By MONTE DUTTON

GREENWOOD – It’s November, and most of the hay is in the barns, or at least it would be if it wasn’t baled in giant rolls nowadays.
Emerald and Laurens played a hard-fought football game that the Vikings won, 26-17, at Frank Hill Stadium, on Friday night. Emerald is 5-4, 3-1 in Region 1-4A. Laurens is 1-8 and 1-3.
With apologies to the Doobie Brothers, it’s been a long train running.
“It’s been humbling,” LDHS head coach Greg Porter said. “We’re a football team making progress, which gives us hope and gives our community hope and gives the people who support us hope.

“This has been a season that really could have taken a toll on them. I’ve been impressed with them and the resiliency of bouncing back. For them, I wish we could win more games.”
Fountain Inn (5-4, 1-3) visits Laurens in the final regular-season game. Wren (6-2, 3-1) visits Emerald next Friday.
They are all going to the playoffs except for Southside (0-9, 0-4), which fell to Fountain Inn, 55-26. The region champion, top-ranked Westside (8-0, 4-0), puts the Tigers out of their misery next week. The Rams wrapped everything else up by dispatching Wren, 56-34, on Friday.

All of that established, Laurens couldn’t overcome a 20-0 second-quarter deficit. Led by quarterback Will Thompson, who completed 9/15 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, the Raiders stayed in it but not enough to put the outcome in much doubt.
Thompson rushed for a four-yard touchdown with 24 seconds in the first half and hit Shawn Medlin with a 50-yard scoring pass with 7:29 left in the third quarter that brought Laurens within six points, 20-14, for four minutes, four seconds.

Then the Vikings added Christian Foster’s three-yard rush with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter and re-established the cushion.
Laurens’ Brock Franklin kicked a 31-yard field goal early in the final period but missed from 35 with 2:39 to play, and that was that.
The Raiders rushed for only 35 yards in 20 tries. Once they fell behind by 20 points, the ground wasn’t of much use. They didn’t have time to mess with it.

Brayden Patterson snagged four of Thompson’s passes for just 26 yards. Denari Lee-Jackson caught three for 85.

Emerald rushed for 220 yards while passing for 86. Three – K.D. Abney (13-84), Christopher Dean (8-69) and Key Holloway (11-69) – led the infantry. Quarterback Beau Hite went 6-9 for 86 yards, sharing his attentions among six targets.

Neither team fumbled. Neither quarterback threw an interception. Time of possession was a tossup.
Laurens is going to the playoffs, God knows where, and it’s unlikely to be pleasant. The Raiders’ schedule is as tough as any. Regardless of whether or not they can upset Fountain Inn, that schedule cinches an at-large berth in the 4A bracket.

The game was neither pretty nor ugly. Emerald assumed control but not firmly. The Raiders played with aspirations but not likelihood.

The schedule taught them to compete. Except for Southside, it hasn’t afforded much opportunity to win.
“It becomes a part of your culture,” said Porter. “It becomes a part of the expectation.
“To find that rhythm at a program with four tough years behind it … We make no excuses. I knew what I was getting into when I left Greenville. I make no complaints. My job is to do everything I can to make this a better program and turn it around.”

“LA’s mine but it ain’t home, New York’s home but it ain’t mine no more.” – Neil Diamond
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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