OUTSIZED RED DEVILS LOSE TO CLEMENTS

The difference in age and experience was evident on Saturday when the Pee Wee team captains met at midfield and the Clements Colt captains were each over six feet tall.  Just as they had done the week before against Athens, the Red Devils allowed a bigger, faster team to score four touchdowns in the first half.  Elkmont once again played much stingier defense in the second half by allowing only one additional Clements' score. However, it was to late to change the game.

Masin Morris had several hard hits on defense and continued his consistent play on both sides of the ball, earning the Applebee's Player of the Week. Elkmont remains mired in the toughest part of its schedule, facing the East Limestone Indians at noon at Athens Middle School on Saturday.

ELKMONT MIDGETS HOBBLE COLTS

It was an exciting day of football for the Elkmont Midgets this Saturday.  With the dusty air and smell of farming in Coxey, the Elkmont Midgets took the field ready for some football.  The first half of the game the midgets started off putting the first points on the board due to a turnover of downs. The offensive line did an awesome job blocking making way for big plays.

At halftime the score was Elkmont 22 Clements 12. The defensive line stayed strong the entire second half not allowing any points.  Offense and defense worked together to take control of the game and won 44 to 12.

The midgets will be working hard this week to get ready for East in Athens this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Great Game Boys!!!

A WINNING HOMECOMING

Elkmont 35, New Hope 14
Zeb Pankey scored two touchdowns and set up another, while Mike Tucker ran 17 times for 151 yards and a touchdown for the Red Devils (4-1), who travel to Central on Friday. The Indians (1-4) trailed 14-7 entering the third quarter, when Pankey's 78-yard kickoff return set up Jared Bailey's 2-yard touchdown run.
 

New Hope still found itself trailing only 21-14 after Adam Browner's 34-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Sutton, but Jordan Nelson returned the favor with an 18-yard scoring toss to Noah Sharp. Tucker added a 5-yard scoring run for the final margin.

 Alexis Hernandez connected on all five of his extra-point attempts. Pankey scored from 3 and 5 yards out for an early 14-0 lead, but the Indians cut it in half with Browner's 27-yard touchdown pass to Bret Clark to trail by seven at the break. Pankey led the Red Devils with seven tackles.

source: Decatur Daily

IT'S A HOMECOMING NIGHT !!!!!

Homecoming is finally here after a week of fun.There is still lots of activities today and the crowning of the Homecoming Queen at Halftime but the main event is the football game.  The Red Devils will be lining up across from the New Hope Indians.  The Indians won their first game last Friday from Pisgah.  Their record is 1-3.  Hill Spirit is looking for another win to celebrate this year's homecoming.

Weather Forecast:

Quiet weather continues today but we'll see a bit more cloud cover as high clouds steadily stream in.  Expect highs in the mid to upper 80s. Temperatures will fall into the 70s just after sunset with overnight lows in the lower 60s.

   

New Hope at Elkmont

Where: Boss Hill Stadium

What: Non-region game

Records: New Hope (1-3, 1-2), Elkmont (3-1, 2-1)

Last meeting: This is the first meeting.

The skinny: 
The Class 3A New Hope Indians got their first win of the season last week over Pisgah 35-12. Before that win, New Hope had been outscored 85-14 in three games. … Elkmont has averaged scoring 46 points in its wins over Ardmore, West Limestone and Brooks. The lone loss was to undefeated Wilson 33-7. … Last Friday, Elkmont got three touchdowns from Jared Bailey in the 49-13 win over West Limestone.

The Decatur Daily pick: Elkmont 42, New Hope 6

*for all the games grab a Decatur Daily today

   

ELKMONT IS ONCE AGAIN THE WINNER

At the beginning of the week, the Elkmont Red Devils were in the WAAY 31 Team of the Week Contest.  We are now the Academy Team of the Week.

From WAAY website:
The Elkmont Red Devils have earned the Academy Sports Team of the Week after their win over West Limestone last Friday.  Red Devils fans came out in full force this week when hitting the polls having tallied three times as many votes as the other three nominees combined!

WAAY 31 will be at Elkmont High School tomorrow for the 2:15 Pep Rally in the New Gym. 
The Red Devils really appreciate its fans taking the time to vote and showing the area what a community effort can do.  The town of Elkmont may be small but we are like the mouse that roared.

