Offensive Player of the Week: Junior Taj Letman

Defensive Player of the Week: Freshman Tyshon Dye

Special Teams Player of the Week: Senior Omar Vargas

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The blue devils lost a tough one on a very wet night on the road at Stephens County in overtime 23-17. The biggest difference of the night was the 4 turnovers committed by the blue devils on the night as the blue devils moved the ball up and down the field but turnovers ended several long drives. Offensively the blue devils finished the night with 323 overall yards and 20 first downs. The blue devils rushed for 222 yards on the night all without leading rusher Valdon Cooper, who was hurt on the first series of the night and never returned. QB Hunter Blackmon finished 10 for 17 passing on the night for 101 yards. Leading the way for the blue devils offensively on the night was freshman RB Tyshon Dye, who finished the night with 8 carries for 64 yards and 2 receptions for 20 yards but had 1 lost fumble on the night. RB Trez Haley finished the night with 52 yards on 14 carries for 1 TD while QB Hunter Blackmon finished the night with 12 carries for 43 yards and threw for 107 yards but had 1 lost fumble as well. Other ball carriers for the blue devils were Austin Jones, who had 4 carries for 39 yards, FB DJ Lewis, who had 5 carries for 12 yards and 2 lost fumbles, and FB Blundy Gaines, who had 1 carry for 7 yards. The blue devils threw to several receivers on the night but leading the way was TE Taj Letman, who made several big catches and finished the night with 4 receptions for 40 yards. Other receivers on the night were Tyshon Dye with 2 receptions for 20 yards, Z-Back Austin Jones, who had 1 reception for 19 yards, TE Keldric Rambert, who had 1 reception for 11 yards, and FB Blundy Gaines, who had 1 for 9 yards.

Defensively, the blue devils were again led by Freshman LB Tyshon Dye, who finished the night with 20 tackles (6 solo & 14 assists). DE Taylor Smith finished the night with 11 tackles (2 solo & 9 assists) and FS Trez Haley had 10 tackles (6 solo & 4 assists) to lead the blue devils defense. The defense allowed Stephens Co. 211 total yards on the night but held the Indians to only 51 yards in the second half. Stephens Co. had only 8 first downs on the night.

The blue devils found themselves down 17-0 but never quit and fought back making a great comeback in the 4^th quarter rolling off 17 unanswered points tying the game at 17-17 with 40 seconds left in the game on an unbelievable Omar Vargas 50 yard field goal. The game then went into overtime where each team received the ball at the 15 yard line. The blue devils had the ball first and unfortunately lost the ball again on another turnover thus failing to put any points on the board on their possession. Stephens Co. then started at the 15 yard line and scored a touchdown to defeat the blue devils 23-17 in overtime. This brought the blue devils record to 7-2 on the year and a big show down in the Granite Bowl this Friday night against rival Hart Co. where the two teams will be playing for 2^nd place in the region and the opportunity to host a playoff game.

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Offensive Player of the Week: Sophomore Hunter Blackmon

Defensive Player of the Week: Senior Tray Heard

Special Teams Player of the Week: Sophomore Alan Brown

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Offensive Player of the Week: Senior Keldric Rambert 

Defensive Player of the Week: Sophomore Bryce Martin

Special Teams Co-Players of the Week: Senior Andy Corder & Senior Omar Vargas

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Offensive Player of the Week: Sophomore DJ Lewis

Defensive Player of the Week: Sophomore Trent Allen

Special Teams Player(s) of the Week: Senior Andy Corder

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The Elbert Co. Blue Devils played perhaps the best all round game Friday night in the granite bowl rolling to a big 48-7 win over Region opponent Morgan Co. The blue devils offense and defense seemed to be working on all cylinders as the blue devil offense rolled up 319 yards of total offense in the first half alone scoring 4 TD. The defense held Morgan to only 61 yards rushing in the first half and gave up 52 passing of which 49 yards of that was on a long pass play that led to the Morgan Co. only score of the night. Morgan Co. received the opening kickoff but was quickly 3 and out and were forced to punt to the blue devils. On the first play for the blue devils RB Valdon Cooper made a 54 yard run on which the blue devils scored 2 plays later on a 10 yard run by RB Trez Haley. Omar Vargas then added the point after to put the blue devils up 7-0. The Morgan Co. offense then went to work in which they gained 2 first downs on the drive but the blue devils again forced them to punt. The blue devils then put together a good drive and on the 3^rd play of the drive Valdon Cooper again had a big run of 41 yards moving the ball down to the Morgan Co. 23 yard line. 4 plays later after a couple of strong runs of 12 & 8 yards by RB Trez Haley, RB Valdon Cooper scored to put the blue devils up 14-0 with 3:12 left to play in the 1^st Quarter. The blue devil defense again forced Morgan Co. to punt 3 plays later on 3^rd and 12. The blue devils then put together a strong 10 play drive but were forced to punt for the first time of the night. Morgan Co. then scored their first and only touchdown of the night on a 6 play drive capped of by a 49 yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 14-7 with 6:06 left to play in the 2^nd Quarter. The blue devils then came right back and marched down the field on a 10 play drive which was highlighted by a 35 yard pass from QB Hunter Blackmon to TE Keldric Rambert, which took the ball down to the Morgan Co. 3 yard line. Valdon Cooper then scored his 2^nd touchdown of the night a couple of plays later. Omar Vargas again added the point after to put the devils up 21-7 with 2:18 left to play in the half. The blue devil defense then went to work and 4 plays later DB Shi Marshall made a great play intercepting a pass at the blue devil 20 yard line. The blue devils then ran 2 plays, and 8 yard run and an incomplete pass, and on 3^rd down with only 21 seconds left in the first half RB Trez Haley made a spectacular run, after looking like he was going to be brought down by a pile of Morgan Co. defenders, he broke free and sprinted down the sideline for a 75 yard TD run. Omar Vargas added the point after to put the blue devils up 28-7 going into halftime.

