Vikings to open conference
schedule against Fairmont

By DAN BISER

The West Columbus Vikings’ football open date last Friday came on the heels of four straight losses.

This Friday, the 1-4 Vikings will step into Waccamaw 1A-2A Conference play when they entertain the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes in the 2006 WCHS Homecoming game.

Fairmont is sporting a 3-2 record after opening its conference schedule last week with a 34-7 thumping of winless West Bladen. Coach Kim Brown’s Tornadoes held a 12-7 halftime lead before dominating the final two quarters.

West Columbus, which ran to an 8-5 season record and finished runner up in the conference last season, has yielded at least 41 points in each of its last four games, including a 47-7 loss at the hands of South Columbus in its last outing on Sept. 15. The Vikings opened the season with a 48-25 win over a Dixon team that remains winless for the third straight season.

West Columbus won last year’s game over Fairmont by a 21-20 score in overtime. That gave catapulted the Vikings into the thick of the conference race as they won four of their five remaining conference games, falling only to league champion East Bladen by a touchdown.

Viking coach Vernon Brigman is hoping that the Fairmont game can again be a pivotal part of the WCHS season. It will take three wins in conference play if the Vikings hope to return to the state 1-AA playoffs this fall.

“We’ve stressed a lot of fundamental work and are just trying to get better in all areas,” Brigman said. “We’re capable of winning some football games in our conference and we need to come out and play well Friday night.”

West Columbus has not lost its homecoming game since 2001 and the Vikings hope to continue the string Friday.

The Vikings place much of their hope on the leadership and talents of junior back Travis Leggett. Leggett ran 70 yards for the only WCHS touchdown against South Columbus, and in a 47-14 loss to Whiteville, Leggett raced 57 and 75 yards for both Viking TDs. Leggett earned Class 1A All-State honors last year and is already on the recruiting lists of several major college football programs. He is one just a few returnees from last year’s team as 2006 graduation took its toll on the program.

Fairmont also has wins over East Columbus and Overhills this season while its losses have come against Pender and Bunn. The Tornadoes rely heavily on their running game.

“They are big and physical,” Brigman said. “They play strong grind-it-out, smash-mouth football. They come at you hard on defense.”

The West Columbus-Fairmont rivalry goes back four decades and the schools have squared off regularly in all sports in both conference and non-conference play through the years.