Hurricane relief

Local family provides assistance to those affected by Katrina

October 6, 2005

By JOANIE BAKER
Index-Journal staff writer

Like some people get the inkling that they’re hungry and head to McDonald’s to feed their grumbling stomachs, Cecil Lowe, of Greenwood, heard the grumbling coming from Slidell, Miss. He headed south to feed the masses of families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Not long after the hurricane hit, Lowe was working in his yard, thinking of all the damage caused to the lives of people he knew in the town where he once worked.
He didn’t know how he was going to get there. He didn’t know what he was going take. But Lowe knew he needed to be there.
A week after telling South Main Street Baptist church members about his idea, Lowe had enough supplies to fill two rooms in the church and compiled 500 hygiene and baby kits.
“A lot of people wanted to do something but didn’t know what or how,” Lowe said. “This gave them the opportunity without costing anyone much of anything.”
Just days before Lowe and his family left town, he received a call from someone offering to donate jeans.
“In my mind I was picturing a table with about 10 or 15 pairs of jeans on it,” Lowe said. “But when I asked how many they had, they said 35,000. I broke down and started crying. I couldn’t believe that happened.”
Lowe and wife Shirley made the trip with their son and daughter-in-law in two Ford F-350 trucks and trailers.
They saw families gutting their houses into the streets. Nothing that had been touched by the water or mud could be salvaged.
There were houses stripped of Sheetrock and insulation with mud and mold growing in it. Dead fish and frog carcasses had taken the places where families once lived.
Their former church’s 11 acres was a rescue site where the Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency handed out food and clothing. Within hours, 3,500 pairs of jeans they were able to fit in the truck had been taken.
Lowe said even though the volunteers had sore feet, aching backs and blistered hands, everyone had smiles on their faces and enjoyed being able to help.
Eight hundred and 18 dollars of fuel, thousands of pairs of jeans and 500 rescue kits later, the Lowes were ready to pack up and come home. They said they were grateful not only for the hot meal they would have for the first time in days, but for having a home to return to.
“It really gives you a deeper sense of what you’ve got and a deeper meaning of what life is really about,” Shirley Lowe said. “Everybody ought to see it just to get a sense of how powerful the water was and how much wrath it caused.”

