By MONTE DUTTON

Here’s a prediction that doesn’t require a soothsayer.

Wilder Stadium will be packed when Laurens comes to town Friday night. Clinton’s band will be pumping out its knockoff of the Notre Dame fight song. Laurens will mimic Ohio State.

It will be hot, with thunder in the air regardless of whether there are clouds in the sky. Thunder will roll when lightning strikes. I expect big plays to determine the outcome.

It figures to be the most joyous example of serious business since Sir Henry Stanley found Dr. David Livingstone near Lake Tanganyika in 1872.

Mr. Porter, I presume?

The annual meeting of Corey Fountain’s Red Devils and Greg Porter’s Raider is always a spicy dish. This year it’s sprinkled with cayenne pepper.

Both rivals stumbled in their openers, Clinton to Woodruff, 40-36, and Laurens to Hillcrest, 16-0. In the short run, the frustrations only heighten the desperation. It’s must-win and must-see, which is why a throng is on the invitation list.

Wild, wild horses couldn’t drag me away. – Michael Phillip, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

Laurens Academy is 2-0, both in football and Laurens County Touchdown Club Player of the Week accolades.

Sophomore quarterback Ethan Collins led the offense the Crusaders’ 42-25 victory over Newberry Academy. LA makes its home debut this Friday night for the first of two meetings against Wardlaw Academy at Todd Kirk Field.

Ethan Collins threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, completing 13 passes in 20 attempts. He also rushed 10 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he scored three two-point conversions.

“Ethan has every intangible a coach wants in a quarterback,” stated head coach Jolly Doolittle. “He is even-keeled, mentally and physically tough, smart, coachable, disciplined, a leader and an extremely hard worker.”

The Touchdown Club will honor Collins on Sept. 5 at the second meeting of the year. 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.

The season’s first recipient was the Crusaders’ Garrett Murphy.

The Sept. 5 meeting features Presbyterian College head coach Steve Englehart. The Blue Hose travel to Greenwood to take on the Erskine College Flying Fleet on Saturday, Sept. 7. 

The Sept. 19 speaker is Furman University head coach Clay Hendrix.

Senior keeper Kelly Hall of Presbyterian is Big South Defensive Player of the Week.

Hall became PC’s first defensive winner win 2022 after saving eight shots and pitching a first-half shutout in a 2-1 win at Furman.

Six of her eight saves against the Paladins happened in the first 45 minutes, logging her sixth individual victory in a Presbyterian uniform.

Kelly has remained on the field for all 270 minutes of PC’s season to date.

Presbyterian returns to the field Thursday for an August edition of Senior Night, where Hall will be one of five recognized for immense contributions to PC women’s soccer.

The 7 p.m. opponent is Southern Wesleyan, followed by a Monday visit from South Carolina State.

Much obliged for your contributions.

Saturday was the site’s biggest day since basketball and baseball were going on at the same time in March. Visits are up 35 percent in the past week.

It’s just the start. Furman and Presbyterian begin football this week, and Friday night Laurens visits Clinton.

As Merle Haggard sang, “If we can make it through December, everything’s gonna be all right, I know.”

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