When Statesboro’s back was against the wall, Dequan Daniels dug deep and — along with the rest of his teammates — showed that the Blue Devils are region champions and a No. 1 seed for a reason.
    Daniels rushed for 72 of his 93 yards in the second half of last Friday’s opening round game of the GHSA state playoffs, and his 10 yard touchdown run with just 2:48 to play knotted up a game that Statesboro had trailed 21-7 and gave the Devils all the momentum to go for the win.
    “We knew that we were in a little trouble, but we stayed calm,” said Daniels. “We just believed in each other and kept working hard every play. Eventually, things started to go our way.”
    The biggest blow came in the middle of the Devils’ game-tying drive.
    Forced to abandon their powerful — but time consuming — wishbone attack, Statesboro spread out the field and looked more like a spread option team than the smashmouth SHS squad that has shown up all season.
    Not sure of what to expect, the Tri-Cities defense stayed back on its heels, only to watch Daniels race around the right end for 35 yards to put Statesboro in the red zone.
    This week, Daniels and company are in for another dogfight as the Devils host Griffin for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.