Plenty for Blue Devils to play for 11/26/2009 11:48 PM
By NOAH FEIT Staff writer
The past four months of perfect football have been prelude to this. Undefeated Williston-Elko has a chance to make amends for last season's loss in the Class A, Division II state championship game today. Making the storyline even more interesting, the Blue Devils will play Scott's Branch, the team that beat Williston-Elko in last season's title game.
"They're the same guys we saw last year," Williston-Elko head coach Dwayne Garrick said. "They're still big and run right at you. It's no secret what they're going to do."
For that matter, it shouldn't be much of a surprise what the Blue Devils' game plan will be. Like the Eagles, Williston-Elko is a power running team. Although most of their opponents have been aware what the Blue Devils' strategy has been, no team has stopped them. If his team executes and plays with the same effort it has all season, Garrick doesn't see why this game will be any different.
"I really like our chances," Garrick said of Williston-Elko (13-0), which has won by an average score of 51-10 this season.
As well as Scott's Branch (8-5) has played over the past two months, winning seven of its past eight games, Williston-Elko's greatest obstacle could be itself. The chance to complete an undefeated season with a state championship creates pressure. The chance to settle a score adds even more drama.
"I think two great things could happen," Garrick said of the chance to win a state title and finish an undefeated season with a win over Scott's Branch. "It's self pressure more than anything. There's probably a little more of a revenge factor for the kids. The coaches just want a chance at winning a state championship."
While the two teams are very
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similar to last year's combatants, the biggest difference entering today's contest will be the presence of Blue Devils running back Kendric Salley.
A non-factor for last year's Blue Devils, the sophomore has emerged as a star this season. He's carried the ball 220 times for 1,888 yards - an average of 8.6 yards per carry - and 29 touchdowns this season.
Often the only thing stopping Salley was when Garrick called a play for one of his other dynamic players, including jack-of-all-trades Dexter Staley and quarterback Tamyn "Gator" Garrick. It could be a different situation today. Salley is nursing an ankle injury and he might not get many chances with the ball.
"He tweaked an ankle," Garrick said. "I don't know how much playing time he'll get but if he does play it will mean a great difference in the game."
While the Blue Devils' offense has been heralded for its gaudy totals this season, the defense has been just as dominant. Today could be its toughest challenge.
Scott's Branch won't pass the ball much but that's because it doesn't have to. Powered by the running of Quinton Singleton, who has more than 6,000 rushing yards in his high school career, the Eagles are hard to stop.
After facing a daunting early schedule, Scott's Branch has been finding ways to win one close game after another. The Eagles seemed destined to play overtime last week against Lake View, before a combination of trick plays and timely turnovers combined with Singleton's running propelled Scott's Branch to a 30-22 win.
Tough as the Eagles are, they haven't played a team like Williston-Elko, which romped its way into today's game with a 44-20 win over Ware Shoals.
"We've got things going our way," Garrick said of potentially winning a state championship. "It would be great to get the monkey off our back and be great for our program next year."
Contact Noah Feit at nfeit@aikenstandard.com.
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