch']</strong> paced Spartanburg with 159 yards and a touchdown, but 124 of those yards, along with the score, came in the first half. Lynch did a lot of his damage in the middle behind the strength of the Vikings' offensive line. An offensive lineman helped make the difference in the second half, but it was Gaffney's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797158' first='Shedrick' last='Sarratt']</strong>. He was inserted at DL, made two tackles, and clogged up the middle to force a lot of plays to the outside, where Gaffney's linebackers wreaked havoc. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036755' first='Kendaris' last='Bailey']</strong>, Ratchford, and <strong>Sherman Tate</strong> combined for 12 tackles and three sacks, while big Josh Corry had six stops up front by himself. Sarratt said he liked playing on the other side of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's fun," Sarratt said. "As an offensive lineman, I already know what they want to do. I know how to capitalize, really. It's like a cheat code almost. I practiced it all week, and they told me to stay ready."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings' defense was also dominant at times, particularly in the second quarter. Gaffney managed just 57 yards on the ground in the first half, and that included one chunk play of 20 by McDowell. <strong>CJ Woodruff</strong> had two sacks and a tackle for loss in the second quarter alone, finishing with five total stops. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1249806' first='Peyton' last='Jones']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624354' first='Cam'Rich' last='Smith']</strong> each had a TFL in the quarter, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732598' first='Brooks' last='Vaughn']</strong> pounced on a fumble that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='346191' first='Calvin' last='Choice']</strong> poked out, returning it to the Gaffney 10 to set up a 24-yard field goal by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816752' first='Will' last='Love']</strong>. Smith led the Vikings with nine tackles, Choice had six and two sacks, and Don Kinard grabbed an interception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359184' first='Justin' last='Rice']</strong> helped drive Spartanburg's early lead, with 119 first-half receiving yards, including a 63-yard score. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592374' first='Trey' last='Burke']</strong> found <strong>Zeke Bell-Boyd</strong> with an eight-yard score near the end of the third quarter to set the stage for Gaffney's comeback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->