ERCELL DANIEL LEAVES A RAIDER IN HIS WAKE The Red Devils struggled to get a running game going against the Savannah Christian defense. The Lincoln County High School Red Devils played in their final game of the season on Friday, November 27, 2009. The game was a loss for our hometown team, with a final score of 7-0 favoring the Savannah Christian Raiders. The victory was hard-won, and the Red Devils certainly did not play a bad game of football.

Ultimately, the game was a defensive war similar to historical trench warfare. Both teams lined up on the ball time and time again, yet nobody could gain enough momentum consistently enough to make the game a clear-cut win until the second quarter, when the Raiders gained the only touchdown of the game. Two defensive titans clashed and, regrettably, the Red Devils could not muster the offensive force necessary to beat the Raiders out in this playoff game.

The quarterfinal game began with the Red Devils and Rebels sending representatives to midfield for the coin toss, like any other game. Savannah Christian won the toss and deferred possession of the ball to the second half, meaning that the Red Devils would begin the game with the ball. The Raiders lined up and kicked off to our Red Devils. The return was short and play started on the 21-yard line. Franklin Sherman lined up as quarterback and handed the ball off to Tavious McGahee for 10 yards. From here, a second play gained a single yard. Two more short gains put the Devils on a fourth down with three yards to go when Garrett Mohr came out to punt the ball away. The Raiders took control of the ball on their 25-yard line. The Red Devils held them to a single yard gain on the first play. The Raiders pushed for a first down and were able to push through the Red Devils for a 9-yard gain. The Devils' defense held them and actually pushed the visitors back a yard on the first play of this series. The next play gained no yardage. The third down gained little and the Raiders returned the ball to the Devils by punting the ball into the end zone.

FRANKLIN SHERMAN STOPS THE RAIDER QUARTERBACK Neither team had much offense in the 2009 quarterfinal. Play continued like this throughout the first quarter. The Raiders took control of the ball early in the second quarter following a fumble by Sherman in Red Devils territory, though after an impressive reception by Rusty Scott, to devastating effect. They had the ball on the Red Devils 21-yard line. A handoff to the fullback gained the visitors two yards. A 6-yard quarterback sneak deepened the wound to our defensive holding. From there, another handoff to the Raiders' fullback gave them a touchdown. A PAT kick put the last point on the board for the night.

JATHAN MICKENS RETURNS A KICKOFF The Red Devils finished 2009 with a season record of 11-2. The Devils attempted a comeback later in the quarter when Sherman ran for an impressive 26-yard gain to the Savannah Christian 29-yard line. An interception took away the chance for the Devils to tie up the game. Later, the Devils acted boldly and attempted to convert a fourth down with a pass. It was incomplete, and the Devils lost control of the ball again.

TAVIOUS McGAHEE SPRINTS OUT TRYING TO MAKE HIS WAY TO THE GOAL LINE The Devils had nearly twice the offense of the Raiders but just couldn't get points on the board. The second half was similarly locked up, with the ball rarely moving 12 yards beyond where a team took control of it. This kept out Red Devils from tying the game up. Marquis Parks made a good fumble recovery against the Raiders, but the Devils simply could not break the defensive structure of the Raiders.

Sadly, the Red Devils ended the season with this game. The GHSA playoffs are single elimination, and the Devils were defeated by a team with a fascinatingly strong defensive line and an incredible streak of luck. This was the second and final loss this season for the Red Devils, but it ended with our defensive line really showing out and keeping the score exceedingly low.

Though this season may be over, GHSA football is still going to be an interesting event. The semifinals are this week, with the winners of the Clinch vs. Wilcox game playing against the victor in the Savannah Christian vs. Darlington game battling for the state title. Keep up that Red Devil spirit for basketball now, and when soccer and baseball and other sports start in the spring!

Devils vs. Sav. Christian (statistics compiled by Johnny Walton)

Score by quarters