In a game with plenty of momentum swings, every point matters. That proved to be the case Friday in a thriller at Womack Field between Statesboro and Effingham County. Effingham missed a potential game-winning extra point with :30 seconds remaining, but in overtime the Blue Devils missed their extra point, which proved fatal as they fell, 42-41.
Statesboro fans know about the highs and lows of high school football. Friday night Statesboro had a chance at winning their first region title since 2011.
They trailed by two scores in the fourth quarter and somehow managed to take a 35-29 lead with 1:30 left. Effingham proceeded to drive and score in less than a minute, but missed the potential game-winning extra point. In overtime, Statesboro scored on their first play on a 15-yard Beckham Jarrard touchdown. The extra point was missed. Effingham then scored on their first play and, this time, the extra point was good.
“I’m proud of our kids for getting down two scores late and fighting their way back,” said coach Matt Dobson. “Our kids fought their butts off and there is nothing to hang their heads about. The momentum changed throughout the game and hats off to Effingham. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. We are in the playoffs and have a great seed and a great opportunity ahead.”
After the Blue Devils scored with 1:30 left, Dobson elected to try his third onside kick of the game. This one failed giving Effingham the ball at midfield. They'd go on to score the tying touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Tucker Perkins to Zeke Brown.
Dobson has made some unconventional decisions. After the game, he said he did not regret that decision.
“I felt like we had a chance to recover it,” Dobson said. “We say all along that we trust our kids to make the play and it has won us a lot of football games. We are going to continue to trust our kids to make those plays.”
In a game with more than 80 points scored, there was actually no score at the end of the first quarter. The Rebels started the scoring in the second on a 32-yard touchdown by Jmere Do-Davis to take a 7-0 lead.
Statesboro did not complete a pass in the first half and went almost entirely in their single-wing package. They’d start the scoring on a one-yard touchdown run from Keon Childers to tie the game at 7-7. Effingham added a three-yard touchdown run by Jernard Albright to take a 14-7 halftime lead.
In the third quarter Statesboro tied the game on a six-yard Childers touchdown. Effingham answered with a three-yard score by J.R. McKenzie to take a 21-14 lead. They’d add a 16-yard touchdown pass from Perkins to Trayvis Hunter. A two-point run by Albright made it 29-14 with 3:31 left in the third.
Statesboro came back to score on a 21-yard pass from Beckham Jarrard to Davis Harrison. They’d then recover an onside kick, but fumbled the ball back to Effingham County a few plays later. Effingham would end up punting the ball back to Statesboro, but a high snap and a block gave Statesboro the ball at the 10-yard line. Statesboro scored on Keon Childers 25th touchdown of the season, which leads all of Class 5-A and cut the lead to 29-27.
The Blue Devil defense would hold and the offense would strike quickly as Jarrard would find a wide-open Gage Newsome for a 43-yard touchdown strike. Statesboro would tack on a 2-point conversion pass from Jarrard to Newsome to take a 35-29 lead.
The Blue Devils rushed for 234 yards and threw for 90 for a total of 324 yards, which included 17 first downs. Effingham had a more balanced attack with 135 yards rushing and 183 passing, with only eight first downs. Statesboro had the only turnover on the game with a fumble in the fourth quarter.
Statesboro earns the No. 3 seed in the state tournament at Habersham Central. The playoffs won’t begin until Nov. 14. Effingham is the No. 2 seed and will host in the opening round.
