Red Devils take to the gridiron in season opener against McCormick

The Lincoln County Red Devils will face the McCormick County Chiefs in their season opener Friday, August 31, at 8 p.m. at Buddy Bufford Field. Admission is $6. Pictured are LCHS linemen Daniel Morris (l), Ronell Ferguson (c), and Brian Sparks. Check out "Devil Mania 2007," a special supplement to this week's Lincoln Journal.

"We're going to just about see a complete new team out there compared to last year," said Larry Campbell, head football coach and athletic director at LCHS.

Campbell was referring to the loss of 18 Red Devils to graduation, seven of whom received scholarships to play ball at the college level. "We lost all of our players at the skill positions - we lost all of our running backs, all of the secondary, our quarterback, our receivers, and both linebackers."

On the plus side, the team's strength can be found in its five returning starters: offensive linemen Daniel Morris, Brandon Sparks, and Garrett Matthews and defensive linemen Tony Wells and Ronell Ferguson.

As for the team's kicking game, Lincoln County lost its punter to graduation, but junior Vance Tarver, the team's place kicker, will both punt and kick this season.

Dream Sixteen Ronell Ferguson, an LCHS senior, was recently selected as one of The Augusta Chronicle's "2007 Dream Sixteen," a group of the CSRA's premier high school football prospects.

The senior Red Devils are Dechane Willis, Tyler Tonsing, Tristan Wynn, Austin Goldman, Carlous Hearst, Jamareon Green, Brandon Wright, Ken Anthony, Tony Wells, LaRone Smith, Aiken Davis, Brandon Sparks, Brian Sparks, Ronell Ferguson, Daniel Morris, Michael Newman, Demarco Watts, Josh Hollimon, and Brandon Giella.

Commenting on the Devils' scrimmage against Class AA Greene County on August 16, Coach Campbell said, "Other than the turnovers and for no more practice than we were able to get in outside, we looked decent. Still, we have a long way to go and a lot of room for improvement."

He went on to say that starter Tony Wells reinjured a pulled thigh muscle in the game and is currently undergoing physical therapy with Bob Hill. "Bob Hill does a great job. He volunteers his time and expertise and is a tremendous help."

With the 2007 football season set to begin Friday, it's nice to remember the players and coaches who have contributed to the Red Devils' tradition of excellence over the years. This photograph was taken at the Lincolnton-Washington game held Thanksgiving Day 1952. Pictured are: (first row, l-r) Thomas Flanigan, Jack Ferguson, Charles Norton, Olin Reed, Sonny Clement, (second row) Tony Dallis, Billy Wells, Harvey Goldman, Lamar Banks, Thomas Goolsby, Johnny Freeman, Gordon Snellings, (third row) Sheldon Kelley, Billy Harmon, Tom Butler, Jimmy Deason, Jack Bryant, Coach Ralph Chambers, (fourth row) Buster Martin, Leonard Tyler, and Lee Bradford.

Although Wells is making progress, it is still a big "if" as to whether he will play on Friday night when the Red Devils face the McCormick Chiefs in their season opener at Buddy Bufford Field. Game time is 8 p.m., and general admission is $6

Reporting on the Chiefs, Coach Campbell said, "Last week, I saw them play Great Falls, a perennial playoff team, and skill-wise, they looked a lot better than normal. McCormick held the lead at 14-13 until the last 22 seconds when Great Falls scored.

"This is definitely one of McCormick's better teams," the coach continued. "Number 26 is by far their best running back, and their quarterback (#5) is also a very good football player. As for their defense, they play eight in the box which just about makes you have to throw the football."

Campbell pointed out that McCormick has already played one game and taken part in four scrimmages while LCHS has only played one scrimmage game. "We're a little bit behind because of the heat and scheduling. The date set by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) to start football practice was the same day we started school, so we did not get to go to camp or have 'two-aday' practices."