Picture perfect

Emerald proving it belongs among the elite in Class AA

October 6, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

The Emerald High School football team has spent the past five weeks doing its best to silence any and all doubters.
After falling to crosstown rival Greenwood in the opener, the Vikings defeated Chapman and Woodruff to prove they weren’t going to have another 0-7 start like last season. Then they proved they could beat a quality program by knocking off Abbeville.
Emerald followed that up by showing it can win on the road against a ranked opponent, handing Calhoun Falls its first home loss in 23 games.
“There’s always going to be somebody who doubts you,” junior offensive lineman Alex Robinson said. “If it’s not anybody in your stands, then it’s the other team. So, you have to go out and prove yourself every week.”
Last week, the Vikings (5-1) proved they belong in the upper echelon of Region III-AA with a narrow win over then-No. 4 Batesburg-Leesville.
“We’ve just had a lot to prove. A lot of people are down on us. A lot of people don’t think we’re anything,” quarterback Dan Wideman said. “I think there are people out there that are still doubting us, even after last week.”
Emerald has gained some recognition thanks to its five-game winning streak, moving to No. 5 in the latest AP poll. However, the senior QB might be correct in thinking that his Vikings still have something to prove when they travel for a 7:30 Friday night matchup with defending region champion Newberry (4-2, 1-0).
“We’ve talked a lot about getting respect throughout the year,” Emerald coach Mac Bryan said. “But then again, we probably weren’t in a position to garner that type of respect.”
“So, we’ve tried each week to go out and play as hard as we can. Fortunately, we’ve played well and hopefully, we’ve gained some respect throughout the state.”
Wideman’s emergence as one of the state’s most prolific quarterbacks, taking advantage of Bryan’s new spread offense, has been a key factor in the Vikings’ success this season.
Last week against B-L, Wideman let loose for 384 yards passing and five touchdowns, setting school single-game records in both.
The 6-foot-2 quarterback, who threw for 434 yards last season working out of the I formation, now has 1,561 yards and 15 touchdowns passing through the first six games of his senior season.
“All I do is throw everyday,” said Wideman, who also has a team-high 400 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. “I must throw 100-plus balls everyday. I really don’t have a choice but to get better.
“I don’t go out there and try to make things happen this season. I just go out and let the game come to me. I just make the right reads and make the pass.”
While Wideman continues to throw up impressive passing totals, it’s what he isn’t doing that makes Bryan happiest. Wideman had 12 interceptions on 99 attempts in 12 games last season, but this year, he has only thrown three picks out of his 176 passes.
“There’s no question he’s a great athlete and that he’s got a great arm, but his decision-making has really impressed me,” Bryan said. “I really wish we could have had him in this system for a few more years.”
One thing Bryan thinks has helped the new system has been Wideman’s supporting cast, from the offensive line, which has had to learn a whole new blocking scheme, to the tailbacks Brandon Davis and Josh Bovill, who have had to sacrifice rushing yardage for the passing game, to the contingent of skilled receivers.
“Dan will tell you this as well, we’ve got two backs that if you spread out to stop him (Wideman) they’re going to hurt you. We have an offensive line that has done a nice job,” said Bryan, a former offensive lineman who doubles as the team’s offensive line coach.
“But what Dan also has is a bunch of nice receivers that have caught the ball extremely well. It seems like every night we have four or five guys that are making plays for us.”
The Vikings have 11 players with at least one reception, including four in double digits. Senior Demarco Anderson leads the group with 34 catches for 477 yards and six touchdowns, while seniors Peferio Strong (19 catches for 347 yards), Tavares Gilliam (15 for 146) and Nick Lanier (14 for 365 and 4 TDs) closely follow.
“They’ve really brought me a long way,” Wideman said of fellow offensive players.
While the Vikings will be spending most of their time in the air Friday night, the Bulldogs will try to do most of their damage on the ground.
Newberry’s wing T offense has accounted for 1,574 yards, for a 5.9 yards per attempt average, led by the quartet of backs Dominique Brown, Sanchez Gartman, Courtney Nance and Xavier Goree.
“They have three or four guys that can take it to the house on any given play,” Bryan said. “The thing you have to do is limit the big play. We’ve got to make some negative play. I think that’s the key to stopping a run-oriented offense. If you can make some negative plays, that gets them out of the rhythm they want to be in. And you can’t miss tackles.”
All-Lakelands safety Kadarron Anderson leads the Emerald defense in tackles with 54, while defensive lineman Josh Dean has 49 tackles, nine for losses and four sacks (both team highs).
“What our defense has done throughout the year is, as the game has gone on, they have really gotten more and more control of the game,” Bryan said. “Man, I sure hope that trend continues. What we have to do on the road against a good solid football team, is to make sure we match them early.”

Opinion

Don’t let the generosity be hurt by phony claims

October 6, 2005

The majority of Americans are probably the most generous people in the world. There are exceptions, though. Some of them will take any opportunity to look for that fabled “free lunch,” and they’ll do it at the expense of others who need it more.
There’s no better example of that than the areas of the Gulf Coast staggered by one hurricane on the heels of another.
The generosity part was evident in Greenwood and the rest of the Palmetto State. The contributions hereabouts were part of billions of dollars raised for relief. In addition, the federal government is kicking in billions more to rebuild those areas and help victims get back on their feet.

THR EFFORT IS INDICATIVE of how divisive lines are crossed in times of emergencies, and that speaks volumes for our people.
There’s another side, though, and it is a poor reflection on some of us. Already, everybody and his cousin are putting in requests for financial assistance. The trouble is, too many of them are looking to boost their business interests when they were not directly affected by the storms. They’re just trying to get in on a good thing.
No one wants to deny aid to those who rightfully need it. Still, care must be taken to make sure the money that should go to help the real victims is not siphoned off by pretenders and/or outright thugs.

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Obituaries

Burns Anderson

Burns Browning Anderson, 95, of 1110 Marshall Road, widow of Thomas Carson Anderson Jr., died Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Visitation is 6-8 p.m. Friday at Blyth Funeral Home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.