Local teams faced off in the annual Erk Russell Classic, held at Paulson Stadium last Saturday, kicking off the football season in the Boro.

The Statesboro High Blue Devils brought home a hard-earned win, coming out on top 12-7, over the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets. 

The Jackets lost to the Devils last year by a wide margin, and this year the team had hoped to get the win to right last year's wrong. But even though the scoreboard didn't show a victory for the Jackets, the stats showed that this year's SEB team is something to be proud of.

“I thought we battled throughout and I thought that was the kind of game it would be tonight,” Southeast Bulloch head coach Jared Zito said. “Games like this make you better for region play. I’d love to be on the other side of one of these games, but I’m proud of the way we fought and if not for a few plays I think we had a great chance to come out with a win. There was plenty of positives to take away from this game.”

Both schools will face off with Effingham County High School next, with Statesboro taking on the Rebels on Sept. 1, and SEB suiting up on Sept. 8.