Gilmer's Gospel

Former Spartanburg coach Doc Davis will start practice this week with his new team, the Ashley Ridge Swamp Foxes near Summerville.

    Doc Davis is in a different football world.
     At Spartanburg High School, he had athletes who knew the game.
     At Ashley Ridge High School, he’s teaching the rules.
     The school, which is in the Summerville area, will only have freshmen and sophomores in the school and on the varsity team.
     Davis will be playing a varsity schedule, against teams like Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Burke, Bishop England and Williston-Elko, with a junior varsity-aged team.
     Davis, who was inducted into the S.C. Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Sunday, said on Wednesday that he has only two players who were starters on a football team last year.
     When practice starts on Friday, the five-time state title-winning coach will be teaching everything to his players.
     And he won’t be practicing on his field.
     “We don’t have a blade of grass on a practice field at our school,” he said. “They just got sod down on stadium last week.”
     The weight room on the campus is beautiful, though.
     The only problem is that it can’t be used yet.
     This summer the Swamp Foxes spent three days a week working out at Summerville High School. He said 85 players came through the weight room, but he doesn’t know how many will show up when practice begins.
     Davis said he’s enjoying living in the Lowcountry, but he hasn’t found time to enjoy his passion for fishing.
     “Every pond you see has a ‘Do not harass or feed alligators’ sign,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about me bothering them.”
     Instead of fishing, Davis is getting back to coaching football. He’ll be exciting when players start arriving on Friday.
     Whoever comes, they should be ready to wear a piece of tape on their helmet with their name, because Davis is still in the learning process.
     Just like his team.

     I’ve talked to people before and described the amount of football talent in this area.
     It’s certainly being proven this year.
     Monday night two local players verbally committed to schools.
     That means five players have verbally committed to Football Bowl Subdivision programs and another has committed to a Football Championship Subdivision school and football practice hasn’t begun yet.
     Greer tight end Desmond Parks committed to Florida and Gaffney offensive lineman Denzelle Good committed to N.C. State.
     They added their names to a list that includes Dorman cornerback Taylor Sowell (North Carolina), Byrnes free safety Justin Bright (Florida State), Dorman offensive lineman Brandon Thomas (Clemson) and Byrnes linebacker Daniel Cleveland (Presbyterian College).
     How many more major college recruits will this area have this football season?
     Last year wasn’t a big year for Division I recruits, as just two (Byrnes’ duo Everett Dawkins and Cartier Rice) were the lone signees.
     In the past, though, the area has had large number of Division I players.
     I remember going to Roscoe Crosby’s signing, where he and two other Union players signed Division I scholarships, after going to see Dorman’s David Gutshall sign with Duke and before heading over to see Byrnes’ Ben Hall sign with Clemson.
     That was a busy day.
     I can also remember the class from two years ago where eight local players signed (Willy Korn and Xavier Dye didn't attend their signing, as they were already in school at Clemson) to play.
     It looks like National Signing Day will again be busy.
     This group looks like it can exceed that high number of signees.
     I still think there are others out there who have a chance to sign with a FBS or FCS school.
     Names like Byrnes WR Ricco Sanders, Chesnee QB Cedric Proctor, Boiling Springs OL Jamey Cheatwood and Dorman CB Walt Canty quickly jump to mind. And there are many, many more.
     Who do you think will be the next verbal commitment from the area?
     Will this area see another class as large as the ’07 signings?

     Here is a list of local FBS (or Division I-A) signings from the past few years.

2008:
Byrnes’ Everett Dawkins (Florida State)
Byrnes’ Cartier Rice (Kentucky)

2007:
Broome’s Antwane Glenn (Kentucky)
Broome’s Antonio Thomas (Kentucky)
Broome’s Markish Jones (Clemson)
Byrnes’ Chad Diehl (Clemson)
Byrnes’ Xavier Dye (Clemson)
Byrnes’ Stanley Hunter (Clemson)
Byrnes’ Willy Korn (Clemson)
Dorman’s Andrew Lanier (Virginia Tech)
Landrum’s Mark Cann (Marshall)
Woodruff’s Delvin Johnson (Marshall)

2006:
Broome’s Teriall Brannon (Vanderbilt)
Broome’s D.J. Moore (Vanderbilt)
Byrnes’ Prince Miller (Georgia)
Byrnes’ Matt Quinn (Vanderbilt)
Spartanburg’s Nick Prochak (South Carolina)

2005:
Byrnes’ Trey Bailey (Wake Forest)
Byrnes’ Freddie Brown (South Carolina)
Dorman’s Mychal Belcher (South Carolina)
Spartanburg’s Larry Brown (Oklahoma State)

