"Why do they [write] for their money? Why do they [work] for short pay? They ain't getting nowhere and they're losing their share. They must have gone crazy back there." — Michael Burton (paraphrased)
By MONTE DUTTON (Furman photo) Click here. A nice man working the Columbia College-Presbyterian men’s basketball game – noon on Education Day at Clinton’s Templeton Center on Wednesday – befriended me. We had a chat in the parking lot, where he was guarding the staff lot near the back door.I usually like the men and …
Continue reading Furmanology: Sometimes a fellow can go too far
By MONTE DUTTON The kids loved every second (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Maybe Presbyterian College ought to play all its basketball games in the daytime.While the men’s team was obliterating Columbia College at Templeton Center on Wednesday, the women were winning their first game of the season in Durham, N.C.It was Education Day at …
By MONTE DUTTON Javen Cook has rushed for 1,730 yards (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Playing for a state football championship is a rare opportunity, even in towns like Clinton and Barnwell, where the tradition is strong.The seasons of the Red Devils and Warhorses are already going to be revered for decades. The winner of …
Continue reading County Signs: Devils to shoot for all the marbles
By MONTE DUTTON Clayton Lawson (60), Tre Aiken (70) block downfield for Javen Cook (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. A state championship carries with it inherent uncertainty. It’s similar to the way major-league baseball was before interleague play.Clinton (11-2) and Barnwell (13-1) haven’t played … ever. Neither has played any team the other has this …
Continue reading County Signs: One more step to glory for Devils
By MONTE DUTTON Clay Hendrix is riding the comeback trail (Furman photo) Click here. Perhaps there is some consolation in Furman’s 3-8 record in football.The Paladins are hardly alone in upward or downward mobility.Arizona State improved this year from 3-9 to 11-2. Florida State fell from 13-1 to 2-10. The Seminoles are a poster child …
Continue reading Furmanology: Paladins conquer Buccaneers, 58-42
By MONTE DUTTON Click here. It’s been a great football season for Clinton. It was a great one for Laurens Academy, a good one for Presbyterian College and a disaster for Laurens High.At the beginning of the season, I thought the Raiders would have Laurens County’s most improved team. Now I think they will next …
Continue reading County Signs: The game changes as much as the games
By MONTE DUTTON (Monte Dutton photo) Click here. My life is seldom mediocre. One night my old high school wins the Upstate championship game. The next morning my truck won’t start.No obvious reason except the cold. I drove straight home from Clinton High School’s Wilder Stadium on Friday night and worked till 3 a.m. on …
Continue reading Furmanology: Paladins return the Princeton favor
By MONTE DUTTON Brett Young, Jaydon Glenn team up to collar Fairfield Central's Kaden Diggs (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. High-school football is fun, but it’s hard. It’s worth it. It changed my life. Once upon a time, it made me think I could do things if I set my mind to them, and when …
Continue reading Big Red punches its ticket to the state, 32-21
By MONTE DUTTON (Furman graphic) Click here. Mid-major is an interesting term. It refers to every team that isn’t a large major. It’s sort of burger joint that calls a small drink “large” and a large one “jumbo.”No one wants to be little. Mid-major is harmless hyperbole, inspirational in its pretense.Furman (8-1) is ranked 12th …
Continue reading Furmanology: Paladins, Tigers to battle in the middle
By MONTE DUTTON Kynius Williams on the pass rush (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. 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 …
Continue reading County Signs: Battle royal looms at Wilder Stadium
Nightrider's Lament 