Photo byLARRY HILLIARD Gaffney quarterback DeEdward Burris tries to elude the rush by the Greenville defense during first-quarter action on Friday.. After intercepting a desperation pass, Gaffney's DeEdward Burris veered to his right before collapsing with his hands outstretched as the clock ticked to all zeroes.

Hard to tell if his actions were the result of overwhelming joy or sheer exhaustion.

Burris and the Indians rallied from a 22-point, third-quarter deficit to down the homestanding Greenville Red Raiders 39- 35 in a game that had as many stomachchurning moments as a turbulent plane ride.

It appeared the Red Raiders built enough of a lead in the first half to win. The Red Raiders outgained the Indians 188-64 in total yards and the Raiders defense sacked Burris four times to take a 23-7 lead into the break.

That lead grew to 29-7 early in the third quarter when Burris was hit as he threw and Patrick McElveen picked off the pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.

To their credit, Burris and his teammates didn't pack it in.

"It was a team thing," Burris said. "They kept me in the game and the receivers made some big plays."

With their feet and their hands.

Wideout Joe Craig sparked the Indians with a 63-yard kickoff return to the Red Raider 34. After a penalty, Craig scored on a 52-yard reverse. On their next possession, the Indians drove to the 6 but had to settle for a 26-yard field goal that pulled them within 29-17 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.

Craig left the game with an ankle injury on that drive but the Indians had more than enough weapons in wide receivers Quinshad Davis and Khris Brown, who made a YouTube-worthy, diving catch for a 47-yard touchdown. Burris hit Tim Ellis for the 2-point conversion to bring the Indians within 29-25.

"I thought it was overthrown," Burris said. "That was the best catch I've seen."

The Indians defense did its part by stopping Greenville on a fourth-and-seven from the Gaffney 22.

The Indians then marched 81 yards on 10 plays to take the lead with 2:12 left in the game on Burris' 5-yard pass to Brown, who worked his way free when Burris scrambled out of trouble.

It was Greenville's turn to put together a late-game drive. Rooke Crouch found Chris Hall three times to move the ball to the Gaffney 5. After a false start penalty, Crouch hit Marquise Young for a 10-yard touchdown. The Red Raiders excitement was dampened somewhat when they missed their third extra point, keeping the score at 35- 32.

With 1:17 left in the game, the Indians needed a field goal to force overtime. But Burris made sure the Indians would win the game in regulation, directing a five-play, 65-yard touchdown march. This time, Davis was his go-to guy. The 6-4 sophomore had three catches on the drive, including the game-winning 3-yard grab as he fought off a 5-foot-8 defensive back to make the decisive catch.

"I'm just as proud as I can be of the team," Gaffney coach Phil Strickland said. "We gave them so many opportunities and we didn't take care of ours. This team really needed this win. If we would have been blownout, it would have been tough."

Strickland praised Burris, who completed 19 of his 36 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns, for keeping his poise.

"He did what we needed him to do."

Gaffney, 1-1, will host Union County on Friday.

OBSERVATIONS

l Joe Craig was more of a factor in this game. The coaching staff appeared to make him more of a factor on offense, giving the ball on reverses several times.

l The Indians also might have found a new offensive weapon in running back Rodney Rogers, who was a big plus catching the ball three times for 79 yards.

l The Indians defense is still searching, especially in the secondary where Greenville wide receiver Chris Hall burned the Indians for 165 yards on seven catches.

l After the game the Indians were the fresher of the teams, which is a credit to conditioning coach Tony Smith.

NED & OPERATED