The second half was much of the same as the blue devils took the opening drive after half and marched down the field on a 10 play drive marked by good running by QB Hunter Blackmon, who had 4 carries for 32 yards on the drive and Trez Haley, 2 for 18 yards. The drive was capped off by a 3 yard Touchdown pass from QB Hunter Blackmon to TE Taj Letman. The point after attempt was blocked thus the blue devils were up 34-7 with a 6:26 to play in the 2^nd Quarter. Morgan Co. then mounted a 13 play drive of their own but were stopped on the blue devils 31 on 4^th and 13. The 4^th quarter was marked by getting to see many of the up and coming blue devils who played well. LB Ty Robinson scored on a fumble recovery in which scampered 36 yards down the sideline for another blue devil score to put the blue devils up 40-7 after a blocked XP. The final blue devil touchdown came on a 10 play drive by the JV offense capped off by a 3 yard TD run by Soph. RB CJ Fleming who also scored on the 2 point conversion to put the blue devils up 48-7.

Offensively, the Elbert Co. Running Backs had big nights as they had 2 backs with over 100 yards. Senior Trez Haley had 9 carries for 131 yds and 2 TD, and Junior RB Valdon Cooper had 12 carries for 126 yds and 2 TD to lead the blue devils offensively. Sophomore QB Hunter Blackmon again had a good night both running and passing as he finished with 10 carries for 61 yards and completed 4 out of 8 passes for 52 yards and 1 TD on the night. On the receiving end were TE Keldric Rambert 2 for 42yards, FB DJ Lewis 1 for 7 yards, and TE Taj Letman 1 for 3 yards for 1 TD. Perhaps one of the strongest performances of the night might go to FB DJ Lewis who did a tremendous job blocking and creating big holes for the blue devil running backs as well as he added 3 carries for 8 yards along with the 7 yard reception. The offensive unit as a whole (offensive line/tight ends/running backs/z backs) had their best night of the year putting together a strong performance creating many holes for the blue devil runners and protecting the QB. The blue devils finished the night with 440 total yards of offensive.

Defensively the blue devils held Morgan Co. to 94 yards rushing and 55 yards passing on the night but most importantly only gave up 7 points. The defense was led by the linebackers with outside linebackers JR Taj Letman- 7 tackles (5 solo and 2 assists) and Sophomore Trent Allen -7 tackles (3 solo and 4 assists) leading the way. Middle linebacker Freshman Tyshon Dye- 6 tackles (5 solo and 1 assist) and Sophomore Linebacker Bryce Martin contributed 5 tackles (2 solo and 3 assists). Other key performances on defense were JR DB Shi Marshall’s interception and JR Ty Robinson’s fumble recovery in which he returned for a TD. Senior’s Ethan Fortson and Demarcus Davis each forced a fumble on the night. Andy Corder again did a good job of punting as he only punted twice but averaged 31.6 yards per punt.

