Devils beat Harlem 24-7, travel to W-W this Fri.
By T.J. CARANI

THE RED DEVIL DEFENSE CRUNCHES A BULLDOG BALL CARRIER Lincoln County held Harlem to under 100 yards rushing in last Friday's road game.

The Lincoln County Red Devils warmed up for the second game of the 2007 football season at Harlem High School. The Devils went into the game with one previous win this season. Harlem hoped to rally for their first win this season.

The Devils ran onto the field in true Lincoln County style by breaking through a sign made by the cheerleaders and the excitement didn't stop until the final buzzer, which ended the game with Harlem having scored 7 points and Lincoln County having earned 24 points against the home team.

In the first quarter, the Devils chose to receive the kickoff. A.G. Middlebrooks made a 27-yard return, running past six different Harlem players. Later in the quarter, Austin Goldman threw a 18-yard pass to Tyler Tonsing, who caught the pass at the 22 yard line, earning a first down for Lincoln County. Harlem was penalized for a face-mask in fraction and lost an additional fiveyards, which put the Red Devils within scoring range. Lincoln County's Carlous Hearst ran the ball into the end zone for six points, and Vance Tarver kicked the extra point. A twenty-yard return by Harlem was stopped by Detravous Hearst, ending the quarter.

ALEX ELLIS RETURNS A PUNT FOR LINCOLN COUNTY He also caught a 30-yard pass for a touchdown against Harlem.

The second quarter began with a no-gain play by Harlem and a punt, which Lincoln County received on the 45 yard line. Jafabian Green ran for a total of seven yards on this drive before the ball was carried by Austin Goldman to just short of one yard from a first down, causing Lincoln County to turn the ball over on its own 41-yard line. Harlem didn't maintain possession for long, punting at fourth-and-21. Alex Ellis recovered the ball at the 30-yard line and carried it to the 40 before two Harlem players tackled him. The ball was later passed to Wilkes Goolsby for a two-yard gain.

The next play was a pass and a 13-yard run, placing the Red Devils on the 20-yard line with a first down. Harlem intercepted a pass in the end zone but the Devils soon reciprocated with an interception, which was rendered moot the next play when they fumbled the ball on the 23-yard line. After three no-gain runs, the Bulldogs punted the ball to Alex Ellis 60 yards downfield.The ball was then fumbled and Harlem recovered it. Two plays later, Harlem tied the game 7-7 at the end of the half.

Jamareon Gren jumps to block a Harlem pas This week the Red Devils will play against a young W-W team.

After two amazing marching bands performed their halftime shows, the play continued. After a weak drive by Harlem, the Devils received the ball on the 20-yard line and after several long carries, ended up at third down with 15 yards to go for the first down. Austin Goldman threw a pass to Alex Ellis, who caught the 30-yard pass in the end zone for a touchdown, bringing the score to 13-7. Vance Tarver scored the extra point and then kicked off to the 7-yard line, where the least useful trick play of all time was executed by Harlem.

All of Harlem's fielded players met the ball carrier where he caught the ball and created a pile of players. The players then scattered out, each pretending he had the ball. Lincoln County's players saw past the screen and tackled the original carrier, who still had the ball, on the 7 yard line where he originally caught it.

When the Devils regained possession, they had a tough drive, and Vance Tarver kicked a 24-yard field goal, bringing the score to 17-7. Harlem soon fumbled the ball, the Devils recovered it, and soon lost possession to an interception, ending the quarter with Harlem in possession.

The fourth quarter saw Harlem punt the ball early on. Lincoln County ended their first drive of the final quarter the same way. Harlem had a long second drive, ending in a turnover on the 36 yard line. Lincoln County's A.G. Middlebrooks then scored a touchdown with 2:19 remaining in the game. After kicking the extra point, Vance Tarver kicked off to Harlem, leading to a 50-yard return that Tarver stopped like a brick wall when he tackled the ball carrier. The game ended six seconds later, with a score of 24-7.

In a telephone interview, Coach Campbell said "We haven't played a team with a win yet, and have a long way to go offensively." He went on to say "Due to the school schedule and heat, we haven't been able to have two-a-day practices this year, and it's hurt our offense. We'll need a strong kicking game and make people go a long way for a touchdown." Commenting on next week's game against Washington-Wilkes, he said "our hands will be full, and when somebody's supposed to win this game, they don't." The game against Washington-Wilkes will start at 7:30 p.m. at Washington-Wilkes High School's Tiger Stadium.