Hammond senior Jackson Ross. (6-4, 215)

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Gaffney —After two impressive Gaffney wins, to start the 2026 season, over Spartanburg (24-20) and J.L. Mann (43-10) it just felt right to rank the realigned Class AAAA Indians number one until further notice. This week the Indians are hosting Lancaster (2-0) team who have wins over Chester (49-21) and York to start the season (30-23). “Lancaster is on a roll having defeated two quality teams,” said head Gaffney coach Donnie Littlejohn, starting his second season as the head coach at his alma mater. “We are anticipating a very competitive game with them. “ Coach Littlejohn is a native of Gaffney and former outstanding player for the Indians. “We know what the expectations are from our very supportive community and it is our goal to win the class room first and foremost, win in the weight room, and then go win on the football field,” said Coach Littlejohn. “It is our strong goal to keep working hard and getting our 19 th state championship trophy on display at Gaffney High School is our focus this season. We just need to stay healthy and keep believing.” Coming into the season Gaffney was looking for a new QB due to graduation losses. Coach Littlejohn has been very pleased with sophomore Corey Taylor (6-0,170) who transferred from Goose Creek to Gaffney two years ago. “He is doing a great job managing the game and while he is more of a drop back passer, he does run a 4.7, and he can use his feet when he needs to,” said Coach Littlejohn. “We have playmakers around him so we are not asking him to feel like he has to win a game by himself. We just need for him to not put us in negative plays and to not do something that will cause us to lose a game.” The transfer of former Irmo RB Amire White (5-11, 200) filled a need in the back field for the Indians. After two games White has rushed for 212 yards on 32 carries with two TD’s. Coach Littlejohn is the chairman of the Kendarius “ Peanut ” Bailiey (6-0,215) appreciation club. “I am getting ready to nominate him for the AAAA Defensive Player of the Week for his play against JL Mann last week,” said Coach Littlejohn. “He makes plays on either side of the football. When he makes up his mind to shut you down, on either side of the ball, he is going to blow up plays. I still say he is the best football player in the state of South Carolina.” Bailey is a running back on offense and a LB on defense. Against J.L. Mann, Bailey had four solo tackles, two assists, 1 pile on –got to the ball on every play, 1.5 sacks, q pass break-up, 1 QB KO, 1 Big hit, 4 QB pressures, 0.5 Big play for a total of 29 defensive points. Gaffney’s top WR’s after two games are junior with TE Hank Davidson with four catches for 89 yards and two TD’s. Senior HB-TE Trason Smith has three catches for27 yards and junior RB Dylan McKey has 9 catches for 40 yards. The Gaffney OL is anchored by senior LT CJ Brooks (6-5, 320) who is committed to UAB. The RT is senior Landon Bailey , and the RG is junior Raashad Fitzpatrick. The LG is junior Derrius Littlejohn (6-0,250) who has been a three-year starter. The center is senior and three- year starter Tre Dawkins . Sophomore Tripp Peltry also sees a lot of action in the OL. The defensive line is a three- man front. Senior Marquell Smalls (6-5, 260) is one DT, Jeronte Kimbrough is a nose guard, while Sidney Lattimore (6-0,215) is a DE. Soph Kiante Morgan is a key reserve on the DL. The linebackers are AJ Logan , TY McGill , Peanut Bailey , and senior Karein Good. The secondary is led by highly touted junior Zion Dawkins (5-11, 175) who currently holds offers from Virginia Tech , Duke , and Syracuse among others. Money Monroe, Kareem Shaw, and Ayden Montgomery round out the back end. Gerado (Gu Gu) Segura is the teams place kicker while Shaw is the punter. Coach Littlejohn also wanted to give a shout-out to two number varsity assistant coaches. They are RB coach Jason Winstead , formerly head coach at Goose Creek High along with new specialty team coach Brandon Thoms .  Gaffney also has one of the best football stats perrons in the state in veteran Kinnett Phillips.