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Offensive Player of the Week: Sophomore Hunter Blackmon

Defensive Player of the Week: Freshman Tyshon Dye

Special Teams Player(s) of the Week: Senior Ethan Fortson

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The blue devils played a solid game Friday night on the road defeating Oconee Co. 17-10 improving their record to 4-1 on the year.  It has been 7 years (2002 season) since the blue devils have gotten off to a 4-1 start.  The blue devils started off strong as they stopped Oconee on their first possession of the night forcing them punt after 3 and out. The blue devil offense then took over and marched down the field on an impressive 13 play drive with Fullback DJ Lewis scoring on a 1 yd run with Omar Vargas converting the point after to put the blue devils up 7-0.  Oconee then had a 10 play drive marching down to the blue devils 14 yard line but the defense forced a fumble and took over on the 19 yd. line early in the 2^nd Quarter.  Oconee threatened again to score in the 2^nd Quarter but fumbled again after an 11 play drive and the offense took over on their own 11 yd line.  From there the blue devils put together a strong 10 play drive but were denied on a 4^th and 1 at the warriors 30 yard line.  The blue devils went in at half up 7-0 over the warriors.  The blue devils came out strong in the 2^nd half marching 80 yards down the field after the kickoff on a 9 play drive featuring several blue devil runners (Trez Haley 2 carries 41 yards, (QB)Hunter Blackmon 3 carries 14 yards, Valdon Cooper 2 carries 15 yds, 1 TD, Austin Jones 1 carry 8 yards, and FB DJ Lewis 1 carry 2 yards) with Cooper scoring on a 2 yard run.  Omar Vargas converted the point after to put the blue devils up 14-0 in the 3^rd Quarter.  On their 2^nd possession of the half the warriors scored their first touchdown of the night to close the score to 14-7. However, the blue devils scored early in the 4^th quarter on an Omar Vargas 29 yard Field Goal to put the blue devils up by two scores.  The defense then came up with a big stop on 4^th down on an 8 play drive by Oconee and the offense took over on their own 31 yard line. The offense was then trying run the clock and was moving down the field but on the 6^th play of the drive Oconee forced a fumble by FB Lewis and they took over on their own 34 yard line. Oconee then put together a 12 play drive but was held to a 35 yard Field Goal with under 2 minutes to play where they then tried an onside kick but the blue devils took over and ran out the clock to preserve the win.

Overall, the devils played a solid game with the offense racking up 344 total yards. The offensive line (Ethan Fortson, Trey Huff, Seth Martin, Taylor Smith, Keenan Umble, Eli York) and tight ends (Taj Letman, Keldric Rambert, and Chance Yeargin)  which were well undersized going up against a much bigger Oconee defensive line did a good job blocking for the blue devil runners and QB all night.  Offensively the blue devils were led by RB Valdon Cooper who finished the night with 13 carries for 123 yds and a touchdown, RB Trez Haley also had a strong night finishing with 73 yards on 13 carries, while QB Hunter Blackmon had 11 carries for 61 yards to lead the blue devils.  Several other key contributors on offense were RB Demarco Freeman who added 38 yds on 9 carries, FB DJ Lewis 6 carries for 26 yards, and Austin Jones 3 carries for 3 yards.  Blackmon was 3 for 6 passing for 20 yards completing passes to TE Taj Letman for 16 yds, TE Keldric Rambert for 7 yards, and Valdon Cooper for -3 yards.

The defense allowed Oconee 229 total yards of offense but came up with 2 big turnovers deep in blue devil territory and a big stop on 4^th down early in the 4^th quarter. The defense was again led by Freshman LB Tyshon Dye who had 10 total tackles (6 solo 4 assists) plus a big fumble recovery.  Also, leading the defense were linebackers Soph. Bryce Martin with 6 total tackles (3 solo 3 assists), Jr. Taj Letman with 6 tackles (3 solo 3 assists), and Soph. Trent Allen with 5 tackles (3 solo 2 assists).  Sr.DE Tray Heard also led the defense with 2 sacks and 4 total tackles (2 solo, 2 assists).   Other leading tacklers on the night were Sr.DE Eric Crenshaw (5 total, 3 solo, 2 assists, and 1 fumble caused), FS Trez Haley (4 total, 3 solo, 1 assists),  Junior DT Ricky Hamm (4 total, 3 solo, 1 assist), and Soph. FS Hunter Blackmon(4 total, 3 solo, 1 assist).  Sr. DE Ethan Fortson also came up with a sack, a caused fumble and 2 total tackles and Soph. DT Antonio Hickman also came up with a big fumble recovery for the blue devils.     

The kicking game was again strong as Punter Andy Corder averaged 31.5 yards per punt and the kick off team never allowed Oconee past the 27 yard line all night.  Omar Vargas was again perfect on extra points going 2/2 and kicking a 29 yard field goal in the 4^th quarter. 