AN ELKMONT VOTE FOR TEAM OF THE WEEK

VOTE NOW LINK

The Elkmont Red Devils are among four teams selected as options for the Team of the Week.  We are ahead in the voting as of now but be sure to vote so we keep that lead.  One year we had so many Elkmont votes that it overwhelmed the program and it counted backward.  Fortunately, that bug in the system was fixed so vote as often as you can.

VOTE NOW LINK

ELKMONT MIDGETS BEAT BY ONE

It was a "sitting on the edge of your seat" kind of day in Athens for the Midgets this Saturday.  The Elkmont Red Devils took the field and put the first points on the board.  But by the end of the first half, Athens was ahead 13 to 6.  

The Red Devils took the field in the second half ready to battle back. Our defense dug in and held Athens to only one touchdown.  The Elkmont offense fought their way back.  In the final seconds of the game, the Red Devils scored making the score Athens 20,  Elkmont 19.  Our Midgets never gave up!  

They stayed together as a team, dominated the second half, and brought the game close in final seconds.  Great game guys!  They will continue this week getting ready to play Clement this Saturday, September 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Clements.  Go Devils!

ATHENS DEFEAT PEE WEE RED DEVILS

Playing a bigger school is always tough, and Elkmont's game against Athens on Saturday followed the usual script.  Down 26-0 to the bigger, faster Golden Eagles at half time, the Pee Wee Red Devils dug deep and held Athens to one TD in the second half, resulting in the final score of 33-0.  

Elkmont was a different team after half time, led by Masin Morris' two interceptions, an interception by Jedidiah Sutherland, and a fumble recovery by Colby Murphy.  Normally relying on speedsters Morris and Isaiah Sutherland to move the chains, the Red Devils switched gears on Saturday to bigger backs, with full back Josh Burrows leading the team in rushing yards and Paul Gooch, normally on the offensive line, lining up in the back field once for a significant gain on a sweep.  

In the first week in which the award was given, Burrows edged out Morris in being named the Applebee's Player of the Week.  The Red Devils play at Clements at noon on September 27.

ELKMONT BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK

Elkmont entered James Kennemer Stadium on a mission toward its goal of having a winning season and doing what it can to be a playoff competitor in November.  So far so good for the visiting Red Devils, as they used almost 300 rushing yards behind their strong front five and pulled away from West Limestone to spoil the Wildcats’ senior night with a 49-13 victory.
 
“This was a region game, and we had to have it,” Elkmont head coach Sean Holt said. “It appears our guys might have learned a much-needed lesson after the Brooks game about how to finish things.”

Elkmont opened the game with a 10-play scoring drive aided by Pankey’s 27-yard run. Bailey scored on a 2-yard run for the 7-0 lead entering the second quarter.  West Limestone’s Peyton Boldin (8 of 19, 102 yards, two interceptions) connected with Blankenship for a pair of passes near the end of the first half, including a 30-yard touchdown.
It left the Wildcats down 14-7 with 1:15 left before intermission and the ball to start the second half.
 
Perhaps Bailey’s biggest contribution came on his 39-yard kickoff return past midfield, and Nelson came through in the clutch. His 13-yard pass to Bailey and 14-yard scamper set up a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Simmons, and the momentum swung 180 degrees in Elkmont’s favor before halftime.
 
“We worked on our two-minute offense in practice, and the score before the half was huge for us,” Holt said. “I was particularly proud of the way our guys came out and finished things in the second half.”

The Wildcats had a lengthy drive which covered half the third quarter but stalled after Jarod Smallwood’s sack on fourth down. Bailey continued his strong night by sacking Boldin deep in Red Devil territory, and Kaleb Wallace just missed a pick six of his own after an interception to set up Nelson’s 1-yard plunge into the end zone. Elkmont took over with a pair of big runs on Tucker’s 29-yard touchdown on a trap play along with Bailey’s 40-yard score after breaking three tackles. 

Bailey stepped in front of a Boldin pass near midfield and ran 47 yards the other way for a touchdown – the first of two straight West Limestone turnovers after Kody Clark’s fumble recovery. Colby Holt added a 2-yard score midway through the fourth quarter for a 49-7 advantage, and Elkmont continues to be strong in the kicking game. Seven of eight Alexis Hernandez kickoffs went for touchbacks.

Jared Bailey had a solid all-around evening with 78 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns and ran an interception back 47 yards for another score. Elkmont (3-1, 2-1), avenged a 25-23 loss one year ago and bounced back from its first loss of the season last week. Mike Tucker carried nine times for 82 yards and a touchdown, Zeb Pankey had 72 yards on seven carries while Jordan Nelson completed five of his six passes for 56 yards and accounted for two scores. Drew Thompson and Brent Stovall were Elkmont’s top two tacklers, as the Red Devils host New Hope (a winner against Pisgah) next Friday night for Homecoming.

