By MONTE DUTTON

When I was in the seventh grade at Bell Street Middle School, on the first day of school, I sat in the gym and listened to instructions regarding the academic discipline of physical education. The side baskets had been lifted to the rafters, and on the back of one of them, “Kevin Long” had been spray-painted.

I already knew Kevin. He worked at the family’s steakhouse. My father and I had sat in a pickup, behind the end zone, during a Bell Street High School football game, and watched two of my first heroes, Kevin and Joe McGee (no relation to McGee’s Drug Store), play for the Wildcats before integration.

The Vietnam War claimed Joe’s life only a month or so after he got there. My dad had informally appointed Joe to watch over me. We raced slot cars at tracks on East Main Street. They were popular for a time. Such tracks were featured in an Elvis Presley movie, Speedway. They were the rage for about a year, but the tracks on East Main Street never had Elvis getting up from a booth and spontaneously singing a song.

Kevin, along with Robert Scott and Charles Norman, led Clinton High to its first state title in 33 years, but that was three years later. He went on to the University of South Carolina, where he became the first Gamecock ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. The second was his teammate, Clarence Williams.

When I was a freshman at CHS, Keith Richardson occasionally decreed that the ninth-grade team would scrimmage the varsity at Wilder Stadium. He might as well have released a pride of lions on us. Oh, how we got manhandled.

Furman linebacker Bruce Gheesling was a teammate of Kevin’s in the United States Football League, where, after leaving the New York Jets, he played for the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers.

I think the only time my mom and dad missed a Furman home game while I was there was when Kevin gave them tickets to the Carolina-Michigan game, which was also attended by Pres. Gerald Ford.

My dad was more impressed by the traffic jam than the president.

Kevin was always special to me. Long after my dad died, he and I talked about him every time we saw each other, which wasn’t often. He died at age 69 after being ill for many years. The last few times I saw him, he was in a wheelchair.

He never stopped being an inspiration. He never will.

With the varsity headed to Inman on Thursday night, Clinton’s junior varsity took on Chapman at Wilder Stadium on Wednesday night, and the 14-7 victory over Chapman was the 48^th straight for Dontavius Glenn’s club.

Zydarrion Butler opened the scoring for the Red Devils with a nine-yard, first-half rush.

At about the midway point of the third quarter, Clinton struck again when A’Javian James picked up a Chapman fumble and ran it into the end zone from 21 yards out. Owen Glenn passed for a two-point conversion to Demarius Griffin.

The Panthers got on the board in the final minutes on a 22-yard pass.

Daniel’s JVs visit Clinton (3-0) next Thursday.

The county’s top football emigrants did well. Ex-Laurens Academy quarterback Thomas Lowry isn’t on a varsity team at Clemson, but almost anyone who is would be impressed by the hundreds of pushups he completed as The Tiger mascot in Saturday’s 66-20 victory over Appalachian State.

Louisville senior Duane Martin scored a touchdown in the Cardinals’ 49-14 win over Jacksonville State. Ex-PC and Furman quarterback Tyler Huff started for the Gamecocks, hitting 17/27 passes for 160 yards and running for 101 yards in 18 carries.

At Anderson, where Laurens’ Seth Strickland is offensive coordinator for Bobby Lamb, Clinton’s Bryson James was a game captain and started at running back. Another ex-Devil, Hezekiah Kinard, started in the defensive line.

A couple PC transfers, quarterback Tyler Wesley and J.B. Seay, were standouts in the Trojans’ 51-14 victory over Saint Andrews. Wesley started behind center and hit 9/12 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns. Seay rushed twice for 41 yards.

Ex-Raider Tye Roberson had a run and a reception in Lenoir-Rhyne’s 32-19 win over Bowie (Md.) State.

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