I imagine 100 games ago in this rivalry in 1920 Spartanburg Coach Edward Tillinghurt and Gaffney Coach CC HUBBARD were telling their teams,”you young men just started the greatest football rivalry in the state of South Carolina!” Spartanburg Lost 26-6 and so it began…1922 the Vikings first win 3-0…1927 Coach Jack Frost went 9-1-1..the lone loss,Gaffney 21-0..1932 won the state title and beat Gaffney 25-0 and back and forth this series goes all the way until Friday Night November 4th,2016…THE 1OOth MEETING.
SPARTANBURG LEADS THIS SERIES 49-48-2. Thats almost unbelievable.I mean seriously can two other state programs even come close to that kinda statistic. Spartanburg has longest win streak in series with 7 (1971-77). Gaffney has largest victory of 49 points. 49-0 in 1935. Gaffney is 23-25 at home vs Spartanburg.
Gaffney is averaging 30 points a game on offense. Spartanburg is averaging 25 points per game on offense.The Vikings defense is allowing 17 points per game while the Indians are giving up an average of 25 points. It just doesn’t get much better than that.
Spartanburg and Gaffney come into this game at 6-3.A Viking win plus a Dorman win is what we need. If that scenario plays out then Spartanburg will be REGION III-5A Champs. A Gaffney win could drop Spartanburg to a much lower seed. Gaffney can finish no higher than 3rd with a win and will be on the road for the entire playoffs.
Spartanburg QB William Yex said,”This week is huge and if we win, our first goal will be met. We’ve had a few bumps in the road, but the Northwestern game, the comeback win over Westside, and the huge win over Dorman. Those games showed us we can play with anyone in the state.”
Gaffney QB Tyshun Sarratt said,”It’s always a hard-fought game every time Gaffney and Spartanburg play each other.We are both young and highly talented teams so this years match up should be good.”
Spartanburg Offensive Lineman Ja’kobie Steadman said,”Our coaches break their backs to help us succeed,Gaffney is good and not to be underestimated.”
There are so many memorable games between these two.Nick Prochak and the Ghost Fumble,Bradshaw Littlejohn putting on a clinic at Gibbs Stadium. The games and players involved in this are far too many to mention.Then there is the great coaches that have lived for this game.Joe Montgomery,Doc Davis,Phil Strickland,Ellis Johnson,Bob Prevatte and now Chris Miller and Dan Jones.
Gaffney Football Historian Alex Guest summed it up,”This game is huge, every year, no matter the records. As a millennial, most people my age and younger consider Byrnes as Gaffney’s true traditional rival. I’ve never thought this. Spartanburg is and always will be Gaffney’s true traditional rival. There’s a reason that as of Friday they will have played 100 times since 1920. And there’s a reason that the series record between the teams is only a 1 game difference. There’s a reason we played twice some years and even three times other years. Some of the best games I’ve ever seen are Gaffney/Spartanburg games. It’s like the Clemson/Carolina game. You know you play every year. You circle that game on the calendar when the schedule comes out. It’s just a big deal to me as a Gaffney fan. It’s rivalry week. Traditional rivals trump newborn rivals any day and that’s exactly what Gaffney and Spartanburg are, traditional rivals.”
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