Despite the relative closeness of the schools, tonight will mark just the second all-time meeting between Statesboro and Tattnall County when the two square off at Womack Field at 7:30 p.m.
    Looking to maintain their No. 2 state ranking, the Blue Devils will try to repeat their performance in the inaugural matchup with the Battle Creek Warriors (1-1) in which they took away a 24-14 win.
    Playing in Class-AA, Tattnall County is playing up to the Class-AAAA Devils, but proved last year that it is ready for the challenge.
    “Last season, (Tattnall) gave us a very tough ballgame,” said SHS coach Steve Pennington. “They lost some players, but still have good talent and can be a dangerous team.”
    Chief among the threats for the Warriors is quarterback Brandon Purcell.
    Purcell showcased his dual-threat ability in Tattnall County’s 28-6 win over Screven County, running for 160 yards and passing for 70 more while accounting for three touchdowns.
    Mobile quarterbacks have seen success against Statesboro already this season — Brunswick and Washington County each had a quarterback with 100-plus rushing yards against the Devils — and Purcell poses a similar challenge.
    “(Purcell) is a very good athlete that can beat you either running or throwing,” said Pennington. “What is most impressive about him is his ability to throw the deep ball accurately. It’s hard to defend teams that can stretch the field down the sidelines.”
    Another obstacle for Statesboro to contend with is the Warriors’ offensive scheme. Tattnall County employs the same spread attack that has given the Devils issues both this season and in its semifinal loss last year.
    By spreading Statesboro defenders all over the field, teams have been able to find passing and running lanes to keep drives moving and prevent the Devils’ pounding rushing attack from handling the ball.
    Statesboro has been hard at work all week devising a way to handle the Warriors, and facing the same offense for a third consecutive week should help with on-field performance.
    “Common sense tells you that the more repetitions you get seeing an offense, the better you can defend it,” said Pennington. “We evaluate all of our guys on film each week and see where we can improve. Hopefully, we can fix some of the areas where we’ve struggled.”
    There haven’t been any struggles offensively for the Devils this season.
    In two games, Statesboro running backs have carried the ball 96 times for a total of 660 yards and have yet to lose a fumble.
    Willie Johnson and Rahkym Thomas-McCray have teamed up with the already formidable duo of Quan Daniels and Michael Summers to form a running game that relentlessly pounds opposing defenses and — when the Devils have a lead — can keep the ball in Statesboro’s hands for large chunks of time.
    “There was a lot of improvement from our first game to our second,” said Pennington. “Our offensive line looked very good and gave our running backs the room they needed. Pounding the ball is what we do. We just need to keep doing it better.”
    Tonight’s game will be featured on The Statesboro Herald's “Friday Night Live” and fans can follow the action online by visiting www.statesboroherald.com.

    Mike Anthony can be reached at (912) 489-9404.