TheMule
11-11-2007, 09:59 PM
One of the state's great traditions came to an end this past Friday night with the final game at The Reservation in Gaffney. The Indians haven't lost a home playoff game since losing to Orangeburg-Wilkinson in 1984. Our opponents will be glad it's gone but Indian fans will miss The Reservation. Be sure to check out the video at the end.
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Tunnel vision a football rite of passage in Gaffney
By Jason Gilmer (jason.gilmer@shj.com)
Published: Friday, November 9, 2007 | Updated: 12:44 pm
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20071109/NEWS/711090346/1011/SPORTS01
In a football town so steeped with tradition, the tunnel may be the best one.
For years, the sight of the Gaffney Indians running out of it and onto the field at W.K. Brumbach Stadium has been the first glimpse opposing fans get of the entire team.
Players storm onto the field with music blaring, fireworks shooting off in the background, smoke billowing in front of them and thousands of rabid fans screaming in appreciation.
"It was like seeing God," safety Johnny Woods said of watching the experience as a kid.
"Everybody in South Carolina that has anything to do with high school football knows about the Gaffney tunnel," coach Phil Strickland said.
Tonight could be the last time varsity players run through the tunnel at W.K. Brumbach. A new stadium is scheduled to open next year and close down the one that opened in 1937 and is known as "The Reservation."
The new stadium, which will be located on the school's campus, will have a tunnel that goes from the locker room to the field.
Having a tunnel was a must.
"I'm sure a bunch of guys like myself, and some who are more influential, said that we're going to have a tunnel. That's a tradition here," defensive coordinator and former player Dan Jones said.
"Football has meant so much here that I think it had to happen. They definitely weren't going to lose something they had and that was the tradition of the tunnel."
"You grow up knowing that it's one of the ultimate accomplishments - running through the tunnel," assistant coach and former player Donnie Littlejohn said. "Of course, you want to play but for a lot of people that won't happen. But being able to run through that tunnel and knowing that your fathers, grandfathers, uncles and cousins all came through there, it was a big deal for me."
On Fridays, players gather into the black tunnel and the noise level increases as fans get ready for the game.
Kids congregate around the tunnel, just to catch the first glimpse of the Indians and to slap high-fives.
The band's music plays and the players run onto the field, sometimes knocking over a tuba player, as they rush toward the sideline.
After a few trips, players learn where they want to be in the pack.
"You want to be in the middle of the thing," Shrine Bowl linebacker J.B. Shippy said. "You don't want to be in the front or the back. You want to be in the middle where everybody is jumping around. It's really tense because you're ready to go out there."
"We're just excited to play," defensive lineman O'Brian Sanford said. "We're talking and jumping around and getting excited to play."
Opposing teams aren't allowed in the tunnel. It's a sacred spot to players, coaches and fans.
The tunnel is a tradition in Gaffney much like winning, and it's something that players and coaches never forget about.
"Each and every Friday you can tell there's excitement right before they run through the tunnel and even I get spine-tingling chills when I go through it," Strickland said.
"I used to look down in the tunnel and be scared because there were some cobwebs inside and it was dark inside," Shippy said. "It's a fun thing to do now. It's not dark and scary anymore. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that everybody is out there waiting on us."
Video link: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20071108/NEWS/71108004/1011/SPORTS01
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Tunnel vision a football rite of passage in Gaffney
By Jason Gilmer (jason.gilmer@shj.com)
Published: Friday, November 9, 2007 | Updated: 12:44 pm
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20071109/NEWS/711090346/1011/SPORTS01
In a football town so steeped with tradition, the tunnel may be the best one.
For years, the sight of the Gaffney Indians running out of it and onto the field at W.K. Brumbach Stadium has been the first glimpse opposing fans get of the entire team.
Players storm onto the field with music blaring, fireworks shooting off in the background, smoke billowing in front of them and thousands of rabid fans screaming in appreciation.
"It was like seeing God," safety Johnny Woods said of watching the experience as a kid.
"Everybody in South Carolina that has anything to do with high school football knows about the Gaffney tunnel," coach Phil Strickland said.
Tonight could be the last time varsity players run through the tunnel at W.K. Brumbach. A new stadium is scheduled to open next year and close down the one that opened in 1937 and is known as "The Reservation."
The new stadium, which will be located on the school's campus, will have a tunnel that goes from the locker room to the field.
Having a tunnel was a must.
"I'm sure a bunch of guys like myself, and some who are more influential, said that we're going to have a tunnel. That's a tradition here," defensive coordinator and former player Dan Jones said.
"Football has meant so much here that I think it had to happen. They definitely weren't going to lose something they had and that was the tradition of the tunnel."
"You grow up knowing that it's one of the ultimate accomplishments - running through the tunnel," assistant coach and former player Donnie Littlejohn said. "Of course, you want to play but for a lot of people that won't happen. But being able to run through that tunnel and knowing that your fathers, grandfathers, uncles and cousins all came through there, it was a big deal for me."
On Fridays, players gather into the black tunnel and the noise level increases as fans get ready for the game.
Kids congregate around the tunnel, just to catch the first glimpse of the Indians and to slap high-fives.
The band's music plays and the players run onto the field, sometimes knocking over a tuba player, as they rush toward the sideline.
After a few trips, players learn where they want to be in the pack.
"You want to be in the middle of the thing," Shrine Bowl linebacker J.B. Shippy said. "You don't want to be in the front or the back. You want to be in the middle where everybody is jumping around. It's really tense because you're ready to go out there."
"We're just excited to play," defensive lineman O'Brian Sanford said. "We're talking and jumping around and getting excited to play."
Opposing teams aren't allowed in the tunnel. It's a sacred spot to players, coaches and fans.
The tunnel is a tradition in Gaffney much like winning, and it's something that players and coaches never forget about.
"Each and every Friday you can tell there's excitement right before they run through the tunnel and even I get spine-tingling chills when I go through it," Strickland said.
"I used to look down in the tunnel and be scared because there were some cobwebs inside and it was dark inside," Shippy said. "It's a fun thing to do now. It's not dark and scary anymore. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that everybody is out there waiting on us."
Video link: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20071108/NEWS/71108004/1011/SPORTS01