SOURCE: ATHENS NEWS COURIER

ELKMONT TRAVELS TO WEST LIMESTONE

Friday Night is here again and it will be another exciting Red Devils Game.  Our team is traveling to West Limestone this evening.  After a disappointing loss to Wilson last week, Elkmont is looking for their third win and a step up in the regional standings. 

 West Limestone hasn't won a game yet and has struggled all season.  Kickoff is at 7 pm under a beautiful fall sky.  Don't forget to listen to the radio broadcast if you can't make the game.  Link is below.  Visit the radio website today to make sure everything is working before tonight's game.  You don't want to mistake any of your Red Devils.
Go Big Red!!! 

There may be an isolated shower pop up, but most of us will stay dry.  Should be a nice night for football; temperatures will be in the upper 70s at kickoff and the lower 70s as games are finishing


Elkmont at West Limestone

Where: James Kennemer Stadium

What: Class 4A, Region 8 game

Radio: Streaming on WKAC1080.com

Records: Elkmont (2-1, 1-1); West Limestone (0-4, 0-2).

Last meeting: West Limestone won 25-23.

The skinny: These old Limestone County rivals are playing for the 61st time. West Limestone leads the series 42-17-1. … With 16 seniors and eight juniors, Elkmont is enjoying a hot start, with wins against Brooks and Ardmore. … Led by Eli Hobbs, Zeb Pankey, Jordan Nelson and Jared Bailey, Elkmont’s rushing attack has been productive. … West Limestone is averaging 6.75 points per game and has been shut out twice.

The Daily picks: Elkmont 35, West Limestone 10

Class 4A - Region 8
School	Wins All	Losses All	Wins Region	Losses Region
Wilson	4	0	2	0
Deshler	2	1	2	0
Brooks	2	1	1	1
Central-Florence	2	1	1	1
Elkmont	2	1	1	1
Rogers	2	1	1	1
East Lawrence	0	3	0	2
West Limestone	0	4	0	2

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE WEST LIMESTONE WILDCATS?

Coach:
Jordan Cantrell (first season)

Offense

West Limestone's basic offensive formation is the Wing-T, but the Wildcats will line up in a variety of formations to highlight their grind-it-out running attack. The big man on the West Limestone offense is tackle Dakota Siniard (6-5, 285, Sr.) who has committed to sign with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. There's competition at quarterback between seniors Drew Blakely (5-8, 165) and Peyton Boldin (6-0, 175). Despite being limited by injuries last season, Blakely has the most experience. 

A group of young players will be called on to carry the ball. They are Reed Walker (5-7, 150, Soph.), Tanner Walker (5-7, 150, Soph.), Nick Freeman (5-7, 150, Soph.), Chase Lancaster (6-1, 180, Soph.) and Cody Shedd (5-7, 175, Jr.). "They are all a little different," Cantrell said. "We plan to rotate them between fullback and halfback." 

Three other starters return in the line to help Siniard. They are center Brayden Clem (5-9, 200, Jr.), guard Preston Moss (5-9, 240, Sr.) and tackle Matthew Sanders (5-11, 225, Sr.). Competing for the open guard position are Kelton Craig (6-0, 200, Soph.), Jesse Hayes (5-7, 150, Soph.), Cody Smith (5-9, 215, Soph.) and Joseph Willingham (5-7, 170, Jr.). 

Reed Blakenship (6-0, 175, Soph.) is expected to be a big-play maker at receiver. Other receivers are Alex Maples (6-0, 175, Soph.), Chayse Craig (5-10, 165, Sr.) and Cole Smith (5-7, 155, Soph.).

Defense

Seven or eight starters on offense will see playing time on defense in the Wildcats 4-2-5 alignment. "We have some strong defensive linemen returning," Cantrell said. Siniard, Moss and Clem will be in a rotation in the line. The defensive ends are Kelton Craig (6-0, 200, Soph.), Andrew Thornton (6-3, 185, Soph.) and Eli Rogers (5-10, 175, Jr.). Sanders and Chayse Craig are the two inside linebackers. Blankenship returns at free safety. Reed Walker is back at cornerback. Some of the young players will be expected to fill out the rest of defensive backfield.

