"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 Click here. We’re in an oddly opportune, not in bad way, place for hurricanes. The little desk is made of wood. I’m knocking on it. Most Atlantic hurricanes bore into the coast and curve upward instead of clobbering us with a direct hit. Most Gulf hurricanes weaken, particularly where the land is …
Continue reading County Signs: As Helene looms ever closer …
By MONTE DUTTON Lexington's Brennon Carter finds a receiver (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Wasn’t much to it. The short-term result of Laurens District High School having bona-fide quarterbacks again was ineffectual as Lexington methodically dispatched the Raiders, 29-0, on a Wednesday football game hastened by the approach of what recently became Hurricane Hellene. About …
By MONTE DUTTON Brock Chappell (Furman photo) Click here. What comes to mind when the football programs of Furman and Samford tee off? Southern Conference championships. The last two. The Paladins last season and the Bulldogs in 2022. It’s the opening SoCon game at Paladin Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. Furman is 1-3. Samford …
Continue reading Furman, Samford both aiming for SoCon surge
By MONTE DUTTON (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Some don’t think I know what happened every day. When a storm heads in this direction, it’s like politics is every day. As I took one last look Tuesday night at contemporary meteorology, it looked as if football can’t be …
Continue reading County Signs: Raiders to play Wildcats on Wednesday
By MONTE DUTTON Not actually Jayden Daniels (AI-generated image) Click here. One Monday-night football game does not a career make, but I can’t remember a more impressive performance by an NFL rookie quarterback than Jayden Daniels’ brilliant night in Cincinnati. In a matchup of ex-LSU stars, Daniels was almost faultless in leading the Washington Commanders …
By MONTE DUTTON Clay Hendrix (Furman photo) Click here. The Southern Conference schedule begins for Furman at home when Samford takes on the Paladins at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Paladins have already dropped as many games as in the entire 2024 season, in which they won their 15th SoCon title. Head coach Clay Hendrix …
Continue reading Furmanology: Hendrix says Furman flaws are fixable
By MONTE DUTTON Bailey Memorial Stadium will be under the lights again (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Steve Englehart likens Presbyterian College’s first four football games to exhibitions. No surprises, thus far. The Blue Hose were outmatched in the opener, a 63-10 loss to Southern Conference member Mercer (4-0). Then, as expected, they defeated Erskine, …
Continue reading County Signs: Davidson regularly gets in a rush
By MONTE DUTTON (Furman photo) Click here. I sat in the press box of Bailey Memorial Stadium on Saturday, nervously keeping tabs of Furman-William & Mary on the cell and watching a revised version of the same football game. Unusually rested because Friday night’s high-school road trip was buffered by the college battles taking place …
Continue reading Furmanology: Bad news up close and far away
By MONTE DUTTON Collin Hurst fueled a comeback (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Dammit. Presbyterian College deserved better on Saturday night. The scoreboard revealed that Gardner-Webb, what with scholarships and all, doubled the Blue Hose, 42-21. Well, I mean, if you want to go by the score … An upset didn’t slide away. It slid …
By MONTE DUTTON The Crusader senior ran roughshod (Courtesy John Clayton) Click here. Garrett Murphy was a wrecking crew on Friday night in Laurens Academy’s 52-36 victory over King Academy at Todd Kirk Field. Murphy rushed for 258 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 10.8 yards a carry. In six games, the senior has rushed for …
Continue reading County Signs: Crusaders first to reach four
Nightrider's Lament 