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Offensive Lineman of the Week: Junior Keenan Umble

Defensive Player of the Week: Freshman Tyshon Dye

Special Teams Player(s) of the Week: Senior Trez Haley

Player of the Week: Senior Trez Haley

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Offensive Player of the Week:Senior Trez Haley

Offensive Lineman of the Week: Senior Ethan Fortson

Defensive Player of the Week: Senior Tray Heard

Special Teams Player(s) of the Week: Senior Omar Vargas

Player of the Week: Junior Ricky Hamm

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The Blue Devils rolled to a big win Friday night over visiting Butler H.S 35-6.  The game started out with the blue devils at their own 27 yard line but quickly ended after a 20 yard 3 play drive which ended on a lost fumble at their own 47 yd. line.  However, the blue devils held off Butler after the turnover and again put together a strong 16 play drive starting at their own 17 yard line with two 19 yard runs by Valdon Cooper during the drive and a good effort out of RB Trez Haley, who carried the ball 8 times on the drive for 49 yards and scoring the first blue devil touchdown of the night. The Defense then held off Butler who threatened to score on a 15 play drive of their own. However, the Bulldogs went for it on 4^th down at the 10 yard line and came up short where the blue devils took over at their own 7 yard line.  The blue devils moved the ball down the field quickly on 8 plays with pickups of 15, 30, and 12 along the way moving the ball down to the Butler 36 yard line.  Then the blue devils had a long run by Valdon Cooper that took the ball down inside the 10 but it was called back due to a holding call.  After the penalty, the blue devils were out of FG range and were forced to punt which would end up being the only punt of the night (Corder 36 yards) by the blue devils.  The blue devils got the ball back one more time before half where they completed 2 passes but ran out of time. Thus the blue devils went into the locker room up 7-0.

After half the blue devils did not waste much time to pull away from the Bulldogs quickly as DB Austin Jones intercepted a pass on the 3^rd play of the half and returned it 24 yards for a TD where Omar Vargas added the extra point to put the blue devils up 14-0.  Butler then had an 8 play drive but a few tackles in the backfield moved the Butler back to their own 27 yard line where they were forced to punt on 4^th down.   However a high snap sailed over the punters head and into the end zone where it was recovered by DE Eric Crenshaw for another Blue devil touchdown.  Omar Vargas again converted to point after to put the blue devils up 21-0.  The defense then recovered a fumble and the offense went to work at the butler 32 yard line where the devils scored quickly on a 1 yard run by Demarco Freeman to put the blue devils ahead 28-0.   The defense then stopped Butler on downs where the offense took over at the butler 47 yard line where capitalized on a 7 play drive scoring a touchdown on a 15 yard pass from QB Robert Huff to TE Taj Letman to put the blue devils up 35-0 after the point after.  The defense again intercepted a pass, DB Davion Shackleford, at the blue devils own 1 yard line where the offense took over.  However the ball was fumbled on the first play where Butler recovered and then scored 3 plays later to get on the scoreboard. 

Offensively the blue devils accumulated 304 total yards and overall this was again a team effort out of the offense at the devils used an array of backs to carry the ball. Leading the team was Valdon Cooper with 9 carries for 80 yards, Demarco Freeman 10 carries for 62 yards and 1 touchdown, Trez Haley 8 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown, Austin Jones 3 carries for 35 yards, and Fullback DJ Lewis 3 carries for 6 yards who was the key to many of the yards gained on the night.  QB Robert Huff was 3 for 7 passing for 42 yards and a touchdown.  On the receiving end was WR Valdon Cooper with 2 catches for 27 yards and TE Taj Letman with 1 TD catch for 15 yards.  The offensive line (S. Martin, E. Fortson, T. Smith, E. York, K. Umble, T. Huff, C. Yeargin, T. Letman, and K. Rambert ) again had a good night creating running lanes and protecting QB Robert Huff.

Defensively the defense was tested throughout the night and although Butler had several long drives the blue devils were able to create and capitalize on some Butler mistakes throughout the night including 4 fumbles caused (Letman, Blackmon, S. Martin, and Fortson), 2 fumble recoveries (Shackleford and Crenshaw), and 3 interceptions (A.Jones, Shackleford, and B. Allen).  The defense was led by DT Ricky Hamm who had 12 tackles on the night (10 solo and 2 assists); Trey Heard -9 tackles (6 solo 3 assists, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack), Taj Letman- 9 tackles ( 4 solo, 5assists, 1 tackle for loss, 1 caused fumble), Bryce Martin-9 tackles(4 solo and 5 assists), Trent Allen-9 tackles (4 solo and 5 assists), and Hunter Blackmon- 8 tackles( 8 assists), Eric Crenshaw- 7 tackles (3 solo, 4 assists, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack), Tyshon Dye -6 tackles (4 solo and 2 assists), Seth Martin - 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 assists, 1 sack, 1 caused fumble, and 1 tackle for a loss), and Tyler Mahaffey – 5 tackles( 5 assists). The kicking game was strong again with Vargas(4/4) and Corder(1/1) being perfect on all point after attempts and Andy Corder punting for a 36 yard average on the night.   