In his remarks on the GHSA's ruling requiring teams to practice indoors when the heat index reaches a certain mark, Coach Campbell said, "We set ours at 105 degrees, which was on the low side, compared to most schools, whose cut-off point was anywhere from 115 to 120 degrees. But we wanted to be careful rather than sorry."

Schools were allowed to set the heat index for indoor practice at a maximum of 129 degrees. Even setting the heat index at 115 degrees would mean the team could always practice outdoors.

"We may raise our heat index some, but we're not going to raise it to the danger point because someone else is," stated Coach Campbell.

He further indicated that the GHSA is conducting research and trying to find a happy medium "so everybody can come closer to having the same number of practices outside."

Because the heat index was over 105 each day, the Red Devils did not put on full pads until their scrimmage with Greene County. Campbell said the team should have practiced in full gear at least twice before Thursday in order to give the players confidence.

In spite of the heat, the lack of outdoor practices, and the loss of most of the starting line-up, Campbell said, "I'm going into the season enjoying it. It's good to be able to work with some of the kids who are not college prospects.

"Most folks feel they can get back at Lincoln County this year because we lost so many starters. This season, we don't have to deal with the pressure of being ranked #1."

The "16th Annual Georgia High School Football Magazine" ranked Lincoln County at #8. "This was based on tradition, not on our returning starters," explained Campbell.

In addition to LCHS, the other top 10 Class A teams are: Clinch County, #1; Wilcox County, #2; Turner County, #3; Emanuel County Institute, #4; Seminole County, #5; Hawkinsville, #6; Athens Academy, #7; Bowdon, #9; and Commerce, #10.

Copies of the magazine are on sale at Farmers State Bank for $10 each.

Commenting on the Associated Press Poll, which gave Lincoln County a #1 ranking because the team won the state title last year, Coach Campbell said, "I would be embarrassed to do an AP Poll based strictly on who played in the Dome last year. Emanuel County Institute wasn't even in the AP's top 10 this season."

Campbell likewise noted that for the first time in 20 years, the coaches in Region 7-A did not pick Lincoln County to win the region crown. Their pick was Warren County.

"Warren County should be in everybody's top 10," stated the coach. "They have a couple of Division I prospects, wide receiver Travis Burley and quarterback Tommy Seals. This is Seals' third year as a starting quarterback - he's probably the best player in the region."

Looking toward the upcoming season, Coach Campbell said, "With so much inexperience, anybody could beat us on any given night. It's hard to say who will give us problems. It's always a struggle with Washington- Wilkes. Being the rivalry that it is, we never know who will win the game. Then, year in and year out, we have to deal with Twiggs and Wilkinson counties."

The Red Devils are scheduled to play all three teams on the road. Our Boys will play Washington-Wilkes on September 14; Wilkinson County, October 19; and Twiggs County, November 2.

The tentative starting line-up for the Red Devils' game against the McCormick County Chiefs is as follows:

Offense

Quarterback: Austin Goldman (Sr.).

Fullback: Jamareon Green (Sr.).

Running Backs: Carlous Hearst (Sr.), Dechane Willis (Sr.), and A.G. Middlebrooks (Soph.).

Tight End: split time between seniors Josh Hollimon and Tyler Tonsing.

Right Tackle: Daniel Morris (Sr.). Right Guard: Brandon Sparks (Sr.). Center: Garrett Matthews (Jr.). Left Guard: Brian Sparks (Sr.). Left Tackle: Johnny Cobb (Jr.). Split End: Wilkes Goolsby (Jr.).

Defense

Defensive Ends: seniors Tony Wells and Josh Hollimon.

Defensive Linemen: Detravis Hearst (Jr.), Ronell Ferguson (Sr.), Marquis Parks (Soph.), and Clifton Timpson (Jr.).

Linebackers: Daniel McAlister (Jr.) and Jamareon Green.

Secondary: Alex Ellis (Jr.), Dechane Willis, Carlous Hearst, Jarren Brown (Jr.), and Jatoyaus Jones (Jr.).