Dec. 4—JOHNSTON — Last September, the ugly face of the Strom Thurmond football team began to show.
Small mistakes turned into bigger problems in losses to North Augusta and Lincoln County, and the Rebels entered the District 2-AA opener against Batesburg-Leesville with a 3-2 record and Strom Thurmond couldn’t afford a repeat of the disappointing 2024 season.
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So the rebels learned their lesson.
On September 26, the Rebels lost to Lincoln County. Lincoln County’s undefeated run and dominance in the Georgia Class A Division II semifinals taught the Rebels a lesson and showed them what changes they need to make if they want to play championship football in the Peach Blossoms.
They haven’t lost since. Strom Thurmond (12-2) carries a nine-game winning streak into Saturday’s Class AA state championship game against also-hot Hampton County (11-3), and along the way, the Rebels continue to make the most out of defeat by applying the deep knowledge gained from a tough loss.
“They’re really good. But that’s why you play good teams in non-conference games,” Strom Thurmond head coach Andrew Weber said of Lincolnshire. “We were able to learn more about ourselves. That was the last time we pitched more than we ran the ball. We just missed a few home runs the whole game and we kind of let the game get away from us a little bit with some missed opportunities.
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“… When you go and play a team like that, there’s not a lot of teams you saw in November that were better than them. We were able to learn a lot from that game, offensively, defensively, we still talk about it every week in November, the things we learned against Lincoln County.”
The most important thing the Rebels learned, and something they’ll need again when they kick off Saturday at South Carolina State University’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium at 4 p.m., is to be physical on offense. Now, Strom Thurmond is a physical team overall, but Lincoln County challenges the Rebels to play that way every time they snap the ball.
They also learned to be patient on offense. The Rebels have the playmakers to move the ball through the air, but those near misses in the passing game showed them how quickly plays can disappear due to missed connections. Championship teams control the football, and sometimes they just have to be stubborn and hang on. Running, being patient, competing against the clock, playing good defense — all of those things were part of Strom Thurmond’s performance in the Upstate half.
Those things didn’t all come together in September, with turnovers on third down and only 13 rushing attempts, resulting in a huge loss in time of possession. The Rebels are averaging 244.1 yards per game since Lincoln County and 144.8 yards per game through the first five games, and they’ve spent significantly more time with the football than their opponents.
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Things began to tilt in the right direction next week in Batesburg’s game against Leesville, in which the Rebels overcame a 14-0 fourth quarter deficit to win 28-26 in overtime by stopping a two-point conversion. That continued into the Upper State Championship game against Fairfield Central – a 15-13 victory the Rebels stopped after a two-point conversion late in regulation.
Week 10 also featured a scrimmage with rival Saluda, where the Rebels forced an incomplete pass in the end zone with no time on the clock to win 20-14 and seal the District 2-AA title.
Focus, hard work and discipline have been paramount during this winning streak, which gives us reason to believe there’s no need to worry about disappointment after last week’s thrilling victory. The Rebels have proven week in and week out that they can stay in the moment and focus on getting 1-0, and now they just have to do it again.
“We really have to tighten the screws and not just be good fighters,” Weber explained. “We can’t just be good fighters. You have to be a winner. To be a winner, you have to overcome adversity. Sometimes, you have to take a punch in the face and not back down. We have to do that.
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“… We’re battle-tested in these high-pressure, late-game situations. We’ve been in it. Because we didn’t overcome adversity early in the year, we know that’s how you overcome adversity. The last three times we’ve been in these situations, we’ve made our biggest plays.”
Saturday’s game
WHO: Strom Thurmond (12-2) vs. Hampton County (11-3)
What: Class AA State Championship Game
Where: Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg
Time: Saturday 4pm
Tickets: $20, available online: https://tinyurl.com/yf3v8ju5