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Offensive Player of the Week: Junior Valdon Cooper

Offensive Lineman of the Week: Senior Seth Martin

Defensive Player of the Week: Junior Ricky Hamm

Special Teams Player(s) of the Week: Senior Omar Vargas & Senior Andy Corder

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The Blue Devils played a tough hard fought game down in Social Circle Friday night coming away with a 28-21 victory over a speedy and experienced senior laden SC squad. The young blue devil players seem to be growing up as penalties and turnovers were way down in this weeks win.  Elbert Co. started out strong as they held the Indians on their first possession forcing them to punt where the blue devils started a 12 play drive from their own 25 that ended with a lost fumble on the Indians 24 yard line. The blue devil defense then was tested as the Indians had a 13 play drive of their own but on 4^th down at the blue devils 18 the defense held strong allowing the offense to take back over early in the 2^nd quarter of play after a scoreless first quarter of play for both teams.  The devils first touchdown came on a tough run by Freshman Tyshon Dye from the Indian 29 yard line but he fumbled when he was stripped of the ball at the 4 yard line where there was huge pile fighting for the ball. Senior Leader Offensive Lineman Taylor Smith came out in the end zone with ball thus scoring the blue devils first touchdown of the night and Omar Vargas converted the point after putting the devils up 7-0.  Social Circle came right back and tied the game at 7-7 on a 10 play drive but the Blue Devils bounced right back scoring their second touchdown right before the half on a 1 yard run by Demarco Freeman with Vargas adding the point after to go into half time with a 14-7 lead over the Indians.  

In the second half the blue devils defense stepped up creating 2 turnovers (Interception DB Davion Shackleford, Fumble Caused DL Rick Hamm  & Fumble Recovered DL Seth Martin) and the blue devils went up 28-14 on some tough running by Junior Valdon Cooper, who had 11 carries for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 2^nd half alone.  The Indians scored their 2^nd touchdown of the half with only 1:00 left in the game to close the gap to 28-21 where they then tried an onside kick which Keldric Rambert fell on and then the blue devils offense executed so as to run all the time off the clock to secure the win on the road. 

For the second week in a row the offensive line and Tight Ends (Taylor Smith, Ethan Fortson, Seth Martin, Keenon Umble, Trey Huff, Eli York, Keldric Rambert, Chance Yeargin, and Taj Letman) played well creating some holes for the blue devil runners to again have a strong night.  It was again a team effort out of the backs as the blue devils had a variety of ball carriers. This week it was Junior Valdon Cooper leading the pack as he had 13 carries for 100 yards and 2 TD.  Freshman Tyshon Dye had 6 carries for 61 yards, Senior Demarco Freeman 12 carries for 60 yards and 1 TD, Sophomore DJ Lewis 4 carries for 16 yards with 2 receptions for 56 yards, Senior Austin Jones 3 carries for 13 yards, and Hunter Blackmon 2 carries for 14 yards.  QB Robert Huff was 2 for 6 passing for 56 yards.  The special teams were strong again with Omar Vargas perfect on the point after conversions and Punter Andy Corder punting well again this week.

Defensively the defensive line - Ricky Hamm (8 tackles), Tray Heard (6 tackles), Antonio Hickman, Jim Hill, Eric Crenshaw (6 tackles), and Seth Martin (7 tackles), who filled in for the injured Hickman in the second half played well. The Linebackers were led by Junior Taj Letman (12 tackles), Soph. Tyler Mahaffey (11 tackles), Soph. Bryce Martin (10 tackles), Soph. Trent Allen (7 tackles), Soph. Philip Settles, Freshman Tyshon Dye, and Soph. D.J. Lewis who all saw playing time.  The defensive backs were led by Soph. Hunter Blackmon (13 tackles), Sr. Trez Haley (5 tackles), Junior Davion Shackleford (4 tackles & 1 interception), Junior Shi Marshall (4 tackles), Junior Valdon Cooper and Sr. Austin Jones.        

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Offensive Player of the Week: Senior Austin Jones

Defensive Player of the Week:  Senior Eric Crenshaw

Special Teams Player of theWeek: Sophomore Trent Allen

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The Blue Devils rolled over Riverside Military Academy Friday night in the Granite Bowl by a score of 40-6. The Devils had many highlights on the night while rolling up 378 yards of total offense and limiting RMA to just 99 total yards on the night. The Blue Devils RB Austin Jones 60 yard run in the first quarter on a big 3^rd down was the longest run of the night and led to the first Elbert Co. touchdown. This would be the beginning to what would be a stellar night for many of the Blue Devils offensive weapons. Jones was the leading rusher for the night on 6 carries for 113 yards; however, Fullback D.J. Lewis was not far behind with 11 carries for 92 yards. Explosive backs Demarco Freeman, Valdon Cooper, and Freshman Tyshon Dye also had stellar nights with Freeman having 11 carries for 75 yards and 3 touchdowns, Cooper 6 carries for 38, and Dye 6 carries for 22 yards and 1 touchdown. Quarterbacks Robert Huff and Hunter Blackmon also turned in strong performances. Huff (2 for 3) completed a 22 yard touchdown pass to TE Keldric Rambert with 31 seconds left in the 2^nd quarter to take the Blue Devils into the locker room at halftime with a commanding 27-6 lead over RMA. Hunter Blackmon added the Devils final touchdown of the night on a 10 yard run into the end zone in the 4th Quarter. The offensive Line comprised of Ethan Fortson, Taylor Smith, Seth Martin, Eli York, Keneen Umble, and Tray Huff as well as the TE’s Chance Yeargin, Keldric Rambert, and Taj Letman did a stellar job of controlling the offensive line.