2004:
Byrnes’ Jomar Wright (Duke)
Gaffney’s Sidney Rice (South Carolina)
Greer’s Sinclair Cannon (Tennessee)
Spartanburg’s Landon Cohen (Ohio)
Union’s Rashaad Jackson (Clemson)
Union's Bryon Bishop (North Carolina)

2003:
Byrnes’ Terrell Allen (Pittsburgh)
Byrnes’ John Talley (Duke)
Byrnes’ Bradley Robinson (Middle Tennesee)
Greer's Sergio Gilliam (Clemson)
Union’s Eric Young (Tennessee)
Union's Curtis Rice (South Carolina)
Union's David Smith (South Carolina)

2002:
Byrnes’ Anthony Johnson (Alabama-Birmingham)
Spartanburg’s Jared Clifford (U.S. Naval Academy)
Union’s Josh Harris (Middle Tennessee)
Union’s Mickey Rice (North Carolina)
Union’s Antonio Shippy (Akron)

2001:
Byrnes’ Ben Hall (Clemson)
Dorman’s David Gutshall (Duke)
Gaffney’s Trey Tate (Clemson)
Gaffney’s Roger McIntosh (Miami)
Union’s Roscoe Crosby (Clemson)
Union’s Kyle Browning (Clemson)
Union’s Xavier Byrd (South Carolina)

     This week is a little restful for local high school athletes. Monday through Thursday is a dead period for teams, with nothing allowed to go on.
     Teams aren’t lifting weights. Teams aren’t shooting around. Teams aren’t kicking anything.
     The reason? Most coaches are in Charleston for the S.C. Athletic Coaches Association Coaches Clinic.
     The week-long event is full of guest speakers and rules meetings and this is also where the Hall of Fame banquet took place on Sunday.
     When football coaches return on Wednesday or Thursday, they will get ready for practice.
     The official start date for practice is Friday morning.
     Some coaches are taking advantage of that, others are waiting.
     Coaches take different approaches to the first day of practice. Some use it as a day to test players’ strength and speed. Others hand out equipment and take team photos. Others get after it.
     Through an informal survey of local teams, the majority are waiting until Monday to start practicing. The reason is to give players a full week (this week) off before practices start.
     Union County, which opens the season in Week 0, will practice at 8 a.m. on Friday.
     Spartanburg, which also plays Week 0, starts practice on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
     And then when teams actually do start practicing, there is another question, how to practice?
     Gas prices have actually changed how practices are held. A lot of coaches aren’t asking players to go home after a morning practice and then return for an evening workout.
     Too much gas money. Too many kids not coming back for the second workout.
     Instead, many coaches are having one long practice or breaking up the practices with a lunch break.
     I think it’s neat to see how different coaches handle their teams’ practices and see how players respond to these regimens.

     Here’s the first practice dates/time that I know. When I get more, I’ll add them.
     Friday
     Union County, 8 a.m.
     Broome, 9 a.m.

     Saturday
     Spartanburg, 8:30 a.m.

     Monday
     Landrum, 7:30 a.m.
     Gaffney, 8 a.m.
     Boiling Springs, 8:30 a.m.   
     Woodruff, 9 a.m.
     Byrnes, 9 a.m.
     Chapman, 9 a.m.
     Chesnee, 9 a.m.

     Coming Friday: The first of the "2-minute drills," a quick look at each local football team. Don't miss it.

     This state is full of them: backyard brawls, football wars between families and the best rivalries in the world.
     Sure, rivalries are in every sport, but those in football seem to encompass entire schools, communities and towns.
     So, here I go, trying to come up with a list of the top rivalries in the Palmetto State.
     Here’s my thoughts on the 10 best. They aren’t in order, but just as see them.
     Enjoy. Give your feedback and get ready for football in the fall.

     - Dorman vs. Spartanburg (dates this season: Aug. 22 at Spartanburg, Nov. 7 at Dorman): The Vikings and Cavaliers open and close the regular season against each other. This, in my opinion, is the best rivalry anywhere. It extends beyond football into every other sport. I’ve seen tickets sell out in less than three hours. I’ve seen classic games. I’ve seen the farmers and preppies dress up, write humorous signs about each other and seen the classiest coaches talking to each other before and after the games. This is the way every rivalry should be: There’s plenty of respect from everyone involved. This season, with two games, plenty of excitement and good football expects, I predict this rivalry will be back on the level it was earlier this decade.

     - Northwestern vs. Rock Hill (date this season: Sept. 12 at Rock Hill): These two teams usually play the last game of the season. For some strange reason, the Bearcats and Trojans are in different regions. What the heck is that all about? The schools share a stadium for goodness sake. So fans will get to see them play a lot earlier. Before South Pointe came along, all the kids in Rock Hill went to these two schools and that made the rivalry great. South Pointe may have plenty of athletes this season, but this game still matters to everyone in that city.

