Johnston, SC – Each and every time a window of opportunity seemed to appear for the Strom Thurmond Rebels in the team’s third-round playoff matchup with rival Saluda High, it closed quickly and often cruelly in the form of a turnover. 

The Tigers took advantage of four Rebels’ turnovers, converting them into 21 points en route to a 28-0 victory. 

“We had opportunities and got inside the ten [yard line] four times and didn’t get any points and when that happens you’re going to struggle,” stated STHS head coach Andrew Webb. “We didn’t play with our best focus, effort and discipline and that’s the part that’s disappointing. I got a little frustrated with the way we played. The lack of discipline at times was a hard pill to swallow and all that comes back on me.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Webb called a timeout to remind his entire team of a foundational truth in life.

“We won ten games in a row and we won with class and there comes a time in life sometimes when you have to look a man in the eye and shake his hand and tell him good job. You have to be able to lose with class too,” commented Webb. “That’s a hard pill to swallow whether you’re 38 or 16, but if Pride, Class, Courage and a Will to Win is who we’re going to be then that’s who we have to be all the time.”

Despite the disappointment of Friday’s ballgame, the Rebels (10-3) have plenty to be proud of and a lot to look forward to in the future. Strom Thurmond opened the season with two consecutive losses, but then reeled off 10 consecutive wins to capture the Region 3-AA championship in Webb’s first year as head coach of the Rebels.

“I’m so proud of these guys,” stated Webb. “They gave us what we asked of them, we worked hard and we got better each week. We just didn’t play our best [Friday] and that happens sometimes. We’ll go back like we do every week and evaluate this week and the season and see what went well and what didn’t go well.”

“We made the final eight [teams in the state] and we need to find what we need to do to take that next step,” Webb added. “It’s all focus, effort and discipline. It has to correlate not just in practice, but to every part of life that you do. Champions act like champions before they become champions and that’s something we have to continue to build on.”