TIGERS HOLD RED DEVILS TO SEVEN

Deshler stays alive for the Class 4A, Region 8 championship with a big game against Elkmont on Friday. Deshler (4-3, 4-1) defeated Elkmont (0-7, 0-5) 38-7 behind Ricks’ 207-yard, four-touchdown performance.

Ricks put the Tigers on the board with a 26-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The senior running back then broke off a long run for a 46-yard score with just under 10 minutes left in the second quarter to put Deshler up 14-0.

Elkmont came right back with a score of its own with a 15-yard touchdown run by Eli Hobbs with 4:38 left in the second. The Red Devils were held scoreless the rest of the game by the Tigers.

 Source: Florence Times Daily

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS - DESHLER

The Elkmont Red Devils will be traveling to Deshler High School for tonight's game @ 7 pm.  It takes at least an hour to get there.  Elkmont has been selected to be the Tigers Homecoming opponent this year. This will make the game longer than normal so plan accordingly. It may be midnight before you get home.  

 

GAME WEATHER:

A cold front will be close to the Shoals area.  Be sure to take rain gear.  

Rain chances are 50%. Temps will be in mid 60s but it will feel cooler if the rain starts. 

Wind: Abt 6 MPH  

 

RADIO: FM-105.5

*try the link out before kickoff.  Sometimes these take a little time to set up

 

PREDICTIONS: 

Decatur Daily - Elkmont at Deshler

Where: Howard Chappell Stadium

What: Class 4A, Region 8 game

Records: Elkmont (0-6, 0-4); Deshler (3-3, 3-1)

Last season: Deshler won 34-0

The skinny: Deshler is trying to bounce back from consecutive losses to Colbert County and Wilson, while Elkmont is searching for its first win. … Deshler leads the series 4-0.

The Daily picks: Deshler 42, Elkmont 14

Times Daily - Elkmont at Deshler

Elkmont (0-6, 0-4) at Deshler (3-3, 3-1)

The skinny: Deshler should bounce back from its 13-7 overtime loss last week to Wilson when Elkmont comes to town. The Tigers will likely get back on track with a big game from quarterback Hunter Hill. … Elkmont’s season is effectively over and its defense has allowed 40 or more points the last four weeks, including a 40-13 loss to Central last week

ELKMONT WINNING STREAK SNAPPED

Deshler rolled to its sixth straight win Friday with a convincing Class 4A, Region 8 victory over Elkmont. The win keeps the Tigers (6-1, 5-0) on top the region standings. It also stopped Elkmont’s three-game win streak. Elkmont kept pace with No. 10 ranked Deshler for a half, but couldn’t compete with the Tigers depth in the second half during a 34-0 loss Friday.

The Deshler offense broke open a 14-0 game in the second half with three touchdowns, while the defense was holding the Red Devils (5-2, 3-2) in check. In fact, Deshler limited Elkmont to only 153 yards of offense.

A fumble recovery by Nick Aubrey on the Elkmont 10 set up the game’s first score.
With 10:54 left in the half, Deshler scored again to made it 14-0 at the half.
 
The Deshler offense began to start pulling away in the third quarter. Byrd scored on a 4-yard run to push the score to 20-0. With two minutes left in the third, Chris Robinson caught a 25-yard pass from Howard and outran the defense for another touchdown.

Then with just under 10 minutes left in the game, Deshler scored its last touch down of the game and topped it off with a 2-point conversion.

Elkmont falls to 5-2 on the season and 3-2 in region play, but still sit in third place in 4A Region 8 and can make the playoffs with wins over Rogers and East Lawrence in its next two games.

Sources:  Florence Times Daily

Athens News Courier

OFFENSIVE LINE PAVING WAY TO SUCCESS

The News Courier has a great article on the team.  If you want a hard copy, you can still get one until Thursday at the office in Athens.

Elkmont’s football team is off to its best start since 2008 entering Friday’s game against No. 10 Deshler. While most of the players on this 5-1 team are the same that were on the team that lost eight games a year ago, there is one glaring difference.
“I think they are a year older and a year stronger,” said Elkmont head coach Sean Holt. “They’ve had another year in our Wing-T system. We’ve added to it and got comfortable with it. The Wing-T is all about hard work. You have to be physical and that’s the way we play.”

A big reason Elkmont is in contention to host an area playoff contest is the running game. Through six games this season, the Red Devils are averaging 285 yards per game on the ground. And, while Elkmont is loaded with talented running backs, look no further than an experienced offensive line for the reason.“It’s made a big difference,” Holt said about having experience. “They’ve all stuck with it. They’ve played the big boys in Region 8 the last few years and that helps.”

Tackles Travis Riggs and Eli Vining, guards Kody Clark and Brent Stovall and center Hunter Brazeal are opening the holes for Elkmont’s running backs. “I feel like we can run over more people this year,” said Vining. “It’s more of a power-based offense, so it’s more on us this year. This is the first year that we’ve studied the offense all year, so we know it really well. I think when we get into a game, once we figure out what we’re going to do, we run them over.”

The flip side is the extra attention opponents are giving to stop the run game.  Fortunately for Elkmont, quarterback Jordan Nelson is taking advantage of those opportunities. Nelson has thrown the ball only 32 times, but has completed 66 percent of his passes, averages 17 yards per completion and has four touchdowns to just one interception. “Teams are stacking the box and we’ve still accomplished what we want to do,” said Holt. “Last week, we threw it six times, but we were effective. The last three weeks, we haven’t thrown it a lot. But we’ve been successful when we have. Jordan Nelson has been really successful through the air.”

