By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher

rnimmons@thepccourier.com

CENTRAL — Daniel is in the AAA state playoffs, with the first round kicking off this Friday night.

But the Lions must make a long trip to Rock Hill to take on the defending state AAA champions in the South Pointe Stallions.

John Bolton/BoltonPhoto.com
Daniel’s Malik Watt looks for running room after an interception during the Lions’ game against Seneca.

The challenge has been laid out for Randy Robinson’s troops, and now is their chance to create a lasting legacy out of a somewhat lackluster season.

Daniel finished in a disappointing fourth place in the Western AAA, region with tough loses to rivals Wren, Belton-Honea Path and Seneca along the way, ending the season with an unfamiliar losing regular season, finishing 4-6 overall. The Lions, however, got their four wins in region play, and that was enough to give them one more shot at making the 2015 season respectable.

Their opponent, South Pointe, knows how to win and has posted a 9-1 season, with its only loss coming in a 35-34 overtime loss to AAAA power Northwestern.

“South Pointe is definitely the fastest team we have seen this season,” Robinson said. “Their secondary has a couple of division-one athletes that can run and are great cover guys. Their defensive front is small, but also faster than anyone we have seen.

“Offensively it all revolves around their quarterback, Greg Ruff. He is small, but very difficult to tackle. He extends plays and breaks down the defense with his feet. He has a great running back with him (Voshon St. Hill), and their talented defensive backs, Derion Kendrick and Josh Wilkes, also play wide receiver.”

Daniel did get an opportunity to get an extra week to prepare for the task at hand, although the Stallions did as well. The off week across the state was the result of many Lowerstate schools having to catch up on games missed during the historic floods that devastated the state last month.

Robinson told the Courier the extra week was a chance for his team to get to work on fundamentals.

“Zone blocking, pass protection, tackling in space and taking good angles are all basics that you have to do well to beat a fast, athletic team,” he said.

Robinson said his staff has worked hard with the team on tackling in space. He said that is the key to keeping Ruff in the pocket, which is very important to slowing down the South Pointe offense.

The Lions have had moments in 2016 where they have shown they are capable of playting with anyone, such as the slugfest they had with powerful Belton-Honea Path and dominating wins over the lesser schools in the region.

“I hope our seniors realize it is an opportunity to get a run going if we play well,” Robinson said. “We have to control the ball and finish drives to help our defense. We need to limit their possessions.”

It will be Daniel’s second trip to South Pointe in the playoffs, as the Lions traveled in 2010 to take on the top-ranked Stallions — led by future South Carolina All-American and NFL Draft top pick Jadeveon Clowney — and nearly escaped with the upset in a 20-14 loss. South Pointe ended the season with a narrow loss to Myrtle Beach in the Class AAA state championship game.

Robinson pointed out that his coaches have noticed on film several of South Pointe’s opponents have moved the ball, but turned it over or bogged down in the red zone.

“We played great up there in 2010 when no one gave us a chance against Clowney and that group, so I hope we take the same approach and go compete,” Robinson said. “It will be a great challenge, but we are looking forward to another chance to compete Friday. We have spent several days correcting mistakes and working on fundamentals.

“South Pointe presents challenges in the speed of the game, so we are working to give our guys the best scout team look we can. I just hope we compete and play disciplined football.”