     - Byrnes vs. Gaffney (date this season: Sept. 26 at Gaffney): Two of the most storied programs this decade, this rivalry has really gotten going recently. It’s become a classic. Thousands of fans show up for games, Fox Sports picked up one game and there was a line in the parking lot three hours before kickoff for fans to get a seat. The teams are so good and that makes it a fierce rivalry. It also helps that hundred of their fans are on the SC Pigskin Prep message board every day talking smack. No matter, the football is great to watch.

     - Summerville vs. Stratford (date this season: Sept. 26 at Stratford): These are the Lowcountry’s top two teams year in and year out. It’s also probably the only rivalry in the state where every year the coaches play on fields that bear their name. I’ve never been to a game at Summerville, but I have seen a couple at Stratford. Their stadium is good and the fans are great. I can only imagine what it’s like when these two powers face off.

     - Clinton vs. Woodruff (date this season: Sept. 5 at Woodruff): Clinton has won 12 straight games in this series, but it doesn’t matter. To Woodruff players, this is THE game of the early part of the season. This rivalry dates back to great games between coaches Willie Varner and his protégé Keith Richardson. Having talked to both men during my journalism career, I can only dream of what those games were like. Packed houses. Great athletes. Two wonderful coaches going at it. Someone find Marty McFly, I want to go back to one of those games and just watch.

     - Abbeville vs. Batesburg-Leesville (no date this year): Fans can only hope that these two teams see each other in the playoffs. These two 2A schools have been in the same region before and had classic battles. Too bad they don’t play this year.    

     - Chapman vs. Chesnee (date this season: Sept. 26 at Chapman): These two Spartanburg County 2A schools often have good games. Even though they aren’t in the region together, the Eagles and Panthers will still play. The reason? It’s a rivalry that fans want to see. It features two great young coaches in two towns that are close to each other. See you at Big Daddy’s or Bo’s Fish Camp for dinner before the game.

     - Greer vs. Union County (date this season: Oct. 3 at Greer): It’s called the “Jacket Bowl” for good reason. I know Union County is a new school, but the rivalry still exists. When it was just Union, these teams of Yellow Jackets seemed to meet for the 3A upper state finals almost yearly. It was great to witness. Now, with a consolidated school, the rivalry still exists and it will continue to be a great rivalry. And a great region match-up.

     - Lewisville vs. Great Falls (date this season: Oct. 24 at Great Falls): Two small schools with plenty of small-town pride and great football players. This is one of those games that I need to call in sick on Oct. 24 just to go see. Usually these teams play twice a year, but there’s only one date this season.

     - Irmo vs. Lexington (date this season: Oct. 17 at Irmo): This game makes my list because it has the greatest rivalry name ever: The Dam Game. The two schools are separated by the Lake Murray dam and fans ride over the dam just to see the game. I bet it’s a dam good game.

     Other good rivalries in the state:
     York – Clover
     Chester – Fairfield Central
     Blackville-Hilda – Bamberg-Ehrhardt
     T.L. Hanna – Westside
     Lamar – Timmonsville
     Conway – Myrtle Beach
     Beaufort – Hilton Head
     Aiken – South Aiken
     Barnwell – Silver Bluff
     Landrum – Polk County (N.C.)

     I know I’m missing some, let me know which ones. If you think your teams’ rivalry should be in the top 10, tell me why.

4:04 a.m.
     A prep writer sits up in bed, a layer of sweat on his brow, ideas filling his head and more work to do than time in the day.
    
     Gotta call Russell Mahaffey, find a number for Mickey Moss, go through the interviews of Byrnes players from last night, track down information sheets from six coaches, get times and dates of photo days, find out when first practices will be, think of cool photo ideas and be sure to make it to lunch on time.
    
     His head hits the pillow again.
     Sleep will come. Rest won’t.
     Welcome back, football.

     -----
     Yes, here’s what happens in my world when the days of July roll off the calendar and August is an object in the mirror that appears closer than it is.
     The heat is hotter.
     Footballs start flying around.
     My inbox gets fuller.
     I find a routine again.
     Many of you probably know what I mean. There’s a bit of excitement going toward August.
     Union County coach David Lipsey told me last night that he knows that just after July 4th is when the work really begins.
     He’s right. As the summer drags on, high school football players get into the weight room, onto the field for 7-on-7 practice dates and get ready for pads.
     Practices start on Aug. 1, jamborees are two weeks later and real games start on Aug. 22.

     Here’s my question to you, how do you know when it’s time for football to crank up?
     I know when the fear grabs me that I have to put our a high school football preview and I’m nowhere close to finishing.