Indians must forget, focus on Cavaliers

Ledger photo by LARRY HILLIARD The Gaffney Indians, who were beaten by Byrnes on Friday, must defeat Dorman on Friday to clinch a first-round home playoff game. Gaffney football coach Phil Strickland isn't dwelling on the recent loss to Byrnes. The coach is focused on preparing his team for a must-win against Dorman on Friday.

"We got to have short-term memory," Strickland said. "There is nothing we can do about (the loss)."

Strickland said the crowd noise was a big reason why the Indian defenders were out of position so many times against the high-powered Rebels, who piled up nearly 500 yards of total offense.

"We should have played better, but we didn't realize as a staff how dependent our players were on telling them where to go and where to line up," the Gaffney coach said.

The noise was also responsible for the Indians being flagged for several too many players on the field penalties, Strickland said.

Byrnes' overall team speed was also a factor in the loss.

"I thought our kids would adjust to the speed, but it's obvious that we never did," Strickland said.

The Rebels were particularly effective with swing passes to running back Marcus Lattimore, who consistently ran away from Gaffney outside linebackers to grab six passes for 73 yards.

"We told the kids that no matter what happens it's not the end of the season," Strickland said.

That's because the Indians still went on to capture state titles after losses to the Rebels in 2003 and 2005.

If history is to repeat itself for a third time then the Indians must regroup quickly against a much-improved Dorman Cavaliers. The winner will clinch second place in the region and assure itself a first-round home playoff game.

"This is a big game," Strickland said. "We are at a crossroads. After our first defeat (at Greenville), we bounced back and we have to do the same again."

Gaffney has a 3-1 region mark with a region game at Spartanburg to end the regular season. The Cavaliers, who finish the regular season with a non-region game, are 4-1 in the region.

"If we win, we are guaranteed pretty much a home playoff game," Strickland said. "This game is for second place."