The wide, wide world of sports is dotted with many absurd features among its bells and whistles.
Not to mention the world at large. For instance, how can there be an indoor yard sale? How can a show be “live on tape from the Ed Sullivan Theater”? Or any other theater.
But I digress.
The National Football League’s two-minute warning dates back to a time when football was played without scoreboards. The referee kept the time with a stopwatch, and late in both halves, he informed the teams there were two minutes left. Now stadiums have scoreboards that can be seen from outer space, but still, there’s a two-minute warning, and it’s never going to go away because TV wants another commercial break.
Every time a baseball player stands beside the plate with a bat in his hands, he is known as a batter, unless he gets hit by a pitch, at which point he becomes a “batsman.” Evil-doers, beware Batsman and Robsin.
Don’t get me started. Let’s review recent developments that, in most instances, aren’t absurd at all.
Kadon Crawford’s performance in a losing cause earned the Clinton senior the honor of Player of the Week as selected by the Laurens County Touchdown Club.
Crawford is literally always there for the Red Devils, playing outside linebacker, tight end, wide receiver and special teams. He is also the backup quarterback.
All Crawford did for the defense was make 10-1/2 tackles, nine “first hits,” three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
“Kadon is a Swiss Army Knife for the Clinton Red Devils. He never comes off the field as he plays offense, defense and special teams. He is a vocal leader as well and leads by example. He is simply a great representative of Red Devil football,” stated head coach Corey Fountain.
The TD Club will honor Crawford on Oct. 5 at the bi-monthly Touchdown Club meeting. The meeting will be at noon at The Ridge in Laurens. Player of the Week awards this year are presented by Farm Bureau Insurance of Laurens County.
Former Wofford coach Mike Ayers is the featured speaker at noon luncheon.
It comes as no surprise that a loss at South Aiken dropped Clinton from the S.C. Media Poll rankings in Class 3A.
The Red Devils are riding their first two-game losing streak since COVID as they begin Region 4-3A play at home against Union County on Friday night.
CLASS 5A: 1. Summerville (22) (5-0) 2. Hillcrest (6-0) 3. Byrnes (1) (5-1) 4. Gaffney (4-2) 5. T.L. Hanna (5-1) 6. Spartanburg (4-2) 7. White Knoll (5-0) 8. Lexington (4-1) 9. Fort Dorchester (2-2) and 10. Sumter (4-2). Others receiving votes: Ashley Ridge, J.L. Mann, Clover, Chapin, River Bluff, Boiling Springs and Dutch Fork.
CLASS 4A: 1. South Florence (19) (5-0) 2. Northwestern (4) (4-1) 3. Irmo (5-0) 4. James Island (5-0) 5. Hartsville (4-1) 6. South Pointe (3-2) 7. Westside (4-1) 8. Midland Valley (6-0) 9. Greenville (3-2) and 10. Lucy Beckham (4-0). Others receiving votes: Ridge View, York, Myrtle Beach, North Augusta, Indian Land and West Florence.
CLASS 3A: 1. Daniel (19) (5-0) 2. Belton Honea Path (4) (5-0) 3. Dillon (4-1) 4. Gilbert (5-0) 5. Chapman (5-1) 6. Crestwood (4-1) 7. Chester (5-1) 8. Broome (5-1) 9. Manning (5-0) and 10. Philip Simmons (6-0). Others receiving votes: Camden, Clinton, Brookland-Cayce, Crescent and Seneca.
CLASS 2A: 1. Gray Collegiate (21) (6-1) 2. Abbeville (2) (4-1) 3. Oceanside Collegiate (3-2) 4. Silver Bluff (4-1) 5. Fairfield Central (4-1) 6. Hampton County (5-1) 7. Marion (5-1) 8. Woodland (4-0) 9. Saluda (4-1) and 10. Strom Thurmond (3-2). Others receiving votes: Landrum, Ninety Six, Edisto and Liberty.
CLASS A: 1. Lewisville (23) (5-1) 2. Christ Church (4-2) 3. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler (5-0) 4. Whale Branch (4-0) 5. Latta (6-0) 6. Bamberg-Ehrhardt (4-1) 7. Southside Christian (2-2) 8. St. Joseph’s (5-1) 9. Calhoun County (5-1) and 10. Lake View (4-1). Others receiving votes: Blackville-Hilda, Cross and Lamar.
Anna Morgan, who won the prestigious North-South Amateur over the summer, led Furman to a first-place tie with Augusta in its Lady Paladin Invitational.
Morgan, from Spartanburg, was 5-under-par, the same score as the team, and won the individual title by five strokes.
Michelle Young’s 400th victory as volleyball coach at Furman was a memorable one as the Paladins came from two sets down to defeat East Tennessee State (23-25, 15-25, 25-20, 27-25, 15-4) in Johnson City.
Furman is 11-2, 2-0 in the SoCon.
Last week, Clinton High won three Region 4-3A girls’ tennis matches, all 6-0, and two of them, over Chester, on the same day.
How’s that for cool dispatch?
In the three matches – the third was against Emerald – Clinton (6-1, 4-0 region) lost a total of four games.
Also last week, Laurens Academy’s Madison Sherman collected her 1,000th assist against Wardlaw. The reigning SCISA Class A state champs 18-3-2 thus far.
Laurens edged Fountain Inn, 4-3, last week in girls’ tennis.
Kelsie Little, Sara Beth Field, Ashlyn Messer and No. 1 doubles (Little-Field) earned the wins.
Furman, coming off a convincing, 38-14, victory over then-21st-ranked Mercer, cruises into its open date with a seventh-place ranking in both major FCS polls.
Furman women’s tennis players went a combined 27-4 in the Charleston Southern Invitational, predictably hosted by the Buccaneers.
Norah Roller’s late goal lifted the Paladins’ women’s tennis team past Western Carolina to go 5-3-2 overall, 1-0-1 in the Southern Conference.
Presbyterian (4-3) opened its Big South season with a come-from-behind, 3-2, men’s soccer victory at UNC Asheville. Faaborg Christensen scored the game-winner off Damorney Hutchinson’s assist.
PC volleyball (3-9) opened its Big South season with a 3-2 volleyball victory at Charleston Southern. Setter Kinsey Bailey led the Hose with 38 assists.
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The next Fiesta Grande open mic is Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m.
Nightrider's Lament 