By By Zach Brooks, Sports Writer
The Escambia County High School Blue Devils football team began their season with a disappointing loss last Friday night against perennial 4A powerhouse The T.R. Miller Tigers 44-20 at Hubert Barnes Stadium in Atmore
The Blue Devils came into the game with high hopes of a victory too get off to a good start for the upcoming season.
Instead they ran into a very good T.R. Miller team that erased any thoughts of victory with a strong first half showing in which they scored on every possession but two in the half.
The Tigers scored the game's first points when they scored on a 35-yard bootleg pass to make the score 6-0. The Tigers then made the extra-point to take a 7-0 lead.
The Blue Devils answered right back on their next possession as Dereke Martin scampered 69 yards on an electrifying touchdown run to make the score 7-6. The Devils missed the extra-point try to the score remained 7-6.
The Martin touchdown would be the only points the Devils would score in the first half, while the Tigers would reel off 25 consecutive points to make the score 32-6 heading into half-time.
The Devil defense came out in the second half and had a much better showing as they limited the Tigers offense to only 12 second half points on two touchdowns.
The Devils scored two touchdowns of their own in the second half. Chris Simpson scored the first touchdown in the third quarter when he plunged into the endzone from six yard out to make the score 38-12. The Blue Devils would then convert the two-point conversion to make the score 38-14.
That score would be all the Blue Devils could muster in the third quarter but they would get the scoring rolling again in the fourth quarter when Calvin Davis stormed through the line on a 57-yard touchdown run to make the score 44-20. The Blue Devils could not convert the extra-point so the score remained 44-20.
Their would be no more scoring in the game for either side after the Davis run so the Tigers won the game 44-12.
The Blue Devils managed to have 265 yards of total offense for the game. They had 231 yards rushing and 34 yards passing.
Chris Simpson lead the Devils in rushing on the night. He had nine carries for 84 yards and one touchdown. Calvin Davis also had a good game rushing for the Devils as he had four carries for 70 and a touchdown.
Kendrick McNeal also managed 21 yards on two carries for the Devils.
Dereke Martin managed 90 total yards in the game for the Devils. He had 56 yard rushing on seven carries with one touchdown and 34 yards on 4/12 passing.
Franklin Boykin, Harvey Knight, LaBrandon Sharpe, and Calvin Davis all caught one pass for the Devils for a total of 34 yards.
Franklin Boykin lead the Blue Devils in tackles on defense as he had seven tackles on the night. Jeffrey McCants, Sperio Banks, Derria Kemp, and Harvey Knight came in second on the team with five tackles each.
Kevin McCartney, Harold Lambert, and Cedric Sharpe also had three tackles for the Devils with Sharpe having one tackle for loss.
The Blue Devils next game will be against Charles Henderson High School in Troy, AL. The game will at 7:30.