MaxPreps.com Staff Report
GAFFNEY, S.C. --- Entering the 2006 season, all the talk of high school football in South Carolina centered around the Byrnes Rebels and their bid for a fourth-straight state title.
That all changed Oct. 19 when Gaffney soundly defeated Byrnes, 28-15, ending a 33-game win streak for the Rebels. Gaffney repeated the feat a month later, ending Byrnes' season in the state quarterfinals with a 16-13 victory.
The Indians went on to knock off Stratford in the semifinals, 26-17, then crushed Irmo 45-0 to bring a 15th state title home to the football-crazed community of Gaffney, dubbed "Title Town, USA" by locals.
In the championship game, South Carolina State-bound senior quarterback Malcolm Long accounted for five touchdowns, throwing for three and running for two more.
Gaffney finished 15-0 on the season, and No. 30 in the final MaxPreps National Rankings. The Indians, under the direction of head coach Phil Strickland, held their final 11 opponents under 17 points, while averaging 33 points of their own during the same stretch.
The MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by The Army National Guard made its way to Gaffney Feb. 7, honoring the Indians for bringing the state title home to "Title Town, USA."
