Heading into my 8th season calling Spartanburg Viking games, I’ve come to expect every year to present something different. What big surprise will be around the corner this year? A breakout player, a key injury, a 2:30am finish…let’s hope not on the last two.
On paper I have an idea of what should happen. Senior WR/RB/KO Ret/Punt Ret/CB Damyjai Foster should have a huge year, Senior TE Tommy Washington will touch the ball a lot in big moments, and Senior WR Romain Kelly will go deep down the sideline….a lot. Senior LB Connor Shugart will have a lot of tackles…seriously…a TON of tackles. I also expect Junior FS Jay Girdner to be a breakout player as he’s in his 2nd year as a starter and a really good player.
I believe we’ll see both Junior QBs, Keonte Cartledge and Jax Cash and I presume by the Union game, we’ll have settled on one to go with; if not before. We’ve already seen a couple of injuries to RB Zykamren Robinson, Reggie Anderson, and Jay Rice, but all will be back soon.
So what will be the unknown? What will happen that I just am not expecting? What moment in a game will I have no words to describe what I just saw. When this year will I quote the legend Larry Munson and say “I broke my chair. I came right through a chair.” Munson by the way is my all time favorite announcer and the moment I first sat in a chair, in a booth, to call a game I know he once sat in to call a game, I cried…hard.
I don’t know when it’ll be. I don’t know what will happen. Frankly I don’t know if it’ll turn out good for the Vikings are not. I just know something will happen. Maybe a blowout shocker, an upset, a 99 yard pick 6 by Josh Villegas..which almost happened in a jamboree.
Calling games for Spartanburg High School is an incredible honor and I’m so grateful for all the nice comments over the years. I haven’t forgotten them. I can’t wait for this year to get started. To Summerville we go for Game 1….Let’s bring back a W boys.
