We’re four weeks into the high school football season, and looking at the scores, you’d never know that Statesboro is ranked No. 3 in most state polls.
The Blue Devils have had their struggles in various areas. Spread offenses continue to plague the SHS defense, the field goal unit has failed more often than it has succeeded, and three out of four opponents have outgained the Devils.
Those might seem like dire concerns, but with their record standing at a perfect 4-0 heading into sub-region play, the Devils should be uplifted by the fact that they haven’t dropped a game and still haven’t played their best football.
Even with a slim 17-14 victory over Liberty County Friday night, Statesboro looked to be turning some corners with its performances.
The most noticeable improvement was on the defensive side of the ball as the Devils — building on a nice second half performance against Tatnall County in Week 3 — continued to look more comfortable in handling the spread out, quick-strike offenses that have proved troublesome in the past. True, Liberty’s Shadrach Thornton went for 224 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, but many of those yards came via two broken plays and Statesboro spent most of the night shutting down the Panther passing game and at least slowing down Liberty’s best weapon.
Statesboro received a boost by the addition of Andrew Taylor to the linebacking corps. Taylor — who had been injured through the first three games — brings the athleticism that the Devils need in the middle of their defense and will prove to be a huge asset against talented running backs.
Also returning to action was running back Quan Daniels, who was sidelined in the Tattnall County game. Statesboro’s offensive line performed almost flawlessly against the Panthers, and the combination of good line play and running backs the likes of Daniels and Michael Summers is a tall order for any opponent to take on.
The results so far haven’t blown anyone away, but Statesboro is gaining steam and should only get better moving ahead.