Malcolm Long is the athletic director at Gaffney High School, a former star quarterback for the school and at SC State, plus the HSSR Mr. Football in 2006.

By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – After the first-round of the AAAAA state playoffs went about as expected, round two may offer a few more eyebrow raising results. However, expect most of the favored teams to move on to round three. Upsets can and will happen but after 11 weeks of games, we all have a pretty good idea of who the best teams are this season. The only true upset of the first round was Blythewood’ s comeback win over Clover. In Division, defending state champion Dutch Fork had a bye in round one and should be poised for a repeat run. If we have learned anything over the last decade, it’s Tom Knotts doesn’t lose much after November 1. Dutch Fork will be favored in every playoff game but the most intriguing matchup would be if Dorman can reach the Upper State finals against the Silver Foxes. Remember though, Ridge View is a sleeper and already played Dutch Fork close earlier this season. On paper, the Lower State of Division I may be more wide open. The favorite has been Summerville b ut the Green Wave are far from a shoo-in. Summerville gets a shot at revenge when they visit Ashley Ridge in round two. Ashley Ridge dominated the Green Wave during the regular season meeting, 42-19. Plus, this is already a very big rivalry game. The 9-1 Sumter Gamecocks host the 10-1 James Island Trojans in round two. Sumter eliminated James Island from last year’s playoffs so the revenge factor is alive and well. Carolina F orest and Stratford are coming off byes and both are heavily favored in round two. A dark horse in the Lower State of Division I may be Stratford , with a 9-1 record. The Knights have a winning quarterback in Shrine Bowl selection Jachin Davis and also have a big-time running back in Maliq McGowan . Division II The Division II ranks are the deeper of the two divisions with more serious title contenders. Most of the top teams reside in the Upper state but the conversation starts with last year’s two finalists, Northwestern and Irmo . Both teams are as good as they were a year when Northwestern beat Irmo with a last second field goal. Both teams entered the season having to replace big-time quarterbacks and Northwestern’s Xavier Means and Irmo’s Devron Dobson have not missed a beat. Both offenses are explosive and high-scoring so some team will need a great night offensively to keep up. Greenwood and Gaffney , two storied programs, will clash in the second-round with a good team packing up after Friday night. Greenwood has been good all year but can Shrine Bowl quarterback Tristian Lewis , a South Carolina commit as a defensive back, do enough to advance. Speaking of Gaffney, the Indians went through some adversity early but seem to be hitting their stride after a quarterback change. The Indians clearly have the talent to win the Upper State. Two teams to keep an eye on are T.L. Hanna and Hillcrest but both would be dark horses. The Hillcrest at Indian Land game is one to watch in round two. The Lower State probably doesn’t have a team capable of beating Irmo. If there is team to watch it would be Berkeley. The Stags are very good defensively and run the football well . If the Stags can cut down on penalties, they could be around for a while. Lucy Beckham, Lugoff-Elgin and Myrtle Beach have solid teams but taking down Irmo is a tremendous challenge. Second-round Division I-AAAAA matchups Boiling Springs at Dutch Fork Rock Hill at Byrnes Spartanburg at Ridge View Blythewood at Dorman Fort Dorchester at Carolina Forest Summerville at Ashley Ridge James Island at Sumter River Bluff at Stratford Second-round AAAAA Division II Catawba Ridge at Northwestern Gaffney at Greenwood Hillcrest at Indian Land Greenville at T. L. Hanna Lugoff-Elgin at Irmo Lucy Beckham at White Knoll West Florence at Myrtle Beach Westwood at Berkeley

Dorman Seniors, Nick Means getting the handoff from Meek Slydell in their victory over Gaffney.

Berkeley junior QB, Henry Rivers scrambling in the Stags win over Ashley Ridge in the season opener.

Malcolm Long set school passing records at Gaffney High as a player on the football field nearly 20 years ago, he is quite at home starting his third season as the athletic director at his alma mater.

Dutch Fork Coach Tom Knotts ready for another exciting Silver Foxes season.