The Statesboro Blue Devils defeated the South Effingham Mustangs 41 to 7 in a dominant region win. This win puts the Blue Devils (4-4, 3-3) overall and in the region. The Blue Devils are sitting in fifth place in AAAAA Region 1, and with two more wins the Blue Devils could punch their ticket to the playoffs for the third season in a row.
The Blue Devils dominated from the beginning of the first quarter to the end of the fourth. Sophomore wide receiver Davis Harrison scored the first touchdown of the game and the inaugural touchdown for the Blue Devils with 11:22 left in the first quarter. Shortly after, freshman linebacker Jayden Cope made a pivotal interception, setting the stage for junior wide receiver Keon Childers to score his first touchdown of the night with 9:10 left to play. Following his touchdown was a successful extra point by freshman kicker Mason Sellers. Childers also made a significant play with a 30-yard catch, contributing to the momentum of the game. This athletic prowess shown by the Blue Devils shined through with Statesboro up 13-0 to end the first.
Childers' 30 yard catch set up junior wide receiver Tony Nessmith, who scored his first touchdown of the game five seconds into the quarter. Just a minute later, junior defensive back, Jakori Cope, intercepted a South Effingham pass, but the Blue Devils couldn’t convert this defensive play into points. However, their defense quickly regrouped, forcing a turnover on downs soon after. With 4:21 remaining in the half, a complete pass to Josh Brockett set up a 21-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful extra point. As the clock wound down to just 0.8 seconds, freshman phenom quarterback, Beckham Jarrad, snapped the ball and completed a 1-yard pass to Keon Childers, who scored his second touchdown of the night, capping off a strong offensive showing for the Blue Devils. By halftime. The Blue Devils were up on the Mustangs 34-0.
In the third quarter, senior running back Jaylyn Heath got his first touches of the game, making a five-yard carry for a first down at the Mustang 35-yard line. Childers followed up with a ten-yard gain to the Mustang 26, and junior wide receiver Gage Newsome joined the action with a 13-yard run of his own to put the Blue Devils within striking distance. With 3:57 left in the third quarter, Heath capitalized on Newsome’s efforts, walking in the ball for six, scoring his first touchdown of the night, further extending the Blue Devils' lead to 41-0 at the end of the third.
As the game progressed into the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils decided to rotate in some junior varsity players, giving them valuable varsity experience while allowing the starters a much-needed rest. However, the Blue Devils momentarily let up with some blown coverage, allowing the Mustangs to get within first and goal with 10:14 left in the game, marking their closest approach to the end zone all night. The Mustangs capitalized on this opportunity, scoring their first points of the game thanks to Junior Kadin Ward, providing a sense of pride for their team. In response, the Blue Devils took control of the clock with a strong offensive drive, ultimately sealing the game with a commanding 41-7 victory.
Head Coach Matt Dobson was proud of how his team performed, especially coming off a much needed victory against Evans last week. He wanted his team to come into this matchup with the mentality of playing Statesboro Football to Statesboro Standards having mental toughness, good sportsmanship, and compassion. The playoffs are a goal for the Blue Devils and if they continue playing the way they did in tonight’s matchup, then that goal can be a possibility.
“For us to get in the playoffs we just have to follow our process in preparing the right way for these last two weeks,” Dobson said. “We just have to focus on ourselves and control what we can control.”
This marks the start of a winning streak for the Blue Devils, now 2-0, with the hopes to extend that streak to 3-0 as they take on a tough Effingham County Rebels team in Effingham next Friday, November 1, with kickoff at 7:30 pm.
