Published: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 12:11 AM

Gaffney 35, Clover 28

GAFFNEY -- Quarterback DeEdward Burris was Clover's worst nightmare in Friday night's 35-28 loss in Region 3-AAAA play. The elusive signal-caller ran for 99 yards and threw for 244 more. The Blue Eagles defense kept the QB from making big plays, but Burris was a killer anyway.

“He's something,” Clover coach Jet Turner said after watching the junior remove his team from region championship discussions.

Clover used recently named Shrine Bowl participant Tra Latta to spy on the Burris most of the game. The idea was to contain the speedster from scrambling out of the pocket. Latta did his job, but Clover failed to get any pressure on Burris.

With a seemingly endless amount of undisturbed time in the pocket, Burris picked the Blue Eagles apart. He threw a season-high 26 passes and completed 18 of them. In the first quarter he threw two touchdown passes to lead the Indians to a 14-0 advantage.

“We wanted to get some pressure on him without creating lanes for him to run,” Turner said.

Offensively, Clover outgained the Indians. They ran for 345 yards and 20 first downs.

Clover scored twice in the fourth quarter to take a brief 28-27 lead. Tyron Douglas scored on runs of 9 and 11 yards. He finished with a game-best 169 yards on 23 carries.

The comeback was made more impressive due to the injuries the Blue Eagles suffered. Defensive end Aukeem Ruff, running back Derrick Carothers and quarterback Aaron Miller all left the game in the first half.

Only Miller returned to the game. He hobbled onto the field in the game's final minute to try to lead Clover's last drive. He threw one pass, an 18-yarder to B.J. Hinton, although he seemed unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Turner was unsure of the severity of the three players' injuries. He said he would have his fingers crossed that none were too serious.

Gaffney coach Phil Strickland now has a week to get his team prepared for Northwestern's Air Raid offense. The game will be played at the Reservation in Gaffney and will crown the Region 3-AAAA champion.

“We'll have to switch gears,” Strickland said. “Northwestern is an entirely different team. We've got to learn real quick to cover the pass.”

Clover might have fumbled away its chance to win the game in the contest's early minutes. The Blue Eagles coughed up the ball on their first two possessions. Gaffney capitalized on both turnovers.

A mishandled pitch on Clover's third play of the game resulted in a Burris TD pass to Khris Brown. The Blue Eagles fumbled away their next play and Burris hit Mike Wood for a 23-yard touchdown.

“We felt like we had to pass against Clover,” Strickland said. “(Clover) gave us a lot of time to throw. Burris did a good job finding the open receivers.”

Gaffney (8-2, 4-0 Region 3-AAAA) has won four straight games. Maybe the best thing that could have happened to Strickland's team was getting throttled, 60-7, by Byrnes. Gaffney has rolled since that game.

Clover (7-3, 2-2) will host rival York next week in the regular-season finale. The game will decide third place in the region.

GAFFNEY 35, CLOVER 28

Gaffney.....21.....0.....6.....8.....--.....35

Clover.....7.....7.....0.....14.....--.....28

SCORING SUMMARY

G--Khris Brown 27 pass from DeEdward Burris (Josh Harris kick)

G--Mike Wood 23 pass from Burris (Harris kick)

CL--Aaron Miller 30 run (Jonathan Faile kick)

G--Burris 9 run (Harris kick)

CL--Max Elliott 5 run (Faile kick)

G--Burris 3 run (pass failed)

CL--Tyron Douglas 9 run (Faile kick)

CL--Douglas 11 run (Faile kick)

G--Robert Gandy 3 run (Burris run)

TEAM STATISTICS

.....GHS.....CHS

First downs.....16.....20

Rushes-yards.....21-112.....56-345

Passing.....244.....44

Comp-Att-Int.....18-26-1.....3-8-2

Fumbles-Lost.....3-0.....2-2

Penalties-Yards.....9-85.....4-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Gaffney: Robert Gandy 1-3, DeEdward Burris 16-99, Kenard Lipscomb 1-4, Rodney Rogers 3-6. Clover: Derrick Carothers 5-24, Tyron Douglas 23-169, Max Elliott 20-77, Aaron Miller 5-51, B.J. Hinton 1-3, Jordan Moore 2-21.

PASSING--Gaffney: Burris 18-26-244-1. Clover: Miller 2-7-23-2, Elliott 1-1-21-0.

RECEIVING--Gaffney: Quinshad Davis 4-63, Mike Wood 2-5, Khris Brown 6-94, Tim Ellis 2-26, Rogers 4-36. Clover: Evan Jackson 2-26, Hinton 1-18.

RECORDS: Clover 7-3, 2-2 Region 3-AAAA; Gaffney 8-2, 4-0