What Lincoln is Thinkin’ - Down to Two
The best game of the year.That was the Crestwood/Wilson game for me. To start, fans of both the Knights and Tigers showed up in hordes... so much so, traffic was backed up a mile in all directions to get in. And those people that got caught in that traffic missed a wild start to the game. The game was all nodded up at 14 barely 10 minutes into the ballgame. After that, I thought the Tigers were going to let the game get away from them. At the end of the 2nd quarter, Wilson had a rash of calls go against them. First was a Crestwood fumble that the Tigers recovered that the refs gave back to the Knights. Then was a favorable spot for Crestwood on a tackle in the backfield. Then, I believe, a questionable penalty on the Tigers. Then with just a minute to go in the half, a Crestwood running back fumbled on the one yard line, and Wilson recovered. But again, the refs gave the ball back to the Knights. This time, the Tigers would not sit quietly. There were more than a few personal fouls called against the Tigers who voiced their displeasure. Now, they may have been right about the call (which, thanks to video evidence showed the second fumble was definitely a fumble), but of course, all coaches will tell you that arguing with the referees will get you nowhere.
But Wilson has thrived throughout this postseason by thinking that nobody believes in them, and everyone is out to get them. Well the Crestwood referees just got lumped in that group. Wilson came out in the second half and performed admirably on defense, and capitalized on their opportunities on offense. Finally, in the fourth quarter they go the break they needed with a special teams fumble.
Lo and behold, the Tigers will be playing for their first state title. This is what I love about this team... they're not a lot of all-stars on this squad. People think Wilson is always super-athletic... but this team is not a whole lot more athletic than the other teams. They have no Everett Golson at quarterback, no Travis Small at running back, no Jordan Lyles at wide receiver. They're just a bunch of good players who make up a great team. Does Daryl Page get the credit for that? Yes, a lot of it. But it all boils down to how hungry, motivated, and hard-working these players are. Just a great story.
Which is why I can't go against them. They're entering their matchup with Chester heavy underdogs. But how can you go against these guys right now? I don't know. I know I'm supposed to be unbiased, but you might as well dress me up in purple and gold, because I'm going to Williams Brice Stadium on Saturday a huge Wilson fan.
And Cheraw better watch out for Chapman. The Panthers have spent the past two weeks giving the only undefeated teams in AA their only losses of the year. But the Braves know what it's like to win a state championship. I'm taking that experience as what gives Cheraw the edge.
What are you thinkin' about this weekend's championships?
Posted by
on 11/26 at 09:23 PM
cheraw’s going to win the state 2a championship. no doubt about it. as long as they don’t get too big of a head or whatever, there shouldn’t be any problems whatsoever. cheraw deserves to win no matter what anyone says or believe.