The Statesboro Blue Devils opened the 2026 season on the road at Southeast Bulloch Friday night and came away with a resounding 44-7 victory.

The Blue Devils return quite a few players with experience on offense but don’t have quite as much experience on defense. Head coach Matt Dobson is looking for those few seniors who start to step up early and help the younger players along. Amng those with experience is cornerback Ja’Kaiden Jones who missed much of last year with an injury.

“Ja’Kaiden was in the starting lineup for us last year and then and got hurt,” Dobson said. “He fought back to play in the last three games of the season. We are really going to depend on him in the secondary as a leader for us. I feel like he is really a guy that can be a lockdown corner for us.”

“I really fought hard to get back before the season was over last year,” jones said. “It was a good experience and I was happy to be able to come back and to be able to play football because I really thought my season was over with.

“I feel like my role on the team is to be a leader and try and help our younger players get ready for varsity football. I think our defense continues to get better because we work well together and listen to what the coaches are telling us.”