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SHS falls to Coffee
Blue Devils can't hold 2nd quarter lead
W 100215 SHS FOOTBALL 01
Statesboro High running back Mahlon Williams trucks through the Coffee County defense for a 74-yard touchdown run Friday.

It was the Mahlon Williams show in the second quarter of a region contest against Statesboro High School and Coffee County Friday night at Womack Field.

Williams ran for two touchdowns and 110 yards on the ground in the second quarter alone to give the Blue Devils a 14-13 lead before halftime. However, the Trojans bounced back to regain the lead for good in a 39-20 win over Statesboro.

"Our guys showed a lot of fight tonight," Statesboro head coach Steve Pennington said. "Give Coffee credit. They are a very physical football team and they have a little more firepower than we have. We'll rebound and we're looking forward to it."

The Blue Devils (1-4, 1-2 Region 3-AAAAA) were without the help of three starting offensive linemen against the Trojans. Despite being shorthanded up front, Statesboro's offensive line still managed to create big holes for Williams to run through. Coffee's defense, a unit which shutout three teams so far on the year, gave up 20 or more points for just the second time this season.

"We're proud of the 20 (points) but we have to be hungry enough to get more. Putting up 20 points against a team like this gives us confidence to know if we can put 20 points on the board against Coffee, the points will come more often," Pennington said. "I'm proud of the way we responded in the second quarter after being down."

It appeared as though the Trojans (5-1, 3-1 region) would take care of business early after opening the game with 13 unanswered points.

Senior running back Thomas Spencer scored the first points of the game on a 7-yard run. Five minutes later Demetrius Davis, who ran for three touchdown and 100 yards, would give the Trojans a double-digit lead on another 7-yard run.

The Blue Devils fought back behind the legs of Williams. His two touchdowns in the second quarter put SHS on top 14-13 with 2:54 left before halftime.

However, Trojans' starting quarterback Max Hughes orchestrated an impressive drive capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Davis with 24 seconds left before halftime.

Hughes would strike again on his second touchdown pass in the third quarter. This time to Jarvis Williams on a 25-yard pass.

Down 32-14 with 6:30 left to play in the game, Williams scored on his third touchdown run of the night. He finished with 178 yards on a season-high 34 carries.

The Blue Devils have a short turnaround as they will face Richmond Hill on the road Thursday at 7 p.m.

"We're going to work on the fundamentals and become more fundamentally sound. This week will be a chance for us coaches to reevaluate our team," Pennington said after the game. "This isn't just about players. It's about the whole team so we all have a chance to get better."

 

Star

Statesboro's Mahlon Williams is making the most of his senior season and put up more big numbers Friday night. Williams rushed for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns and gave Statesboro a second-quarter lead in an upset bid that came up short.

 

Box Score

CHS 13 6 7 13 — 39

SHS 0 14 0 6 — 20

 

First Quarter

CHS_Spencer 7 run (conversion failed), 6:51

CHS_Davis 7 run (Ortiz kick), 1:28

Second Quarter

SHS_Williams 74 run (Miller kick), 10:20

SHS_Williams 5 run (Miller kick), 2:54

CHS_ Hughes 5 pass to Davis (conversion failed), 24.8

Third Quarter

CHS_Hughes 25 pass to Williams (Ortiz kick), 7:20

Fourth Quarter

CHS_Davis 2 run (conversion failed) 11:56

SHS_Williams 7 run (conversion failed), 6:30

CHS_Davis 31 run (Ortiz kick), 4:20

 

CHS SHS

Total Yards 439 230

Rushes-Yards 39-345 46-219

Passing 94 11

Comp-Att-Int 6-12-0 2-5-0

Turnovers 1 0

Penalties-Yards 8-78 2-20

 

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing_CHS: Davis 14-100, Brewton 9-64, Ashley 6-67, Williams 5-46, Spencer 4-18; SHS: Williams 34-178, Gordon 4-21, Davis 4-10, Lanier 2-17

Passing_CHS: Hughes 6-12-94-0; SHS: Wiggins 2-5-11-0

Receiving_CHS: Davis 1-30, Brewton 2-27, Williams 2-33; SHS: Williams 1-11