Defensively the blue devils got stronger as the game progressed holding RMA to only 99 yards of offense but only giving up 28 yards in the 2^nd half and laying some BIG hits on RMA. The defense kept pressure on the QB all night with DE’s Eric Crenshaw (5 tackles, 1 sack, & 1 fumble caused), Trey Heard (1 sack), and Jim Hill and DT’s Ricky Ham (8 tackles), Antonio Hickman (5 tackles), and Ethan Fortson. The young LB crew comprised of Sophomore Bryce Martin (5 tackles), Junior Taj Letman (4 tackles &1 fumble recovery), Sophomore Trent Allen (5 tackles & 1 fumble caused), Sophomore Philip Settles (4 tackles), Sophomore Tyler Mahaffey, and Freshman Tyshon Dye did a good job as well. The secondary comprised of Junior Shi Marshall (4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception), Sophomore Hunter Blackmon (4 tackles), Junior Davion Shackleford (1 interception), Junior Valdon Cooper, Senior Austin Jones, & Senior Trez Haley also played extremely well with Cooper and Marshall laying 2 of the biggest hits of the night that lit the granite bowl up! The defense created 4 turnovers on the night starting with big hits by DE Eric Crenshaw and OLB Trent Allen with DB Shi Marshall and OLB Taj Letman coming up with the recoveries. Marshall and DB Davion Shackleford also each came up with an interception in the 2^nd half. Punter Andy Corder averaged nearly 40 yard per punt on the night and Omar Vargas was nearly perfect on the night converting 4 of 5 XP’s.

Many of the young blue devils got playing time in the 2^nd half and continued move the ball offensively and to lay some big hits on the Eagles to finish the night off with a strong effort in the Blue Devils opening game.

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The blue devils have been working hard getting ready for their season opener (scrimmage game) at Blessed Trinity on Aug. 21. The team should be led by a core of Seniors: OL/DE Taylor Smith, OL/DL Seth Martin, OL/DL Ethan Fortson, DL/OL Eric Crenshaw, RB/DB Austin Jones, DB/RB Trez Haley, QB/P Robert Huff ,  K/P Andy Corder, & K Omar Vargas. The team will miss returning starter OL/DL Ben Yarbrough who will miss his Senior season with an injury.  The blue devils have picked up several Senior Hoopsters including: TE/DE Trey Heard , WR/DB Keldric Rambert, and TE/DE Jim Hill as well as Trackster RB/DB Demarco Freeman who all are looking to make a difference.  Other Seniors looking to contribute are OL/DL Demarcus Davis, WR Thomas Maxwell, and newcomers LB/FB Kyle Bagwell, OL/DL Mike Burton & OL/DL Aaron Freeman. 

The Junior class will be led by TE/LB Taj Letman, WR/DB Valdon Cooper, RB/DB Shi Marshall, & DL Ricky Hamm who either started or received valuable playing time last year as a sophomores. Other key Juniors are TE Chance Yeargin, OL Eli York, OL Keenen Umble, OL Trey Huff, & DB Davion Shackleford with Jamarcus Burton, Tracy Sanders, Jareece Norman, Ty Robinson, Ty Allen, and Julius Strong vying for playing time.

 Eventhough the team will be led by a nucleus of Seniors expect to see many young faces on the field to play key roles this year as well as the team started as many as 5 freshman last year.  Sophomores looking to make a difference on the field will be a strong group led by returning starters RB/LB D.J. Lewis, LB Tyler Mahaffey, FS/QB Hunter Blackmon, & LB/TE Trent Allen.  Expect to see several other sophomores starting or getting key playing time this year including LB/OL Bryce Martin, OL/DL Antonio Hickman, LB Jett Trotter, LB Philip Settles, RB/LB Blundy Gaines, RB/DB C.J. Fleming, DE/FB Tamarick Woodard,  DE/TE Demetrius Sanders, FS Bentavius Allen & WR/DB Tevin Fleming. Other Sophomores vying for playing time are Seth Baughman, Lofon Agbobock- Ferguson,Allen Brown,Channing Ruff, Alex Fernandez, Woody Eaves, Brandon Owens, Bryson Moss, Osiris Mitchell, Josh Justice, J.J. House, Edmond Hammond, Jeremy Echols, Myron Denson, Martavious Tillman & Ty Burton. 

