Strom Thurmond travels this week to Petticoat Junction to put their 4-0 record on the line against a very talented 3-1 Silver Bluff squad.  

Nearly every time these teams lock up on the gridiron, it’s the premiere game in the area and this year is no exception.   

The Bulldogs are led by Al Lown, who is 160-55 as a head coach, and Bulldog quarterback Cordrea Tankersley, who is the nephew of former NFL player Dwayne Bates and one of the fastest players in the area.  Offensively they are running the spread, which gives Tankersley the ability to make a big play on every down.

The 3-5-3 defense of Silver Bluff has been extremely stingy this year, grabbing 9 interceptions in the first four games. Silver Bluff enters Friday on a three-game win streak with two straight shutouts.

“Strom Thurmond is a very, very good 2A football team,” said Coach Lown. “We have a good 2-A football team, but they are on another level right now.  You can watch (Thurmond) on film and know they are an outstanding team. I have 6 or 7 players going both ways and Thurmond doesn’t have any playing both sides of the ball.  That’s a big advantage for them.  This is probably one of the youngest teams I’ve had, but they are athletic and play hard. We have 4 freshmen starting, including the first ever freshman to start on the offensive line for me.
“Lee and I are good friends off the field and that’s probably because we are so much alike.  We are emotional on the field, believe in discipline within our programs and both try to play strong teams whenever we get a chance.  Playing better teams will expose your weaknesses and it’s always better to learn what you have in September rather than late October or November.”
Thurmond has won the last three games in the series.   Only one team has ever won at least four games in a row over Silver Bluff (Aiken High won 5 in a row from 2004-2008).  The Blue Steel defense has snagged 8 interceptions through the first four games and has one of the state’s best defenses.

“Al and I are good friends,” said Rebels’ coach Lee Sawyer. “Both of us are very competitive and I like to think our schools are very similar in talent, pride and tradition.  Being friends, makes us want to beat each other even more, due to the respect we have for each other and our programs.  Silver Bluff has a great tradition and it means something when you are able to beat them.

“Cordrea Tankersley (Silver Bluff’s quarterback) is a special player.  He has already been offered by Clemson and he is just a junior.  The kid is lightening fast and we must do a great job of containing him.  Our defense must limit their big plays and our special teams have to keep them pinned deep. Last week, versus South Aiken, was the first time this season we didn’t have any takeaways.  It will be important to create turnovers against a team this good.”   

The Rebel’s have had the backing of an extremely supportive crowd in every game and will need the support to continue when they visit the hostile environment at Petticoat Junction.  Silver Bluff has only lost 32 games at home, since their opening in 1981.  That’s only about one loss per year.  
Keys to Victory:
“Two things, with the first being no interceptions or fumbles.  We cannot turn the ball over this week and expect to win.  Thurmond has done a good job of creating turnovers with physical play and being aggressive.  The second thing we must do is play solid defense.  They are going to make plays and we can’t stop them all, but we must limit the big plays.”  - Al Lown.
 
“We’ve got to keep the chains moving and when we are forced to punt, we must protect our punter.  They like to come after punts, so we must be able to block them to get the ball off.  Field position is critical in this game, so our special teams will have to be ready.  Silver Bluff has been good at forcing turnovers which means protecting the ball will be a premium.  Usually in this game, the team with the fewest turnovers will win.”  - Lee Sawyer.  

By the Numbers:
Offensively:  ST 27 ppg  SB 20 ppg
Defensively: ST 5 ppg  SB 9 ppg 

Last Game:
Thurmond 42 South Aiken 7
Silver Bluff 10 Midland Valley 0
 
All Time Series:
ST leads 7-5 but Silver Bluff has outscored the Rebels 170-169.

Defense Rules:
Average margin of victory in series is 11 points, with six of the games being decided by 8 points or less.  In eight of the games, either team has been held to a single score.  Silver Bluff has shut the Rebels out twice and Thurmond has shut the Dawgs out once.
Seven
This is the 7th consecutive season these two have played in week five.  The number 7 has been in the final score on 7 occasions in the series. Thurmond has 7 wins in the series.  Thurmond and Silver Bluff have a combined 7 State Titles. Thurmond has played in 7 state title games. This will be the 7th meeting between Al Lown and Lee Sawyer as head coaches.  Since 2004, they’ve combined for 7 second round playoff losses.  Silver Bluff had 7 seasons end with no more than 1 loss.  Thurmond has 7 undefeated regular seasons.  In 2010, they’ve combined for 7 total wins and are collectively allowing an average of 7 points per game.

Previous Meeting:
ST 28 SB 12

Players to Watch:
Silver Bluff
Cordrea Tankersley (QB) 32-48-354yards 2 interceptions, 73-563 rush yards, 7 touchdowns
Andre Washington (RB) 74-307 yards, 4 touchdowns
Cordarius Tankersley (DB) 2 interceptions
Kendall Rogers (S) 3 interceptions

Strom Thurmond
Raleigh Yeldell (QB) 35-55-535yards 3 td’s 1 int, 4.6 rush yards per carry 3 td’s     
Octavious Brown (DL) 1 sack, double-teamed every play
Jeremy Johnson (LB) 42 tackles
Antonio Hamilton (WR) 13-259yards,1 touchdown
Darius Hammond (RB) 7 yards per rush, 3 rushing td’s, 96 yard kickoff return for td,95 yard punt return for touchdown, 13.3 yards per catch
Marquis Lomax (LB) 2 interceptions, 1 sack
Cody Johnson (DB) 3 interceptions
Devonte Farrow (DB) 3 sacks
Nick Clark (LB) 43 tackles

.