After his team's most convincing win of their 2009 campaign up to this point last week over Union County, hopes are among Gaffney faithful that the hometown Indians can extend the winning streak to three against a struggling T.L. Hanna squad.

But after an eventful week that included several players missing practice due to injuries and a "bug" that went around the Indians locker room, head coach Phil Strickland said Friday will provide at least a bit of normalcy for the team.

"We've had a lot of things happen this week," Strickland said. "Several of our players have been injured and others have missed time due to being sick. It's been a tough week of practice, but I'm glad we're starting to get a lot of them back."

Getting ready for the Yellow Jackets has been no easy task for Strickland and his coaching staff, at times practicing with a person short in certain positions like linebacker and on the offensive line.

However, nowhere has been hit harder than the running back position, which will be missing two key cogs tonight in Kenard Lipscomb (ankle sprain) and Rodney Rogers (pulled groin).

Fortunately for the Indians, they have enough horses in the stable to pick up the slack. Strickland said Robert Grandy will get more touches this weekend against the Yellow Jackets after impressing coaches by picking up 51 yards on 14 carries in relief of Lipscomb and Rogers during Gaffney's 21-0 rout of Union County last week.

"(Grandy) is going to have to shoulder a lot of the load this week," Strickland said. "But he is a bit nicked up with a knee injury, something we'll keep a close eye on."

Able to line up anywhere on the field, senior all-purpose man Joe Craig may see time in the backfield tonight.

"It's a blessing in disguise for us," Strickland said. "He's an extra person the defense has to account for and gives us a lot of flexibility in our offensive formations.

"(Craig) is dangerous when he has the ball in his hands."

Gaffney may have its hands full against a T.L. Hanna defense that has played well despite its record.

"It's mainly been turnovers and being dealt bad field position that have caused problems for them," Strickland said. "The defense hasn't played bad at all."

"They've just been snakebit," Strickland said. "Hopefully they'll have another one of those nights."

Through three quarters against Mauldin, T.L. Hanna was held to 131 yards and the Mavericks intercepted the Yellow Jackets three times.

The thing that scares Strickland the most is the potential for the Yellow Jackets to put points on the board with the talent surrounding quarterback Drew Hankins.

"They've ran the ball pretty well this year, mainly because people are blanketing Martavis Bryant, one of the better receivers in the state," Strickland said. "A lot of teams have taken players out of the box to better play the pass, and Will Gay has played real well for them."

In his best performance of the young season, Gay ran for 152 yards on 31 carries in the Yellow Jackets' only win vs. Westside. Hankins also was relatively effective in managing the offense in that contest, throwing for 80 yards and completing 8 of 10 passes.

The Indians will be playing without the services of Zsazhamar Davis, who has been suspended pending the investigation of a scuffle involving several Gaffney High students.

"From what I know he was trying to stop the fight and ended up being caught in it," Strickland said. "The incident is still under investigation, which will decide whether he will be able to come back to the team."

T.L. HANNA (1-2) VS. GAFFNEY (2-1) Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Gaffney High School Stadium

Players to Watch: T.L. HANNA: WR Martavis Bryant, RB Will Gay, QB Drew Hankins. GAFFNEY: QB DeEdward Burris, WR Joe Craig, DL Jaylen Miller, LB Robert Grandy.

The Yellow Jackets will win if ... they limit their turnovers and do not give the Gaffney offense a short field to work with.

The Indians will win if ... if able to force T.L. Hanna into turnovers and make the Yellow Jackets one-dimensional by putting a blanket on talented wide receiver Martavis Bryant, a Clemson commit.