With Friday night's Fourth of July celebrations fresh in the minds of local residents, it’s hard to believe that in just 50 days the midair explosions of fireworks will be replaced with the pad-crunching hard hits of Statesboro High football. This August, the Blue Devils will begin their season with a showdown against former region rival Burke County as the nightcap of the third annual Erk Russell Classic held at Paulson Stadium. The Erk Russell Classic began in 2012 as the pet project of Georgia Southern’s Eagle Football Alumni Association and has already seen two seasons of high attendance and compelling contests.