Extra points

Cantrell takes over for David Arnsparger who was West Limestone's head coach for seven seasons (38-36) with three playoff appearances. Cantrell was one of Arnsparger's assistants for all seven years. He was the offensive coordinator last season. Arnsparger stepped aside to have more time with his family. He is coaching the West Limestone Middle School team.

West Limestone is the 12th largest school in the new Class 4A after the AHSAA reclassification with 356 students. Brooks (370) is the only school in 4A, Region 8 with a larger enrollment. West Limestone stayed in Limestone County with its three out of region games. The Wildcats play Elkmont, East Limestone and Ardmore.
 

The Wildcats have been to the playoffs three out of the last four years. Before that run, West Limestone had only been in the playoffs twice. In 1988, West Limestone went 4-1 in the playoffs with a loss in the 3A state title game to Thomasville.

source: Decatur Daily

ELKMONT MIDGETS SHUT OUT TANNER

 
The Elkmont Midgets started their season off with a win over the Tanner Rattlers.   After missing last week’s game due to weather, the midgets worked together as a team on offense and defense.  

 


The offensive line did extremely well blocking to achieve four touchdowns.  The defensive line were on their toes during the entire game, only allowing Tanner to make two first downs.  The midgets ended the game with a 26-0 victory over the Tanner Rattlers.  

They have been working very hard in practice to accomplish their first win of the season.  They will continue to work hard this week to get ready for the Golden Eagles at 2:40 p.m. this Saturday the 20th.  Go Devils!

ELKMONT NIPS RATTLERS BY ONE

The Pee Wee Red Devils put one in the win column on Saturday, beating the Tanner Rattlers 13-12. The Red Devils got on the score board with a 60 yard touchdown run by speedster Masin Morris, with Morris also punching the ball over the goal line for the extra point.  Isaiah Sutherland scored the second touchdown on a quarterback keeper, but Benjamin Hanback was stood up at the goal line on the point after attempt.  

Morris was the star on both sides of the ball, but the story of the day was the number of Red Devils who excelled in new positions. Ben "Handsy" Sanders played a great game in his first game as center, allowing Hanback to be used more effectively as a blocker and twice as a running back.  Brody Eckstein was also praised by the coaches in the post-game meeting for stepping up and playing a new position.  Hunter Broadway, in his first start at defensive end, recovered a fumble and spent as much time in the Tanner backfield as the Rattler running backs.  Blake Brown showcased his speed in his move to defensive end, pairing hard hitters Paul Gooch and Josh Burrows as linebackers in what proved to be a nightmare for the Tanner offense.  The Pee Wee Red Devils play the Athens Golden Eagles on September 20 at 10:40 am at Athens Middle School.

 

Everyone loves Elkmont football

TOO MANY MISTAKES FOR ELKMONT

Penalties proved to be the deal breaker at Boss Hill Stadium Friday night.  Each time Elkmont made a mistake Friday night, Wilson made sure to capitalize on it in their crucial Class 4A, Region 8 game.  The result that in a clash of two early season unbeaten teams, it was the Warriors who emerged with a 33-7 victory at Boss Hill Stadium.  The Warriors are tied for first place in the region standings with Deshler.

 

The teams traded early touchdowns and the game was tied at 7 midway through the second quarter when Wilson began to take control.  Jason Futrell, who rushed for 117 yards on 10 carries, broke the tie with a 36-yard touchdown run. His 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Wilson a 20-7 lead from which Elkmont couldn’t recover.  The Red Devils racked up 112 yards in penalties on the night, 75 of those coming in the second half. Three were for personal fouls in the fourth quarter. One led to an Elkmont player's ejection.

"Elkmont is a big physical team," Wilson coach Scott Brown said. "I'm proud of my guys for holding their composure and playing with a lot of class. That's the type of program we want at Wilson."

Wilson closed out the win with 13 points in a fourth quarter that saw Elkmont assessed for three personal foul penalties, including a player ejection.  Elkmont finished with 112 penalty yards, including 75 in the second half. 

Sources:  Florence Times Daily, Decatur Daily

RED DEVILS TAKE ON WILSON WARRIORS FOR TOP SPOT

The Elkmont Red Devils will be hosting the Wilson Warriors.  A win will send the Hilltop boys to the top of the Region 8 standings.  The field is going to be wet so that might favor the team with the best ground game.

