Thurmond Throwdown
Andy Napier
September 14, 2009
Filed under Sports
During Friday’s game, Strom Thurmond’s football team made one fatal mistake. They showed up.
After arriving at North Augusta High School, they expected victory in the form of a Yellow Jacket beatdown. Little did they know that North Augusta not only specializes in beating over-confident teams…they enjoy it.
The classic NA vs. ST game has always been a staple of high school football in our town. Unfortunately, North Augusta hasn’t always come out on the winning side, losing three of the last four times. With anticipation building and no answer in sight, it was time for some pre-game opinions.
“Two trains colliding. Two sumo-wrestlers running full speed towards each other.” I don’t believe that I have ever heard a better prediction than this stunning analogy proposed by Tip Frank. He basically hit the nail on the head. The game was a collision of opposing forces, each determined for success.
The game started off in a grim manner for the Yellow Jackets. It has been noted as a common fact that history repeats itself, and North Augusta has had a past with losing to Strom Thurmond. The Rebels scored on the third play of the game…a sharp pain in the side of everyone sporting gold and black.
Luckily, however, North Augusta’s defense made some key improvements. Coach Pippin said,”The defense is where we stood out tonight.” Pippin is, quite indeed, correct and the Strom Thurmond visitor’s side scoreboard remained dormant until the fourth quarter. In fact, the only action seen from the opposite side of the home section was a brilliant display of percussion, which eventually became the beat of a march to death.
By the end of the game, North Augusta had beaten Thurmond by more than ten points. The final score was 27 to 16 and it had been an excellent game. How would I describe this game? Tip has already done the job…two trains meeting head on.
