Gaffney coach Phil Strickland said Colleton County isn't a typical first-round playoff opponent.

And he means it.

The No. 14 seed Cougars (4-7, 3-2) travel to the Reservation today to meet No. 3 seed Gaffney (11-0, 6-0).

After dropping their first five games, the Cougars have won four of their last six games. They also lost a hard-fought 22-10 decision to No. 1 seed Summerville last Friday.

"Colleton County is very athletic," Gaffney coach Phil Strickland said. "They've gotten better. They are clicking a little better now."

That's because they now seem more comfortable in their new spread offense.

"This year we've changed to a spread offense," Colleton County coach Leroy Riley said. "We are pass-oriented. We used to be an I-formation team. We just felt like we had some talented wide receivers and quarterback."

Shrine Bowl wideout Nick Adams is the most talented of the bunch. He has more than 50 pass receptions, but his availability for today's game is a question mark. He's trying to recover from a sprained ankle.

If Adams can't go, look for the Cougars to throw more to wideout Steven Ford, who enters the game with more than 50 receptions.

Quarterback Zach Singleton has found a home in the spread offense, throwing for more than 2,000 yards.

The Cougars use two running backs, including James Sherman.

Strickland said the Cougars have some dangerous weapons on offense.

"(Adams) is definitely a worry," the Gaffney coach said. "But he did get a little banged up. He has good size at 6-2. Their quarterback throws well and runs well. They also seem to have a pretty good running back."

While the Cougars made steady improvement on offense, their defense unit has played well from the start.

"Defensively, we have played pretty consistent," Riley said. "We have decent overall speed there."

The Cougars employ multiple looks on defense. The defense is led by linebacker Chris Shider, the team's leading tackler. Byron Jerrideau, at 6-2, 300 pounds, clogs up the middle on the defensive line.

"Defensively, they look real aggressive," Strickland said.

The Cougars don't play a lot of zone coverage in the secondary, so look for the Indians to take advantage of the one-on-one matchups.

Strickland said the Indians will have to come ready to play.

"In the past, a lot of first round games have been against somebody that wasn't very good," he said. "But now anybody can beat anybody."

But Riley said the Cougars will have to elevate their play to be competitive at the Reservation.

"You can obviously see why they are undefeated and ranked No. 1," he said. "They are very sound and very well coached.

"Certainly we need to show up and play our best game and maybe we might have a slight chance. We are going to have to execute well."

The Indians are healthy going into the playoffs, while Adams is the big question mark for the Cougars.

Today's winner will play the survivor of the Wando/Byrnes matchup in the second round of the playoffs.