More about Wilson:

“Most of these guys have played a lot of football,” he said. A lot of them played as freshmen, and they took their lumps early. We’re seeing that experience pay off.”  As expected, Jason Futrell has been a workhorse with 266 yards and six touchdowns in three games. Jon Rhodes has contributed 190 yards and two TDs.
 

“Our offensive line has been playing at a high level,” said Brown, whose team plays at unbeaten Elkmont in a key Class 4A, Region 8 game Friday. “We have some older guys mixed in with some younger guys, and it’s worked out well.”

Class 4A - Region 8
School	Wins All	Losses All	Wins Region	Losses Region
Wilson	3	0	1	0
Central-Florence	2	0	1	0
Elkmont	2	0	1	0
Deshler	1	1	1	0
Brooks	1	1	0	1
Rogers	1	1	0	1
East Lawrence	0	2	0	1
West Limestone	0	3	0	1

Where: Boss Hill Stadium

What: Class 4A, Region 8 game

Records: Wilson (3-0, 1-0), Elkmont (2-0, 1-0)

Last meeting: Wilson beat Elkmont 28-0 in 2013

 
This is one of the few battles of unbeatens in the area this week. Elkmont has wins over Ardmore 49-27 and Brooks 41-35. 

Wilson running back Jason Futrell is the go-to guy for the offense that averages 36.3 points per game. The Warriors finished with 308 yards of offense in last week’s 34-17 win over Rogers. ... Wilson still has room for improvement after four turnovers and 142 penalty yards last week. ... Elkmont rattled off 41 straight points against Brooks before holding on for a 41-35 win. ... Running back Jared Bailey led Elkmont with 83 yards and three touchdowns and will test the Brooks defense. ... Wilson holds the series record at 3-2, including a 28-0 win last year.

The Daily picks: Elkmont 28, Wilson 21

Weather:
Kickoff -  75 degrees; scattered showers. Take a poncho. Umbrellas are not nice to others around you.

The spirit activity this afternoon:
 

5:15  Spirit Walk

Asking everyone to show up and support the Red Devils. Let's cheer them to another WIN!!!  Parking lot between weight room and field house!

General Info:

The Red Devils will be taking the field at Boss Hill Stadium on the Hilltop tonight.  Here is the ticket information that Elkmont fans need to know.

Football tickets will be on sale today at school. Student tickets will be available for a special event price of $3. Adult tickets are $6. All tickets will cost $6 at the gate Friday night.

ELKMONT HAS PEOPLE NOTICING

The Decatur Daily has a column today about the Red Devils and their 2-0 start this season. Evidently people have noticed and are starting to use the "P" word again when Elkmont is talked about.  It's early but even thinking about going to the playoffs again is exciting. Be sure to grab a copy today at the gas station or Pig for the full article.  

Link to article: DECATUR DAILY

Highlights:
Year of the Red Devils.
With Tennessee Valley high school football, this might not be a stretch. Elkmont. Heading into Week 4 of the regular season, the local Red Devils are perfect.  It has been a few years since we could say that. Elkmont has won its first two games for the first time since 2011and have a legitimate shot at stretching the winning streak to three games.

On Friday, as Elkmont stunned Brooks, a perennial Class 4A playoff program, social media was buzzing, with fans from across the Tennessee Valley talking about one of the area's biggest upsets of the season.

Now the fans at Elkmont get to join the postseason discussion. The playoffs aren't a pipe dream, either.  Looking at the schedule, the Red Devils should remain in the postseason hunt through the end of region play. That means lots of big games are on the horizon.  And with those high-stakes games comes the good stuff that makes high school football fun. Stadium enthusiasm should be on the rise. Same goes for campus school spirit.

Outside of Elkmont, a few football fans are scratching their heads.  Elkmont coach Sean Holt has 16 seniors and eight juniors, and he's been high on this group since they were newcomers making their first varsity appearances a few years ago.  And even though Elkmont hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 2011, Holt never viewed his Red Devils as a struggling program. Elkmont was stuck in arguably the toughest Class 3A region in the state, with championship contenders Madison Academy, Deshler, Lauderdale County and Colbert County. The Red Devils usually finished fifth or sixth in that region, but Holt never felt like his team was far off the pace.

BROOKS GAME IN PICTURES

Elkmont caged the Brooks Lions 41- 35 last Friday.  However, the game is always more than the score so the Hill Spirit has the day in pictures.

Special thanks to all those who contributed pictures.  Down Home Portraits has 158 great photos of the Elkmont/Brooks game.  If you are interested in ordering, you can message them on their facebook page.