By MONTE DUTTON

Nothing could be finer than to be in Clinton, South Carolina, at least until Friday night when the Red Devils’ further fate is decided in the Upstate football championship of Class 2A.
It’s at Wilder Stadium, the last home game of the season because, if Clinton (10-2) wins, the state championship game will be only six days away. It is to be played at 2 p.m., next Thursday afternoon at South Carolina State in Orangeburg.

One key to Corey Fountain’s success – and it’s not uncommon – is to concentrate on every game without allowing the minds to wander past it. Of all the remarks Fountain makes after games, one of the more common refers to “being 1-0 every week.”

The next “one” is Fairfield Central (12-1). They are the Griffins, and a griffin is a legendary creature with the body, tail and back legs of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle. It’s a formidable nickname that combines Detroit and Philadelphia of the NFL.

On the other hand, no evidence exists that actual griffins ever prowled and swooped. They are mainly sculptures guarding treasures and priceless possessions. If there ever was a griffin, he or she likely never posed for artists. If only Pliny the Elder had been equipped with digital photography in the First Century …

Red Devils and Griffins are demonstrably great this year. Friday night is for greater, and the next Thursday is for greatest.
This game has another fascinating component. Fairfield Central is in Winnsboro, as is the private school, Richard Winn Academy, that defeated Laurens Academy in the SCISA 8-man title game.
Some might fret about some kind of hex or jinx. A more positive course would be to see it as one Laurens County school avenging the defeat of the other.

It doesn’t matter. It’s a superstition. Like a Griffin.
Tydarion Grier, Fairfield Central’s leading rusher, averages 152.5 yards, which adds out to 1,983 for the season, with an accompanying 35 touchdowns, and an average gain of 9.7 yards.

Javen Cook, Clinton’s leading rusher, averages 136.5 yards per game and 8.9 per carry, with 21 touchdowns.
The Griffins’ Kalen Diggs has rushed for 607 yards and passed for 655. The Red Devils’ Tushawan Richardson has rushed for 589 and passed for 1,059.
The Griffins rush for an average of 268.2 yards and pass for 101.2. The Red Devils’ norms are 340.1 and 94.3.

The teams have three common opponents. Clinton defeated Newberry, 23-14; Chesnee, 46-21; and Chester, 48-20. Fairfield Central defeated the Bulldogs, 49-42; the Eagles, 41-6; and the Cyclones, 22-6.
The Griffins thumped Union County, 52-6. The Red Devils’ game against the Yellow Jackets was rained out. That’s why Fairfield Central has played one more game.
The statistics are tight, which suggests the game will be, too. It comes with the territory.

Woodruff turned the tables on Laurens, which defeated the Wolverines in girls’ basketball tournament play. This time Woodruff won, 56-44.
Sadie Burnett scored 24 points to lead the Wolverines, while Nyri Allen led the 3-2 Raiders with 16.
The Laurens boys improved to 2-3 with a 55-47 victory over Woodruff.
Because of the football game and Clinton, the first round of basketball games between the county rivals has been postponed. Hillcrest visits the Raiders next Tuesday, and Woodruff comes to LDHS on Wednesday.
Jayden McGowan is in the transfer protocol again.

The Laurens great played two seasons at Vanderbilt, then moved to Boston College after initially committing to South Carolina. This season McGowan caught only two passes. He returned five punts and five kickoffs.
At Vandy, McGowan caught 80 passes in two seasons.
Bryson James is the leading rusher in Anderson University football history, which began this year.

The Clinton High grad and Cross Hill native missed two games due to injury but finished the season with 411 yards in 93 carries for an average gain of 4.4.
Ex-PC quarterback Tyler Wesley started at quarterback for the 3-8 Trojans. He completed 127/227 passes for 1,851 yards and 16 touchdowns, yielding six interceptions.

Spartanburg Christian visits Laurens Academy on Friday night for middle-school and varsity games that begin at 4 p.m.
PC basketball is inactive until next Wednesday, when the men take on Columbia College at noon and the women visit North Carolina Central in Durham an hour earlier.

Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun. — Christina Rossetti, poet (1830-1894)

Wellpilgrim.com is winding down the fall making a transition to the winter chill. The bounces of the balls are getting truer.
Times are changing. I am aware of how irrelevant what I do for a living has become and thus how unimportant my efforts are. The readers appreciate them, but there aren’t enough of them. I doubt there ever will be again.

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