"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 Ian Williams drilled three field goals (Furman photo). Click here. Anything doesn’t often happen, but it certainly can. I spent Friday and Saturday surprised in various degrees. I expected Clinton to win the Laurens County championship in high-school football, but not 50-0 over Laurens. I expected Furman to start the season with …
Continue reading Paladins take down Tribe as Blue Hose step up
By MONTE DUTTON Angelo Cromer avoids Laurens' Elijah Cheeks (10) (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. Clinton looked really good in Friday night’s 50-0 victory over Laurens. Laurens (0-2) also looked really bad, but the two often go hand in hand. The Red Devils very nearly erased from memory their loss to Woodruff on opening night. …
By MONTE DUTTON (Furman photos) Click here. In the next few days and nights, Nebraska is playing Cincinnati, East Carolina-North Carolina State, Georgia Tech-Colorado, Auburn-Baylor, Syracuse-Tennessee, Northwestern-Tulane, Texas-Ohio State, Louisiana State-Clemson, Alabama-Florida State, Notre Dame-Miami and South Carolina-Virginia Tech. Among many others. Big deal. William & Mary is playing Furman. I speak for no one …
Continue reading Paladins’ football prospects figure to rise
By MONTE DUTTON Seniors Jaydon Glenn (1), Kynius Williams (44) and Adarrell Swindler line up against Woodruff (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. The football game scheduled for Friday night at K.C. Hanna Stadium is a different kind of rivalry, though both Clinton and Laurens are 0-1. Last week Woodruff defeated Clinton, 21-13. It was a …
By MONTE DUTTON (Monte Dutton photo) Click here. It is glittering and bright, this brand-new Timmons Arena. On a campus of stately brick buildings and picturesque fountains, Furman University’s reimagined basketball arena more closely resembles the fountains. A little of the Williamsburg architecture remains on the sides, but from the outside, the edifice is overwhelmingly …
By MONTE DUTTON Click here. When writing about stock cars became my principal way to make a living, one of the surprises was Howard Augustine “Humpy” Wheeler Jr., known for his flamboyant promotion of events at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I was expecting P.T. Barnum. What I found was the Wizard of Oz, a mild-mannered fellow …
By MONTE DUTTON Seniors Kynius Williams (44), Noah Garrett (12) converge on Woodruff's Connor Davis (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. WOODRUFF – Man, I’ve seen a lot of Clinton-Woodruff football games. The game last year was the closest the Red Devils played en route to the Class 2A state championship. The first (I remember) was …
By MONTE DUTTON Click here. A state championship is the ultimate achievement in high-school sports until, all of a sudden, it isn’t. Clinton High, like every other occupant of the proverbial mountaintop, enjoyed the experience so much that the prospect of another seems irresistible. It’s not easy. Last year, when the Red Devils were 12-2, …
By MONTE DUTTON Click here. 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 …
By MONTE DUTTON Angelo Cromer rambles for the Red Devils (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. CHAPIN – Gray Collegiate’s 7-0 exhibition decision over Clinton offered a complicated means of comparison on Friday evening at Chapin High School. There were similarities. The Red Devils are the reigning Class 2A state football champions. The War Eagles won …
Nightrider's Lament 