By MONTE DUTTON

On Friday evening in Chapin, it was hot.

Hot. Maybe I need to get out more.

The stadium has a navy-blue concrete wall at the front of the visitors’ side. As I was my usual ridiculously early self, I sat on it for a while. No one else was there yet. In time, a Chapin student trainer arrived with a cooler of ice water. A golf cart – at this point, it ought to be called a multi-purpose cart – dropped off the chains. The biggest surprise of the evening was that I watched an early-arriving official measure the chains.

By then, I was long gone from the blue concrete. I don’t think you could fry an egg on it, but I was worried about a blister rising on my posterior.

I thought the scrimmage was starting at 6, but it didn’t. Perhaps the wet-bulb thermometer exercised its veto power. The heat had moderated by the time the Clinton Red Devils took the field for two quarters against Gray Collegiate War Eagles. By then. I noticed a few people sitting on the concrete without apparent consternation.

Clinton brought a good crowd, as usual, but Gray Collegiate brought more, or perhaps more early arrivers congregated on the home side. Naturally, I pondered this a while. The War Eagles are located nearby, but it occurred to me that since they have been known to attract mercenaries, perhaps their fan base, or at least parent base, is broader. As yet, I have drawn no conclusions, but I’ve been thinking about it.

Corey Fountain is a straight shooter, or maybe he just thinks like me. After the first jamboree, in Woodruff, he said cool weather and rain had affected his team’s conditioning. In that matchup against Fountain Inn, the Red Devils scored two quick touchdown and stalled a bit, giving up a late opposition score. Against Gray Collegiate, which won 7-0, Clinton was tough and feisty but made too many mistakes. Again, Fountain’s analysis matched my faint observation.

Undoubtedly, it was a coincidence.

A combined 19 championships are represented when Clinton visits Woodruff on Friday night. The Wolverines have 10, the Red Devils nine. But … Clinton has won four titles (1985, 1987, 2009, 2024) since Woodruff won its 10^th (1984). When I was at W.L. Varner Stadium, last week, I almost fainted when I realized that.

For most of the rivalry’s history, Clinton was Class 3A, Woodruff 2A. Now that’s reversed, and the Wolverines won last year’s game, 40-36. Woodruff finished at 9-2. Powdersville ousted the Wolverines from the playoffs, 21-14.

Brett Sloan enters his third season at Woodruff with a record of 13-9.

Buddy Bridges and the gang are to broadcast the festivities from the Stadium That Willie Built beginning at 7 p.m. via WPCC (AM 1410, FM 96.5, largetime.net). “Saturday Morning Rewind” hits the local airwaves at 9 a.m. from Whiteford’s in Clinton.

The county’s high-school coaches – Clinton’s Fountain, Laurens’ Greg Porter, Laurens Academy’s Jolly Doolittle and Thornwell’s Adams Dean – talk team at the first Laurens County Touchdown Club meeting on Thursday at The Ridge (301 Exchange, Laurens), beginning at noon. Tickets are available at the door.

Isolated observations after sleeping in on a Sunday:

Betting on NFL exhibition games is like picking the pace lap at NASCAR races. I wonder if one can bet on the first five minutes.

Caleb Williams looked great in his allotted time at quarterback for the Chicago Bears. His understudy, Tyson Bagent, also looked fantastic. Bagent played five record-breaking seasons at Shepherd (W.Va.), a Division II school.

I think there’s a jinx on Clemson quarterbacks in the pros.

Hometown school Presbyterian is playing alma mater Furman on Sept. 6. Only one thing could cause me to miss it. It’s the 50^th anniversary of my state championship team at Clinton High. I could drive to Greenville for the first half. More likely I’ll watch the game on ESPN+.

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