WINNSBORO — The Mighty Griffins of Fairfield Central High School have fought hard to make it to the Class AA Division 1 State Championship. The road has not been easy leading to the championship, but the Griffins continued to push forward.

The 2012 season in review:

Aug. 24: The Fairfield Central High School Griffins opened their season with a victory over the Westwood High School Red Hawks with a score of 34-7. The season looked promising.

Aug. 31: The Abbeville High School Panthers gave the Fairfield Central High School Griffins their first loss for the season 30-7. It was a non-league loss, but a loss nonetheless and the Griffins had to take ownership for not taking care of the ball. Head Coach Demetrius Davis has said since this was a game that the team that lost learned a lot from.

Sept. 7: The Fairfield Central High School Griffins went to Chester High School to take on the Cyclones in hopes of bouncing back from their loss the previous week. The Griffins beat the Cyclones 18-7.

Sept. 14: The Griffins came up a little short against the Union County High School Yellow Jackets 42-40.

Sept. 21: The Fairfield Central High School Griffins traveled to Cheraw High School in a match up against the Braves. The team was determined to win after facing two early losses on the season. The Griffins beat the Braves 42-6.

Sept. 28: The Fairfield Central High School Griffins gave the Columbia High School Capitals their fifth loss of their season with a final score of 38-19.

Oct. 5: The Eau Claire High School Shamrocks proved to be no match for the Fairfield Central High School Griffins. The Griffins stopped the Shamrocks in their paths with a shut-out, 54-0. This was the Griffins first shutout victory for the season.

Oct. 12: The Fairfield Central High School Griffins gave the Keenan High School Raiders their forth loss for their season. The Griffins defeated the Raiders 42-18 during the Raiders’ Homecoming.

Oct. 19: The Pelion High School Panthers visited the Fairfield Central High School Griffins with the hope that they could win. The Griffins dominated the Pelion Panthers the whole game 56-0. It was the Griffins second shutout for the season and their momentum was pumping as the playoffs season were just a game away.

Oct. 26: The Griffins faced the North Central High School Knights in the final regular season game. With a 57-6 win, the Griffins made a statement that they were ready for the S.C. High School AA Region 1 Playoffs.

Nov. 9: Fairfield Central 50, Crescent 0: The Griffins dominated the Tigers on the field during round two of the playoffs after FCHS received a bye week in round one.

Nov. 16: Fairfield Central 27, Cheraw 10: The Cheraw Braves put up a fight during their match-up with the Griffins but fell short in round three of the play offs. This win gave the Griffins momentum as they moved on to take on the Newberry Bulldogs.

Nov. 23: Fairfield Central 28, Newberry 21: The Griffins and the Bulldogs have been longtime rivals. The game filled the Griffins’ stadium and proved to be one of the best games of the season for the fans. The Griffins went on to win the game in overtime as they had to dig deep to stop the Bulldogs.

On Nov. 30 the Griffins will travel to Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, 2219 Two Notch Road in Columbia, to take on the Dillon High School Wildcats. The game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with the gates opening at 3 p.m. for fans who wish to arrive early.

Davis said he feels confident about his team.

“We have to protect the football, defense has to limit Dillon’s offense from making big plays and our offense has to protect the ball,” he said.

Davis said he didn’t change much about practice this week because he wants the guys to know “this is just another football game, although a very big game as it is the championship. We have to maintain what we do on the field and just play football.”

Both Davis and Dillon Head Coach Jackie Hayes feel their teams started off slowly this year, but they achieved a great deal to make it to this point and they are more than happy to be playing in the championship game.

Hayes said his team has never really played like he feels they should have for the season.

Davis shared that Dillon is a good team. They have some big guys and they play football well.

“Fairfield Central has a very talented quarterback and the team overall shares the responsibility on the field,” Hayes said.