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Devils head for Dome again after 31-7 win
Lincoln County devotees lost no sleep Friday night, however, for it was not their beloved team whose state title hopes were shattered. The Lincoln County Red Devils, the "real" Red Devils, as the fans put it, beat the Hawkinsville Red Devils by a score of 31-7 to advance to the semifinals in the Georgia Dome December 9. Hawkinsville, who beat Lincoln 18-8 in the state championship game in 2003, lacked the fire that made them such a contender during the 2003 season. Hawkinsville's offense had a surprising lack of depth. Their game plan was simple: the quarterback hands to the same player for the entire contest. Just as they did with GMC's Matt McGhee, Lincoln County made a meal out of Hawkinsville junior David Grace, senior quarterback Jim Henry's goto guy.
Lincoln County was on the move until Barden was introduced to Hawkinsville junior Ricky Sinyard, who left Lincoln in a fourth-andinches situation. After taking a timeout to begin the second quarter, Lincoln opted to punt, sending the pigskin sailing fifty-four yards. After a penalty for delay of game, Hawkinsville began its offensive trend, which was shut down by a shirttail-grabbing Ferguson. Even after receiving serious real estate following a 15-yard personal foul penalty charged to Hawkinsville, Lincoln County lost cohesion with two dropped passes.
Hawkinsville fumbled during their next ownership, giving Lincoln's Darell Norman the chance to run in the team's second touchdown on first down. Henry's passing attempts failed on Hawkinsville's next drive, forcing him to punt away. Lincoln drove back down the field, and Barden had his second touchdown of the game, his team's third, in just three downs. A fair catch after another failed Hawkinsville drive handed Lincoln a free field goal kick. Tarver was brought out again, and this time landed a perfectly-centered kick.
Hawkinsville's Marching Red Devil Band, performed at halftime, impressing all Red Devil fans with a show entitled "Groovin' with the Red Devils," which featured prominent percussion and exciting choreography. A discussion then ensued about Lincoln ace running back Darell Norman's new shoes. Looking at Norman's first half successes, one fan exclaimed, "I'm gonna get 'em all some!" After Lincoln's own Tony Wells and Jeffrey Porter made life difficult for Hawkinsville during another dismal drive, senior Lincoln running back Franklin Jones ran in his team's final touchdown of the game despite the defensive triumphs of senior Hawkinsville Devil Victor Bray. Hawkinsville's next turn on offense was smashed after Lincoln's Wells delivered his weekly quarterback sack, but Hawkinsville senior Nick Coloma handled Lincoln well on its next ownership, forcing a speedy turnover. In their longest drive of the game, Hawkinsville ran out the third quarter and kept driving well into the fourth. Their sense of urgency was clear. "Mercy rule is in effect!" reminded the announcer as the clock ticked down. Lincoln County regained possession after a missed Hawkinsville field goal, but the visitors to Lincolnton soon saw their chance. When Lincoln fumbled, Hawkinsville sophomore Demetrius Bozeman scooped up the ball and ran the short distance to the end zone for the Pulaski County team's only points of the game. The game ended shortly thereafter with the Lincoln County Cheerleaders storming the sideline victoriously toting a banner reading "Dome Bound." The dream of every Lincolntonian had been realized. Lincoln County head coach Larry Campbell, who with the victory over Hawkinsville won his 401st career game, was surprised by Friday's score. "I thought the game would have been a lot closer than it was," he said. He does, however, recognize that his team was ready for Hawkinsville. "Our defensive assistant coaches and offensive assistant coaches came out with great game plan," he noted. The 2006 Lincoln County Red Devil seniors are the only group of seniors in any Georgia classification to make to the semifinals in the Georgia Dome all four years of high school. "It's a great accomplishment," said Campbell.
The Devils will take on Commerce, a nemesis that Lincoln County has met in the Dome before, for the right to play in the 2006 Class A State Championship. Game time is noon Saturday at the home of the Atlanta Falcons. Devils vs. Hawkinsville |
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