MACON - Lincoln County outran Tattnall Square Academy 35-7 here last Friday night to enter the playoffs with a six-game winning streak. The Devils are seventh in the GHSA Class A Public Power Ratings, and will have a first-round bye this week.
The 8-2 Red Devils will host a second-round playoff game November 22. The eight wins are the most since 2015's 9-2 record.
Mt. De Sales defeated Aquinas 23-20 to claim the Region 7-A title. Aquinas, Washington-Wilkes, and Warren County will see action in the first round of the playoffs this Friday.
Kolbi Ferguson rushed for 240 yards on 34 carries with four touchdowns. For the regular season, Ferguson scored 30 touchdowns while rushing for 1,405 yards on 200 carries.
Tevin Gartrell ran seven times for 69 yards. Colton Willis carried 11 times for 51 yards and a touchdown. As a team, the Devils totaled 380 yards rushing to only 59 for Tattnall.
Friday's game in Macon was marred by the officials seeming lost at times. Twice they didn't immediately call obvious infractions, and managed to turn a Devil fumble recovery into a re-kick. The chain crew, under the direction of the officials, was at times laughable.
The two teams exchanged punts on their initial possessions. The Devils then drove from their 32 with Willis apparently scoring on a 33-yard run. A holding penalty brought the pigskin back to the TSA 38, where the Devils went back to work. Two runs by Ferguson earned 20 yards before he scored from the four with just over a minute left in the first quarter. The PAT kick was called no-good.
The Trojans pulled a play from their bag of tricks. The quarterback lateraled across the field to an end who them threw about 40 yards downfield. The Trojan receiver was behind the Devil defenders, but the visitors caught him at the LC 3 on the 56-yard pass play. The Devil Defense held tough, allowing only one yard on three rushes. On 4th-&-goal at the LC 2, the Trojans completed a pass for what would be there only touchdown. The PAT kick gave the Trojans a 7-6 lead with just under ten minutes left in the half.
The Devils threw an interception on their next possession. The Trojans' excitement didn't last long, as Reggie Reid grabbed a Trojan pass on the very next play. The Red Devils' gained 17 yards in the exchange.
The Devils returned to their ground game, with Keenon Lampkin rushing for 12 yards to the TSA 40. Ferguson scored on a seven-yard run to cap the 10-play drive. J. T. Bundrick's extra point kick put the Devils up 13-7 with 3:35 left in the half.
On the following kickoff, the Trojans returned the ball to their 40 before apparently fumbling with the Devils recovering. After a long discussion, the officials ordered for the kickoff to be redone. One possible reason for this call would be if the officials did not signal the ball ready for play, but none of the officials blew a whistle to end the play until the fumble happened.
The Devil Defense stopped the Trojans at the LC 42 on the opening possession of the second half. The Devils put together another good drive, with Ferguson's 25-yard run and Gartrell's 13-yard rush being the big plays. Ferguson scored on a two-yard run with 3:36 left in the third. Ferguson scampered for two for a 21-7 lead.
The Trojans' next drive proved to bring more challenges for the officials. Another long discussion led to the chains moving back-and-forth as the officials debated among themselves. Tattnall moved to the LC 18 before Tank Elder snagged an interception in the end zone.
Ferguson rushed for 11, eight, eight, nine, and 30 yards for 1st-&-goal at the 9. Willis scored from there with 6:28 left in the fourth for a 28-7 advantage.
A bad snap on a Trojan punt gave the Devils the pigskin at the TSA 32. Gartrell took the direct snap and went 26 yards down the left sideline to the TSA 11. Gartrell rushed for four more. Ferguson then scored from the four, going left untouched to pay dirt. The kick was good for the final 35-7 margin with 3:35 left in the game.