Stats too close for comfort but Devils win anyway

ROBERT BILES LEADS THE WAY FOR RICARDO NORMAN The Red Devils beat Warren in the rain last Friday night.

When it rains, it pours at the home of the Screaming Devils. The Lincoln County Red Devils went on the road Friday night to take on Warren County and Warrenton's rainy, windy weather. Despite the condition of the field, the Red Devils were victorious, winning their fifth region contest and leaving their standing season record at 7-1.

A little rain never deters Red Devil fans, who came out in force to cheer on their team. Even the Cheer Devils made an appearance, amusing fans as they donned their rain gear and begged respite from Coach Heather Yarbrough.

Lincoln County took the field by "storm," scoring their first touchdown of the game less than fourteen seconds in when Red Devils senior running back Rontae Norman returned and ran it all the way.

An illegal procedure penalty claimed some of the Screaming Devils' steam at the beginning of their first possession, but the entire Red Devil sideline seemed to grimace in unison as a subsequent penalty called on Lincoln County won back Warren's lost yardage. After key defensive work performed by sophomore defensive lineman Garrett Matthews, the Screaming Devils were forced to punt away.

In the pouring rain at Warren County last weekend, the Red Devil Cheerleaders kept the crowd's spirits high as the Lincoln County defense kept its opponent in check. At left, Carlous Hearst turns a good hold into a tackle behind the line and, above, Ronell Ferguson stops Warren County's running back cold.

Lincoln jumped on the ball after it landed around midfield, but was given only a single set by a "screaming" Warren County defense, which managed to drop the Red Devils on third down for a loss.

Warren County ended the first quarter with a long drive headed up by senior quarterback Tommy Seals. Seals ran long, scaring Red Devil fans before being covered in red shirts. The Screaming Devils ended the drive with halfback Quadrez Reese literally diving over the line into the end zone to put Warren County's first and only points on the board.

Lincoln's first possession of the second quarter offered a series of three first downs before the Red Devils were stopped short by "screaming" cornerbacks Kentrel Latimore and Marquavious Lester and forced to turn over the ball on downs.

Lincoln County defensive end Carlous Hearst intercepted after an impressive sack on Seals engineered by Hearst and senior linebacker Kiece Crite. Under triple-team pressure, however, the Red Devils were covered and Seals himself intercepted, ending the first half with the score tied 7-7.

Halftime saw the passing around of umbrellas, ponchos, and hot chocolate as fans on both sides of the field braved the elements and listened to the announcer's thanks to supporters during what was probably the longest twenty minutes of the season. There were no exciting halftime shows to thrill fans. Both institutions agree: brass instruments rust.

The third quarter began with a Warren County offense fighting for every yard, completing just one set of downs before being forced to punt away. Lincoln County took the lead for the second time of the game when senior running back Ricardo Norman took a quick handoff on first down and promptly ran into the end zone.

The Screaming Devils lost real estate after a block below the knees and at the hands of Lincoln defenders Jatheus Jones, Donnell Wynn, Rontae Norman, and Ronell Ferguson, being forced to punt away quickly.

On Lincoln County's next possession, the Red Devils moved the ball well against decent Screaming Devil coverage, including a fourth down conversion by Barden from less than two yards.

Senior defensive lineman Logan Rhodes managed to keep his teammates fired up in the fourth chanting "defense!" and slapping helmets as a fan sitting close to the Lincoln County sideline encouraged the Red Devil defense. "Get your knee in his ear, Tony!" fired off the fan, jokingly directing junior defensive lineman Tony Wells.

The fourth quarter began with Red Devils slipping and sliding on drenched grass before Barden cut out the work for Warren, punting deep into Screaming Devil territory.

The Red Devils found an opportunity when Warren fumbled, and Barden expediently gave Lincoln a larger lead.

Warren's offense was soon thereafter destroyed by linebackers Jeffrey Porter and Crite, and Jatheus Jones, who pulled off a huge sack on Seals.

Red Devil fans believed their team's scoring game to be finished after they turned the ball over on downs, ending a lengthy drive. The fans soon jumped to their soaking feet when Rontae Norman intercepted a pass by Seals and ran it all the way, scoring his second touchdown of the game, the team's fourth and final.

The rain began to beat down as Warren County received for the final time, running hard and strong before being stopped at midfield to end the game.

Red Devils Head Coach Larry Campbell was unsurprised by the Screaming Devils' play. "They've got a pretty good football team. As always, we expected a contest from

Warren County." Campbell had no qualms about the weather Friday. "We both had to play on the same field," he reasoned. Senior Week at Lincoln County High School will find the Red Devils taking on Twiggs County at home. Lincoln County has beat Twiggs two of the three times the two teams have met, all during the past four years. Campbell promises that the game will be a battle. "Twiggs beat Warren," he cautioned.