The farther you go, the tougher they get. That’s how Dillon coach Jackie Hayes described the playoff road in Class 2A, and he had the Wildcats’ next opponent in mind. Dillon will square off Friday against Manning in the Class 2A lower state semifinals at Dillon Memorial Stadium.

Jackie Hayes doesn’t recall the year, but he recalls the scene vividly. His Dillon High School football team had been defeated a couple of days previous in a lower state title game.

Dillon and Cheraw are used to meeting in big games. After all, the two teams have met the last two years in the playoffs, once for the Class 2A lower state title.

For the second time this season, Marlboro County was dealt a tough loss. After falling short against Conway earlier, the Bulldogs lost to Region 6-3A foe Crestwood Friday by a score of 38-35.

It’s always tough to lose your starting quarterback, no matter what level of football you’re playing. But try losing two. That’s what the Hemingway Tigers have dealt with the past few weeks.

The Wildcats lost a lot of talent from a 10-2 squad of a year ago. Only about three or four starters from each side of the ball are back, Hayes said, giving the Wildcats a lot of unproven talent to build with, especially on offense.

With J.R. Boyd back in charge of the program, thoughts of returning to the state championship are probably on the minds of every Lamar football fan. They’ll get an early chance to see how realistic those expectations are.

There are two things that are synonymous with Dillon Wildcat football - a quick, hard-hitting defense, and their head coach Jackie Hayes.  Both are back for 2008, and hoping that in their 17th year together, they can combine to win their first state title.

From the outset, Friday night’s Class 2A baseball championship game between Dillon and Gilbert was anything but pretty. In a contest that saw eight errors, nine wild pitches and a 15-minute rain delay, someone had to win it.