The Statesboro Blue Devils showed the kind of improvement they have made this season as they were able to hold off South Effingham while playing a pretty sloppy game. The Blue Devils has 12 penalties and dropped a couple of wide-open touchdowns but still managed to beat South Effingham 27-17 Friday at Womack Field setting up a matchup with Effingham County next Friday at home for the region title.
“Football games are hard to win so we will take this for sure,” said Statesboro coach Matt Dobson. “I am not wild about how things went particularly on offense where we didn’t play our best. We found a way to win though and we get to play for a region championship next week.”
The Mustangs battled their way back on a number of occasions but Statesboro responded after every South Effingham score. The biggest play of the game came in the third quarter. The Rebels cut the Statesboro lead to 13-10 on a 12-yard touchdown by Maddox Vasquez. Pinned at their own 20-yard line Dalton Layton shanked his punt. The ball bounced backwards to the Mustang line of scrimmage where the Blue Devils Ja’Kori Cope alertly scooped it up and ran untouched into the end zone to give Statesboro a 20-10 lead.
“It was a really bad punt by their guy and a heads-up play by Ja’Kori,” Dobson said. “Normally we tell our kids not to touch a ball that goes past the line of scrimmage on a punt, but he felt good about it and you don’t want to stop people from making plays.”
The Rebels took advantage of a Statesboro bad punt as they took over on their initial series inside the Statesboro 15-yard line. The offense stalled and Adam Alonso split the uprights from 23-yards out for a 3-0 lead.
Statesboro responded in the second quarter as Keon Childers scored from two-yards out giving Statesboro a 6-3 lead as the extra point failed. Late in the first half with seconds remaining Statesboro came out of a time out as if they were going to kick a field goal. Davis Harrison then stepped into the backfield where the ball was snapped and he found Gage Newsome for a nine-yard score and a 13-3 halftime lead.
Statesboro led 20-10 at the end of the third but in the fourth the Mustangs got to within three points once again. Vasquez scored from six yards out on a drive which was aided by four Statesboro penalties including a targeting call as they trimmed the lead to 20-17.
The Blue Devils once again answered as Childers scored on a 25-yard run for the final points of the game.
Statesboro managed 181 yards rushing and 92 yards passing. Childers led the way with 70 yards. The Statesboro defense held South Effingham to just 149 total yards with zero yards passing on seven attempts.
“We have a great opportunity for our kids next week,” Dobson said. “I have said our kids have earned opportunities like this and I hope our community comes out and rallies behind these guys.”
The win puts Statesboro at 7-2 and 6-1 in region play. Statesboro hosts Effingham for the region title next Friday.
