Indians enter stretch in stride

Photo by LARRY HILLIARD Gaffney running back Jeremiah Cochran had one of his best outings of the season with 99 yards in the playoff opening victory over Summerville Friday. The Gaffney Indians looked like the team Friday that coach Phil Strickland expected.

The Indians rolled up 262 yards on the ground and another 262 through the air to dominate No. 3 seed Summerville, 40-10, in the opening round of the Class AAAA Division I playoffs.

The Gaffney defense was no slouch, either, limiting the Green Wave to only 223 total yards.

"We have potential if things go right to be a decent football team," Strickland said.

Make that a championship football team.

The potential playoff matchups look reasonable with Sumter on Friday and either Rock Hill or Irmo in the semifinals.

Strickland said the team's performance against Summerville has given the team a swagger.

"The kids have got a little confidence now," he said. "They understand what they have to do. It's just as much as us being able to go (to the championship game) as anybody else. We just have to play the way we are capable of playing."

That especially goes for the offensive line, which manhandled the Green Wave even though they stacked the box.

"Not that the offensive line really played bad all year, but the line got after it a little more on Friday," the Gaffney coach said. "(Summerville) had seven in the box and we were still able to run the ball when we had four wideouts. They are playing with a little more confidence and that will help us if we go deeper."

Strickland also praised the effort of the running backs, including Jeremiah Cochran, who rushed for 99 yards on 19 carries. Many of his yards came after the initial contact by a Summerville defender. Kenard Lipscomb finished with 72 yards on 13 carries, while quarterback DeEdward Burris had 100 yards on 20 carries.

"The running backs seem to run a little harder," Strickland said.