"We will take our time.We won't be in a hurry.Our kids have played well on the road.They won't mind the bus ride." - Phil Strickland Gaffney head coach Don't look for a lot of big plays - or mistakes - from the Stratford Knights in their Class 4A Division I lower bracket championship game with the Gaffney Indians today.

"We aren't an explosive offense," Stratford coach Ray Stackley said. "We haven't scored a lot of points. We try to win the game by playing good defense and win the kicking game."

Gaffney coach Phil Strickland said the Knights are well coached.

"You have to beat them because they are never out of position," he said. "They are in the right position every play."

Both teams played well defensively in their bracket semifinal wins last week. The Indians (13-0) allowed just one touchdown in a 16-13 win over Byrnes, while the Knights (12-1) also allowed just one score in their 14-7 win over Fort Dorchester.

The Knights are giving up just 8.2 points a game. The Indian defense is nearly as impressive, yielding just 12.6 points a game.

"Gaffney's defense is the quickest I've seen," Stackley said. "I can't find any weaknesses. We won't get many chances because of their team speed on defense. So, we better make plays when we have the chance."

The Knights' big plays will likely come on the ground. The Knights scrapped their spread offense for a more traditional 2-back set this season.

Quarterback Dexter Washington isn't an explosive player, but he makes good decisions. He's rushed for 541 yards and has thrown for 16 touchdowns.

G.J. Jordan is the Knights' top running threat with 1,245 yards and 16 touchdowns. He's also caught 18 passes for two touchdowns. Asheton Jordan, G.J.'s brother, is another talented runner.

The offensive line is a team strength with guards Javal Nathan (6-4, 298 lbs.) and Bryan Brooks (6-6, 295 lbs.) anchoring the unit.

Defensively, the Knights' rely on speed and strength, not size. Bryant Seabrooks (6-0, 242 lbs.), who bench pressed more than 400 lbs. as a sophomore, is the lone returning starter on the line. He leads the team in tackles with 66. He also has two sacks.

"We don't have any star players on defense," Stackley said. "But they play hard. We will run a lot of secondary coverages but we haven't played anybody as fast as Gaffney."

But Gaffney hasn't seen a kicker as good as Nick Kinney, who was selected to the Shrine Bowl. His season long is a 46-yarder.

Stackley said the key to the game is turnovers.

"We have to avoid turnovers," he said.

Strickland said the Indians must stop the Knights' running attack and be alert for the play-action pass.

"We can't get sucked up on the bootleg," he said.

Stackley's big concern is Gaffney quarterback Malcolm Long and the Indians' big-play ability.

"I don't see anybody better than Long," he said. "They also have great backs and receivers."

Strickland said he's not concerned about the lengthy bus ride.

"We will take our time," he said. "We won't be in a hurry. Our kids have played well on the road. They won't mind the bus ride."

Today's winner advances to the state championship game next Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. The winner will meet either Irmo or Dutch Fork.