Lastly, the team has high expectations for Freshman RB/LB Tyshon Dye who has the heart, determination, and ability to start on either side of the ball for the blue devils this season. 

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The Blue Devils narrowly escaped on the road at Jackson Co. to improve to 7-1 on the year. In a night marked by numerous injuries and a fired up Jackson Co. team the blue devils were able to overcome all of the adversity and escape with a huge 28-27 victory on the road that guaranteed the blue devils a playoff spot. The offense rolled up 298 yards of offense on the night with RB Valdon Cooper rushing for 169 yards and 2 TD on 19 carries to lead the blue devils. QB Hunter Blackmon threw for 41 yards and ran for another 30 yards scoring 1TD before getting hurt in the 3^rd quarter. Austin Jones led the team in receiving on the night with 1 reception for 35 yards on a big catch on 3^rd down while Taj Letman had 1 reception for 6 yards. The blue devils found themselves down at halftime 21-14 on the road but fought back and were able to hold off Jackson Co. for the 28-27 win on the road.

Defensively the blue devils allowed Jackson Co. 349 yards of offense on the night but were able to come up with some big plays to hold onto the win. DE Tray Heard made the biggest defensive play of the night with an interception in the 1^st quarter that he returned 32 yards for a TD. Heard finished the night with 7 overall tackles and 1 tackle for a loss. Leading the defense again was Freshman LB Tyshon Dye who finished the night with 18 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss while Sophomore LB Bryce Martin had 14 tackles. Special teams play was again solid as Punter Andy Corder did a good job punting on the night averaging 35.2 yards per kick and Sophomore Allen Brown did a good job coming in to long snap in the second half after the loss of Ethan Fortson. Omar Vargas was perfect on the night kicking extra points.

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Blue Devils defeated Franklin Co. Friday night in the Granite Bowl by a score of 27-7 to improve to 6-1 on the year and the best start since 2002.  Although, the night was marked by many clutch plays, both offensively and defensively, the outcome was due to a total team effort by the blue devils.   The night started with both teams exchanging punts and then on Franklins second drive of the night they put together a nine play drive that ended when the blue devils forcing a fumble and they recovered it on their own 20 yard line. However, the blue devils were forced to punt on their next possession after they were thrown for a loss on 3rd down. Both teams remained scoreless at the end of one quarter of play.  Franklin then mounted another drive and on 3^rd down and 11 connected for a 30 yard TD pass to put the lions up 7-0 with 10:47 remaining to play in the second quarter. The blue devils bounced right back though after a 24 yard return by DJ Lewis on the kick off.  Lewis returned the ball out to the Elbert 47 yard line where the offense put together an eight play drive, which saw 5 different players (A. Jones, T. Haley, H. Blackmon, DJ Lewis, and V. Cooper) carry the ball for the blue devils.  The blue devils then scored on an 11 yard TD pass from Hunter Blackmon to Valdon Cooper, who made a great catch in the corner of the end zone. Omar Vargas added the point after to tie the game up at 7-7 with 7:04 left to play in the quarter.  Both teams then forced the other to punt and with about 3 minutes to go in the half Franklin Co. moved the ball down the field and look as if they might threaten to score right before the half.  However, the blue devil defense again came up with a big turnover as the lions fumbled the ball on 2^nd down at the blue devils 25 yard lion where DE Taylor Smith recovered the fumble.  Thus, the score was 7-7 going into halftime.

The second half proved to be all Elbert Co. as they put together several long drives on offense and the defense shut down the lions.  The blue devils put together a strong drive on their first possession after half but the blue devils were just stopped short on a 4^th and 3 at their own 31 yard line where Franklin Co. took over but was forced to punt. The blue devils next offensive possession they completed 2 passes but were forced to punt. Punter Andy Corder made a 38 yard punt and put the lion’s offense starting back at their own 20 yard line. The blue devils defense again forced Franklin to punt after a quick three and out for the lions.  Punt returner Valdon Cooper then made a great return to set up the blue devils 2^nd touchdown of the night. Cooper returned the punt 27 yards down the lion’s 29 yard line.  The blue devils QB Hunter Blackmon then completed a big 28 yard pass  to TE Keldric Rambert that took the ball down to the lions 3^rd yard line where a play later RB Trez Haley had a 3 yard TD run.  Vargas again added the point after to put the blue devils up 14-7 with 1:55 left in the 3^rd quarter. After a touchback on the kickoff by Andy Corder the lions found their selves starting at their own 20 yard line. The defense again forced the lions to punt after only 3 plays and the next possession was the turning point of the game as the blue devils sustained a 15 play drive that was again marked by an array of blue devil runners(5) and receivers (T. Letman, V. Cooper, and DJ Lewis).  The blue devils 68 yard drive ended on a 13 yard TD run by Valdon Cooper to put the blue devils up 21-0 after the point after by Vargas.  After the long drive by the blue devils, which used up over 7 minutes, the lions found their selves down 21-7 with only 6:36 left to play in the 4^th quarter. The defense again stepped up as Trent Allen intercepted a lion pass and on the next lion offensive possession the defense stopped the lions on downs.  The blue devils scored their final touchdown of the night on a 1 yard run by Hunter Blackmon.  The Vargas point after attempt failed and the blue devils bringing the final score to 27-7. 

