Politics

All county officials pick Tigers to win football championship

By Lightning Reports, Published: January 13, 2020

In their annual prediction of the college football championship winner, Henderson County commissioners, the county attorney and the top managers all picked the Tigers.

They differed on which Tigers. Clemson meets LSU Monday night for the national championship. As he has since the NCAA instituted the four-team tournament to determine the No. 1 team in the land, County Manager Steve Wyatt urged those seated at the table of governance to make their pick.

“We start with the august county attorney, who will make his Blue Devil prediction," Wyatt said.
Saying he would “save that for basketball,” Russ Burrell said, “I’ll pick the team that plays in Death Valley. I would pick LSU based on what I’ve seen but I’ve never seen Clemson not come through and win when they really had to."

Commissioner Bill Lapsley picked Clemson for the same reason he always does.

"Seems like it’s been five years in a row that I’ve been placed in this position and I'll stick with what I've done before. My son and a chunk of my retirement dollars went to Death Valley so I've gotta pull for Clemson."

Commissioner Michael Edney took a more circuitous route to his pick.

“My son’s in the ACC but I went to the SEC and I’m still the older and wiser of the two some days," he said, "so I’ll have to go with the SEC," which would be LSU.

For chairman Grady Hawkins, blood is thicker than Dabo.

I’ve got great-grandchildren at LSU so I’m going with LSU," he said.

After a dominating win over Oklahoma in the semifinal, LSU and its Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow made a believer of Charlie Messer.

"I'm going with LSU because with their last game if they come out anything like they did everybody’s in trouble," he said.

"I’m not a Clemson fan but I do like their coach and I am an ACC fan so I’m going to go with Clemson," said Rebecca McCall, a big UNC fan.

Wyatt believes in Trevor Lawrence, who has a knack for making the big play.

"LSU has the Heisman trophy winner and I don’t like the ACC,” said Wyatt, a rabid Appalachian State fan. “But Clemson’s quarterback’s the best player in the country, I don’t care who won the Heisman trophy. He’s the toughest kid, quarterback, and I just think he finds a way to make it happen.”

Assistant County Manager Amy Brantley was the most succinct. "Clemson," she said.

That's five picks for Clemson and three for LSU. And eight for the Tigers. The prize for winning depends on how hungry one is.

“The winners get to go through the lunch line first at the retreat,” Wyatt said. “It’s a big deal."