SWAINSBORO — Notching a win is always nice, but taking down an old rival is even better.
    The Statesboro Blue Devils did both Friday night. In the first reprisal of the Mayor’s Cup since 2005, Statesboro jumped to an early lead, then weathered some sloppy play before claiming a 32-7 victory over the Swainsboro Tigers.
    As was the case in last week’s shutout win over Butler, the defense was outstanding for Statesboro (5-1). The Devils surrendered just 107 yards, forced four turnovers and had only five plays run by Swainsboro (3-2) on their half of the field.
    The lone score for the Tigers came on a 49-yard fumble return by Bobby Andrews midway through the third quarter.
    “I’m very proud of our defense,” SHS coach Steve Pennington said. “Swainsboro has a lot of speed and a lot of guys that can make plays. We gave up a few runs on the first series, but I thought that we settled in well from there.
    “The biggest thing is that we’re improving,” he added.  “We still know that we can play even better and our ultimate goal is to work towards that.”
    The Devils racked up 32 points despite gaining just 258 yards and being held without a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season.
    Still battling nagging injuries, Sherrodric Rawls and Quan Daniels were able to find the end zone. Rawls scored once while Daniels pushed his way in for a pair of touchdowns.
    The Tigers supplied the first points of the game — albeit on the SHS side of the scoreboard. A snap for a punt on Swainsboro’s first possession soared over the head of Keith DeLima, who then kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety.
    Statesboro returned the ensuing free kick into Swainsboro territory, and Daniels took the next play 47 yards for a touchdown.
    Another bad snap on a punt led to a second safety in the third quarter. DeLima was able to track down the ball but had nowhere to go and simply fell on the ball in the end zone.
    Rawls supplied the Devils’ second touchdown of the first half, racing 33 yards to the Swainsboro 2 and finishing things off on the next snap.
    Swainsboro’s defense was up to the challenge of stopping the Devils for most of the night, but a few big defensive lapses, plenty of bad snaps on offense and 80 yards of penalties made things much easier for Statesboro.
    “Yards were a struggle for both teams,” Pennington said. “We were able to make the plays to swing the momentum. Swainsboro handed the ball to us a couple of times, but we also took it away with a couple of nice interceptions. Offensively, we controlled the ball and were able to get a few big runs when we needed it.”
    Andrews’ fumble return brought the Tigers within 25-7.
    Statesboro coughed it up deep in its own territory again to give Swainsboro a chance to get back in contention, but a bad snap on the third play of the final quarter was tracked down by SHS defensive lineman Brandon Maple to quell the comeback attempt.
    Another SHS defender pitched in on offense as Ben Roberts capped off the scoring. The defensive back broke a handful of tackles before racing 34 yards down the left sideline for the game’s final points.
    Statesboro finally begins sub-region play next Thursday as the Devils host Liberty County.