Offensively, the blue devils rushed for 147 yards on 42 carries for 3 TD’s and Blackmon completed 9 for 15 passes for 86 yards and 1 TD for a total of 233 yards of offense on the night. Leading the way offensively were QB Hunter Blackmon, who rushed for 49 yards on 12 carries and 1 TD and who threw for another 86 yards and 1 TD on the night.  Valdon Cooper had 8 carries for 21 yards and 1 TD as well has had 4 receptions for 26 yards 1 TD.   Trez Haley had 13 carries for 38 yards and 1 TD and FB DJ Lewis had 8 carries for 35 yards to lead the blue devils.  The top receivers for the night were TE Keldric Rambert 2 receptions for 47 yards, Cooper 4 receptions for 26 yards and 1 TD, and TE Taj Letman 1 reception for 10 yards. 

Defensively, the story of the night was the blue devils not allowing Franklin Co. a 1^st down in the 2^nd half.  The defense held Franklin to 17 total yards in the 2^nd half.  Franklin Co. finished the night with 25 carries for 66 yards and 9 for 18 passing for 105 yards 1 TD and 1 interception for a total of 171 yards offensively on the night.  The blue devils created 3 turnovers on the night, 2 fumble recoveries recovered by Taylor Smith, and 1 interception by LB Trent Allen. The linebackers again had a big night defensively as Freshman LB Tyson Dye finished the night with 12 overall tackles (6 solo & 6 assists) and 1 sack, Junior LB Taj Letman also had a big night with 9 overall tackles (4 solo and 5 assists), and Sophomore LB Bryce Martin had 7 tackles (5 solo & 2 assists).  Sophomore LB Trent Allen also came up with some big plays and finished the night with 4 overall tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, and 1 interception. Other leading tacklers on defense were FS Sophomore Hunter Blackmon finished the night with 6 tackles (3 solo & 3 assists), SR Eric Crenshaw 5 tackles (3 solo & 2 assists) and 1 sack, SR DE Ethan Fortson 4 tackles (2 solo & 2 assists) and 1 sack   Sr. DE Tray Heard also had a big night knocking down 2 Franklin Co. passes and had a sack as well as did SR DE Taylor Smith who recovered 2 fumbles on the night.  Again, the kicking game led by Seniors Omar Vargas and Andy Corder and strong special teams play was a big key in the blue devils success just as it has been all year.

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The blue devils fell Friday night to a strong Eastside team on the road in Covington.  Eastside who was the 8-AAA co-champion last year and lost in the state semifinals to eventual state champion Cairo again returned a strong team with tremendous speed and size.  The blue devils started out strong on the road forcing a turnover on Eastside’s first possession.  The offense then put together a 10 play drive but was denied on 4^th down and the Eagles took over at their own 2 yard line.  Eastside then put together a drive but Hunter Blackmon intercepted a pass at the blue devils 44 yard line.   The stiff defense of Eastside forced the blue devils to punt on their next possession.  The Eagles eventually got on the scoreboard with 3:44 left in the 2^nd quarter but the extra point failed and they led 6-0. This appeared to be the only scoring that would happen for either squad before half; however, with less than 40 seconds in the half the blue devils Trez Haley blocked an Eastside punt and the blue devils recovered the ball at 21 yard line.   The blue devils then scored on an 11 yard pass from QB Robert Huff to WR Valdon Cooper with just seconds left on the clock.  Omar Vargas then added the extra point to put the blue devils up 7-6 going into half.  However, the second half proved to be all Eastside as they stopped the blue devils on their first possession and then drove down the field and scored on an 18 yard run to go ahead with 5 minutes to play in the 3^rd Quarter. The blue devils hung with the Eagles but then Eastside put together a 90 yard drive in the 4^th quarter to pull ahead 19-7 before adding a final TD late in the 4^th quarter to end the blue devils 3 game winning streak.     

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Thank you to all sponsors and individuals who particpated in the golf tournament to help support our football program.  

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Any mother interested in being a part of Mom's Huddle contact Susan Fortson at 706-498-3118

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