By MONTE DUTTON
High-school and college football have never been so offensive. In the last two games I’ve attended, one winning team had 801 yards in 60 minutes, and the other had 605 in 48.
I suppose which meaning of “offensive” depends on how much one enjoys defense, of which there often seems little.
It can mean “actively aggressive, attacking,” but also “causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset or angry.”
It’s all relative. A defense’s ultimate goal is preventing the foes from scoring as many as the friends.
In Laurens County’s football games over the weekend, the winning teams scored 62, 61, 49 and 42 points. The losers scored 20, 14, 14 and three.
All but Laurens have exciting offenses. Clinton’s legion of runners gobbles up yards rapidly, as if playing an early video game like Pong or Space Invaders.
It’s fun to watch and hard to keep up with the handoffs, rolls and pitches, not to mention the occasional aerial attack.
Defense is a high-stakes game of risk-taking and big plays. Defenses run plays at the offense, throwing players where they expect the ball to go. If it doesn’t go there … oops.
As incredible as this may seem, the Red Devils are taking Friday night off. They lost a home game with Union County to the weather, and Clinton (6-2, 3-0 Region 1-2A) closes at Liberty, where I’ve been once, on Nov. 8.
If Liberty (4-3, 1-1 Region 1-3A) wins at Blacksburg (3-5, 0-2) on Friday night, the two Red Devils will determine the region title.
Meanwhile, Laurens (1-7, 1-2 Region 1-4A) plays its final two regular-season games against the teams, Emerald (4-4, 1-2) and Fountain Inn (5-3, 1-2), with whom it is tied for third place in the standings.
To summarize, the Raiders need to win either in Greenwood (Emerald) on Friday night or at home (Fountain Inn) on Nov. 8 in order to keep playing.
Laurens Academy (6-3, 3-1 SCISA 8-Man 1) closes its regular season with a visit to Batesburg to play King Academy (2-6, 1-2), which it defeated, 52-36, on Sept. 20.
The Knights picked up their first region win last week with a 42-36 decision over Newberry Academy.
Presbyterian (3-6, 1-4) hopes to flex its newfound Pioneer Football League muscle when Dayton (5-2, 3-1) visits Bailey Memorial Stadium for a 1 p.m. clash.
In four PFL losses, the Blue Hose have trailed at the end by no more than 11 points, falling twice in overtime, and they socked Stetson, 42-14, on the road.
Presbyterian women’s wrestling enters the season as the No. 5 team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
That’s the highest preseason ranking that the Blue Hose have ever received, boasting six wrestlers in the individual top 10 for their respective weight classes.
Maddie Kubicki (3rd in 145), Cassia Zammit (5th in 131), Paige Wehrmeister (6th in 138), Alyssa Mahan (8th in 124), Henlee Haynes (8th in 180), and Ella Beam (8th in 207) all represent PC in the preseason poll.
Head coach Brian Vutianitis approaches his second season in charge with more championship aspirations, as the Blue Hose accumulated 103 pins last year and three All-Americans who were freshmen (Kubicki, Zammit and Haynes).
The Blue Hose begin the schedule this weekend in the Northeast, traveling to New Jersey for the Princeton Open on Sunday.
PRESEASON TOP 25
1. King (107 points, 9 ranked wrestlers)
2. Iowa (104 points, 8 ranked wrestlers)
3. North Central (83 points, 10 ranked wrestlers)
4. McKendree (38 points, 4 ranked wrestlers)
5. Presbyterian (32 points, 6 ranked wrestlers)
6. Grand Valley State (26 points, 4 ranked wrestlers)
7. Colorado Mesa (24 points, 4 ranked wrestlers)
8. Sacred Heart (22 points, 3 ranked wrestlers)
9. Elmira (18 points, 4 ranked wrestlers)
10. Aurora (16 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
11. Schreiner (15 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
12. Lindenwood (14 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
13. East Stroudsburg (13 points, 3 ranked wrestlers)
T-14. Dubuque (12 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
T-14. Emmanuel (12 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
T-14. New Jersey City (12 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
17. Lock Haven (11 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
T-18. Wartburg (10 points, 3 ranked wrestlers)
T-18. Wisconsin-Stevens Points (10 points, 3 ranked wrestlers)
20. Simon Fraser (9 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
21. William Jewell (8 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
T-22. Adams State (7 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
T-22. Western New England (6 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
24. Northern Michigan (5 points, 2 ranked wrestlers)
T-25. Augsburg (4 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
T-25. Delaware Valley (4 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
T-25. Gannon (4 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
T-25. West Liberty (4 points, 1 ranked wrestler)
Presbyterian’s Ashley Miller (Brentwood, Tenn.) and UNC Asheville’s Kylie Cackovic(Raleigh, N.C.) share the Big South Player of the Week in volleyball.
Winthrop’s Isabella Murray(Norcross, Ga.) has been named Setter of the Week, and Presbyterian’s Celimar Hoyos(Caguas, Puerto Rico) has been voted the Libero of the Week. USC Upstate’s Kamyla Vega David(Carolina, Puerto Rico) is Freshman of the Week.
Mid-Carolina wrapped up the Region 3-2A girls’ tennis title with a 4-2 victory over Clinton in Prosperity.
# 1 Singles Libby Dailey defeated Sophia Abraham 7 – 5, 6 – 1
# 2 Singles Addy Derrick defeated Maddy Stribble 6 – 3, 6 – 3
# 3 Singles Merin Orr lost to Arial Kennedy 6 – 1, 6 – 2
# 4 Singles Deborah Goldman lost to Ava Pullen 6 – 0, 6 – 2
# 5 Singles Kayleigh Lawson lost to Ava Grace Long 6 – 1, 6 – 0
# 1 Doubles Dailey & Derrick Did Not Play
# 2 Doubles Abby McMurray & Savanna Fountain lost to Ashley Bunce & Kyle Ringer 6 – 4, 6 – 2
Laurens traveled to Southside on Monday for their last region match of the season, falling to the Tigers, 4-3.
A close match at No. 1 doubles decided the outcome.
Clinton won its region boys’ cross country championship for the fourth year in a row, and the girls finished second. The Red Devils took three of the first four places. William Reid won at a time of 17:02. Sam Gearheart took third at 18:12, and Cooper Stinson fourth at 18:31. As a team, Clinton had 23 points. Mid-Carolina was runner-up with 32. The girls lost by a single point to the Rebels. Calvary Lyda finished second at 24:02. Elizabeth Reid was fifth at 24:38. The region champion Clinton (12-3) volleyball team opens the 2A playoffs at home on Wednesday against High Point Academy (2-13) at 6 p.m.
I’ve laid around and played around this old town too long / Summer’s almost gone, Lord, winter’s coming on – Billy Grammer
Wellpilgrim.com is trying its best – translation: I’m trying – to describe the highs and lows and avoid the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Highs and lows are inevitable because all the games have a loser and a winner, and Wellpilgrim.com is trying its best – translation: I’m trying – to describe the highs and lows and avoid the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Highs and lows are inevitable because all the games have a loser and a winner, and when it’s done, they are the same number.
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