Daniel rolls to complete fourth straight undefeated high school football regular season
IVA — Daniel won its 34th consecutive game to complete a fourth straight perfect regular season on Friday with a 42-0 win over Crescent (4-6, 2-2 Region 1-AAA).
The Lions (10-0, 4-0 Region 1-AAA) have left a wake of devastation in nearly every game they’ve played this season, winning games by an average of 40 points.
Constantly blowing out opposing teams is like a weekly hobby for the Lions, and they don’t ever seem focused on how much they have dominated.
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“I mean, we got something special for sure,” senior receiver Eli Merck said. “You know, we're not really going to look at the scores too much. As long as we keep putting points on the board, we're going to be alright.”
The Lions haven’t been smacked in the mouth by a team in years. The last Daniel game that finished within 21 points was a 49-35 playoff win over Chapman in 2020.
That could be a weakness because it poses a question: Will Daniel know how to respond if they finally face a test?
The Lions’ schedule was a bit different this year with the new SCHSL realignment. Former region rivals in Belton-Honea Path and Wren were taken off the schedule. And both would’ve been a great test given that BHP finished the regular season 9-1 and Wren almost upset BHP in the season finale.
But the Lions knew they’d miss that competition since Day 1 and adjusted accordingly. And the way they ran through the new schedule proved just how superior they truly are.
“I think the region, how it switched, I think it gave us a little push on the edge,” senior Misun Kelley said. “I think we just prepared a little differently and it made us better. Because we got some new guys, and we really worked. Because we’re really that team this year, so we’re going to have to work. And everybody wants to beat us, so we’ve got to work harder.”
A group that has really been the rock for Daniel is the usual playmaking trio of seniors Kelley, Merck and Jaylen Brown-Wallace. All three scored touchdowns in the win over Crescent (4-6, 2-2) and seem to be reaching the peak of their powers in their final seasons.
The trio has combined for 36 touchdowns and over 1,700 yards of offense this season. They’ve helped lead Daniel to this point and have one objective, a state title.
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With playoffs starting up, Daniel could meet Powdersville in the quarterfinals, a game fans are already anxious to see, and it’s not even a guaranteed matchup. It could be the biggest game in AAA, but it’s not even on Daniel’s radar as of now.
“Not at all,” Merck said when asked if the team has talked about the potential Powdersville game. “We haven't talked about it once. You know, we're worried about the first one. If you mess up on the first one, you can't play against Powdersville. So, we're going to focus on who we're playing, I think it's Southside. So, looks like we’re going to play Southside and we'll go from there.”
Joshua Miller covers high school sports for The Anderson Independent-Mail. Have questions, story ideas, scores and stats involving high school athletics? Send them to his email at jdmiller@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @NameIsJoshua
This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Daniel beats crescent to complete fourth straight undefeated season
