T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Check out his blog, Welcome to Linderland, at www.thetandd.com.

A little trash talk or the release of a year’s worth of frustration turned motivation?

Call it what you want, but moments after first-ranked Bamberg-Ehrhardt defeated Allendale-Fairfax 14-7 in the matchup of the top-two ranked Class A teams in the state, Bamberg-Ehrhardt star Daquan Bowers found himself doing a two-step.

First he stepped into line to shake hands with the Tigers, then he stepped out. Then, he stepped in again … then he stepped out. The biggest and baddest Red Raider was at the end of the line and he was looking for something – scanning the field before finally locking on to his target – assistant coach Kevin Crosby.

Immediately Bowers broke out in a wide smile. He stepped forward and yelled out to Crosby.

"We got that Kryptonite!"

Crosby’s head shot up. He locked eyes with Bowers, and his already beaming expression grew a little bit wider. Bowers made a quick motion toward the coach.

As Bowers stepped back into line to shake hands, he laughed out loud at his coach, who – on his queue – slipped off his black Bamberg-Ehrhardt polo and began spinning it in a blur over his head while doing a little dance on the field.

Underneath the polo Friday night, Crosby wore a white shirt, air brushed, with the word "Kryptonite" on it.

And, for the better part of the past week or so – at least since Allendale’s 28-27 victory over Blackville-Hilda – Tigers tailback Lennel Elmore had been referred to on more than one occasion as Allendale’s "Superman."

"They called him ‘Superman’, and we came up with the solution that Kryptonite was the only thing that could stop ‘Superman,’" Bowers said.

Indeed, Bamberg-Ehrhardt had Elmore and Allendale’s "Kryptonite" Friday night, and it came in the form of a lethal combination of a clock-chewing wishbone attack that kept Allendale-Fairfax assistant coach and offensive coordinator Aaron Manigault begging for the ball back, and a semi-stout defense that managed – for most of the night when the Tigers did have the ball – to contain Elmore, funneling him between the tackles where he was met by a host of Red Raider defenders.

It was also a recipe for retribution; Bamberg-Ehrhardt was able to avenge its first-round playoff loss to Allendale-Fairfax a season ago. And, while Bamberg players and coaches downplayed the whole thing all week, Elite 11 quarterback Chris Presley had no problem saying just how much the win meant.

"It felt good because they came in and beat us in our backyard last year," he said. "Yes sir, this was a game we were looking forward to. Our main goal was to beat them."

Such an emotional win usually lends itself to a period of celebration. After all, Bamberg-Ehrhardt solidified itself as the top Class A team in the state Friday … at least for a little while. But, there was actually little time for celebration. The Red Raiders travel to Blackville-Hilda Friday to take on the top-10 ranked Hawks.

"Heck, I couldn’t sleep Friday thinking about Blackville," Bamberg-Ehrhardt head coach Ron Duncan said Sunday. "We have already had some kids coming in to look at film and check things out.

"It’s out of the frying pan and into the friar."

In the Hawks, Duncan said he sees a team that is very similar to his own.

"Just like always, they are tough, physical and scrappy," Duncan said of Blackville. "There is no secret. They are going to try to line up and smack you right in your face."

And, that’s something Presley had no problems talking about either. Sure, Bamberg-Ehrhardt is on top, but in Region 5-A success can be fleeting.

"Blackville played Allendale tough, and Allendale played us tough," Presley said. "Anything can happen, but if we execute on offense and our defense plays good, we don’t have anything to worry about."

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