Lions focused on capturing first state title

No Augusta Christian football player has ever played a game at South Carolina State's Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

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Yet the Lions are no strangers to the NCAA Division I-AA confines.

"We went by there when we came to play Orangeburg Prep earlier this season, and then before our game against Wilson Hall last week," Augusta Christian coach Bruce Lane said. "We were trying to create a vision of where we wanted our program to go."

The Lions, ranked No. 2 in the South Carolina Independent Schools Association final regular season poll, get a chance to make that vision a reality tonight against fourth-ranked Porter Gaud for the Class AAA title.

"We've got to realize we have the opportunity to do something no one at Augusta Christian has ever done," starting quarterback Lee Banks said. "I still want to leave that legacy."

The Cyclones did lose to Augusta Christian in September, when Banks threw for a touchdown and rushed for another in a 21-14 win. However, Porter Gaud has already overcome the underdog label in the playoffs. In the state semifinals last weekend, the Cyclones knocked off defending champion Heathwood Hall, 29-27, and snapped the Highlanders' 24-game winning streak.

"That Heathwood game was unbelievable for us," Porter Gaud coach Ricky Tillman said. "We've been the underdog, but sometimes that can be an additional motivating factor."

Augusta Christian's meeting with Heathwood Hall in the regular season didn't go as well. The Lions lost 35-33 on the road and know Porter Gaud's victory was more than impressive.

"At this point in the season no one is here by accident," Lane said.

Graham Infinger has played a big part in the Cyclones' success. The senior leads SCISA with 20 touchdowns and 1,731 yards rushing with an average of more than 10 yards per carry.

"We don't need to be the underdogs to be motivated," Infinger said this week. "We have a lot of seniors, and none of us has had the opportunity to play in a state championship game."

The Lions will counter Infinger's production with a defense that has allowed only six points in their past two playoff games.

"It's huge," said Augusta Christian's Will Wright, who returned a blocked punt to win last week. "This is the dream of every guy on the team."

Reach Billy Byler at (706) 863-6165, ext. 116, or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.