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Dec. 12—The road to the Class AA state championship began long before spring practice started for the football teams from Barnwell and Clinton.
In fact, the journey to Thursday’s title tilt started at the same time for both of them — mid-November of last year, hours after a loss in the third round of the playoffs. For Barnwell, it was to Oceanside Collegiate Academy in the Class AA Lower State semifinals. For Clinton, it was a heartbreaker to Belton-Honea Path in the Class AAA Upper State semis — the Red Devils have since moved down a classification due to South Carolina High School League realignment.
In both cases, the departing seniors said their goodbyes and the returning players went right back to work. Those countless hours in the weight room, in the film room and on the practice field have all led to this — 48 minutes at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, winner adds to its program’s rich history.
“I think they’ve confirmed the fact that the hard work that they put in during the offseason is worth it,” said Barnwell head coach Brian Smith. “We lost to Oceanside, and our kids started working from last year. These guys worked way before I got here. It’s not something I had to install. It’s something I inherited (from previous head coach and current assistant Dwayne Garrick). But these guys have worked. They don’t miss days in the weight room. They don’t miss workouts. They do everything the right way. “
All of that hard work has created better, faster, stronger, more focused Warhorses, and that’s something Smith is counting on to keep his players from getting caught up in the enormity of all that comes with a state championship game. He’s coached teams in the past that maybe got caught looking up at the bright lights on the biggest stages, but he credits his senior-laden roster for handling…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nobody-going-one-barnwell-clinton-004700784.html
Author : Aiken Standard, S.C.
Publish date : 2024-12-13 00:47:00
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