Co-stars shine for Trojans

Photo by LARRY HILLIARD Gaffney quarterback DeEdward Burris looks for an open reciever Friday against Northwestern. Burris completed 8 of his 23 passes for 90 yards. Gaffney's defensive game plan was easy to figure out - drop defenders into coverage to stop the Northwestern passing game.

The Trojans figured it out, too, by making a running back out of Shrine Bowl receiver Jarrett Neely, who rushed for 112 yards on 22 carries, as Northwestern posted a region-clinching 20-6 victory over Gaffney Friday at District III Stadium in Rock Hill.

Neely was limited to only five catches for 32 yards, but his supporting cast came through in a big way. Labris Adams had seven catches for 112 yards and littleused Deveon McCleod hauled in the game-sealing touchdown with 2:33 left to play.

"We were playing two in the box and dropping nine and they finally went to the run," Gaffney coach Phil Strickland said. "They kept us guessing."

When Neely did run the ball, the Indians did a poor job of tackling him. The only thing that slowed Neely was a minor leg injury that forced him briefly from the game in the fourth quarter.

For the first time since he was inserted at quarterback five games ago, Gaffney sophomore DeEdward Burris looked, well like a sophomore. Burris completed just eight of his 23 passes for 90 yards. Most of the his incompletions fell short of his intended receiver.

"He just wasn't on," Strickland said. "We had open receivers. But he was playing against better athletes."

Burris also was picked off once on a play, according to Strickland, that changed the momentum. Gaffney wideout Joe Craig and Northwestern safety Chris Long appeared to have simultaneous possession of the ball that would have resulted in a potential game-tying touchdown. But the officials ruled that Long intercepted the pass.

"That was the biggest play of the game," the Gaffney coach said. "It looked like a tie-up, but they gave them the ball."

Gaffney finishes the regular season at 6-5 overall and 3-2 in Region III-AAAA. The Indians open the Class AAAA Division I playoffs Friday at Summerville in a rematch of last year's memorable semifinal game won by the Green Wave, 23-22.

Strickland sized it all up after the game, saying the Indians have the potential to beat anybody in the playoffs.

"I told the players that it's anybody's ball game," he said. "We can play with people. We just have to put people away."

Clinging to a 13-7 lead, the Trojans put the Indians away when Justin Worley hit McCleod for a 20-yard touchdown on a third-and-10 with 2:33 to go.

Worley had a spotty performance. He completed 25 of 38 passes for 268 yards, but he was picked off twice, including an interception by Thomas Montgomery on the Trojans' first possession of the game.

The Gaffney offense capitalized on the turnover, marching 50 yards in eight plays for a 6-0 lead on Jeremiah Cochran's 3-yard run. Cochran, who had a teamhigh 51 yards, was a factor early, but didn't get the ball much in the second half.

Josh Harris' extra point was blocked, setting a trend for the game. On the Indians' next possession, Harris had his punt blocked, which the Trojans recovered at the Gaffney 15.

Three plays later, Neely caught a middle screen and went untouched into the end zone to knot the score at 6. It would stay that way when Denard Smith blocked Shawn Ferguson's extra point attempt. Ferguson also had two field goal attempts blocked.

On their first possession of the second half, the Trojans went up 13-6 on the strength of Neely's running and the pass catching of Adams, who had a pair of clutch catches for 24 yards on the drive.

The Indians' deepest penetration in the second half was to the Trojans' 36.

The drive stalled there on a Burris incompletion on a fourthand 10.