Each Week following Spartanburg Viking Football games, I’m going to take a couple of days and think about the 3 most important things I saw on the field. This week I focus on 3 things I took away from the 28-24 win over Dorman.
1-Wow. What a comeback. Another classic Dorman Spartanburg game and you can put this one down as possibly the greatest comeback in the rivalry. Under Coach Hodge, this team has developed a mental toughness and although we still have a long way to go in terms of playing championship football, the Vikings have erased the mentality that hovered over the program a few years ago. What a job by Raheim Jeter to dig deep down and lead his team to a Region title. His TD pass to Andrew Danton will go down as one of the best plays in this rivalry’s history.
2-Judah McJempsey – what else can I say but he absolutely took over this game defensively in the 4th quarter. Tackle after tackle that never let Dorman get a single drive going in the 4th quarter and although none will show up on a highlight package, his performance in the 2nd half…well I’ll just say he was the best player on the field that night.
3-Finally, I remember Andrew Danton’s first catch on the varsity level. It was a long TD grab against Gaffney where he crossed to the Viking sideline and tip toed the line to stay inbounds and score. Before that game, Coach Hodge told me he had a special one at WR who will make big plays for a long time at Spartan High. Danton, now a Junior has done just that and was on the receiving end of one biggest plays in this rivalry’s history, and let’s face it..he’s not done. I can’t wait to watch this kid get even better.