Elkmont has four players capable of carrying the load in Elkmont’s Wing-T offense, led by Mike Tucker with 546 yards and five touchdowns. All four backs have at least 250 yards and are averaging at least 5.5 yards per carry. “There is a lot of punishment in how we run the ball,” said Holt. “They can really get beat up so we swap them out. They can all play three positions. We run it to try to keep the other team honest by being able to run either direction with any of the backs. The offense is meant to keep the defense off-balance.”

Elkmont and its talented running game face their toughest task tonight against a Deshler team riding a five-game winning streak, including a 40-20 win over Wilson last week.  “They’re big, fast and deep,” said Holt about Deshler. “Those guys are playing one-way, so they can sub. They can bring in one of their defensive players on offense. They are very deep as far as their roster. That takes a toll.”
 
A win would move Elkmont into a three-way tie with Deshler and Wilson in Class 4A Region 8, while a loss would put the Red Devils in sole possession of third place. “We wanted to make the playoffs,” said Holt about their goals entering the season. “Hosting a playoff game would be a great goal for us now. But to get in the playoffs is the goal. Even if we don’t win (against Deshler), we’re still in good shape.”

Source:  Athens News Courier

ELKMONT GOES 5 -1

Great win for the Elkmont Red Devils.  Next week against Desler will be a big regional game.  The Florence Times and Decatur Daily both have articles for you scrapbookers.

CENTRAL HEIGHTS — Elkmont took advantage of six Central turnovers en route to a 31-7 victory over the Wildcats on Friday night. Elkmont improved to 3-1 in Class 4A, Region 8 play with a win over Central-Florence.  Central (3-3, 2-2) threw four interceptions and fumbled the ball in the red zone on its first possession.

Elkmont took an early 7-0 lead a 4-yard run by Mike Tucker. The score was set up by the first of the four interceptions.

Central’s lone score came in the second quarter on a 43-yard quarterback run by Patric Langston to tie the score at 7. That, however, would be the only highlight for Central. Elkmont then seized control, reeling off 24 unanswered points to secure the win.

Elkmont (5-1, 3-1) finished with 365 total yards. Quarterback Jordan Nelson made the most of his four completions, throwing for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson hit receivers Eli Hobbs and Jared Bailey for touchdowns of 59 and 51 yards as the Red Devils took a 21-7 lead into halftime.

Elkmont held Central to 242 total yards. The Red Devils were able to consistently put pressure on Langston, leading to the four interceptions.

Elkmont coach Sean Holt gave most of the credit for the win to the defensive line.

“Our defensive line did a great job,” said Holt. “Drew Thompson, John John Williams, Kody Clark and Brent Stovall did a great job.”

Elkmont kicker Alexis Hernandez hit a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter to push the lead to 24-7. The Red Devils scored again in the fourth quarter after picking off another Central pass. A 20-yard run by Bailey extended Elkmont’s lead to 31-7.

Bailey finished with a game-high 109 yards on 13 carries for Elkmont (5-1), while Nelson completed 4 of 6 pass attempts for 137 yards.
 

Source: Florence Times 

Decatur Daily 

DESHLER TOO MUCH FOR ELKMONT

Deshler  had faced Elkmont only once before, but 74 years later the results were eerily similar as the ninth-ranked Tigers overwhelmed the Red Devils 56-6 in Class 3A, Region 8 action at Howard Chappell Stadium Friday night.

Deshler (5-3, 4-2 Region 8) won the previous matchup 53-7 in 1938, but the Tigers’ hybrid option offense sputtered in the first quarter against a stubborn Red Devils defense. Then Deshler unspooled eight consecutive scoring drives that spanned the second and third quarters to lead 56-0 heading into the final period.

Wingback Dameon Fuqua awakened the Tigers’ attack with a 41-yard scamper and fullback Terrance Byrd scooted free for a 44-yard score in the second quarter. After a TD run from the Elkmont 1-yard line and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Justin Cantrell to Wilmon Simpson, Deshler took a 28-0 lead into halftime.

The Tigers, who finished with 414 yards of total offense, added four more touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

Elkmont junior Josh Ferrazas spoiled the shutout attempt with a 2-yard TD run midway through the final quarter to make the final score 56-6.

Dustin Ward led the Red Devils with 12 carries for 33 yards, while Fuqua paced the Tigers with a pair of touchdowns and seven carries for 110 yards.

Cantrell finished 8 of 17 for 129 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Elkmont’s Bryant Wales completed 6 of 14 passes for 30 yards and three interceptions.

Both teams continue region play this Friday as Elkmont (2-6, 1-5) hosts Lauderdale County and Deshler travels to Clements.

—Michael Carter

2012 VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

School Schedule
Date Participants Req Site Location Game Name Results 08/31/2012 @ 07:00 pm Ardmore High School (4A) Ardmore High School 09/07/2012 @ 07:00 pm Colbert County High School (3A R Elkmont High School 09/14/2012 @ 07:00 pm Westminster Christian Academy R Westminster Christian Academy 09/21/2012 @ 07:00 pm West Morgan High School (3A) R Elkmont High School 09/28/2012 @ 07:00 pm West Limestone High School (4A) Elkmont High School 10/05/2012 @ 07:00 pm Madison Academy (3A) R Elkmont High School 10/12/2012 @ 07:00 pm Clements High School (3A) R Clements High School 10/19/2012 @ 07:00 pm Deshler High School (3A) R Deshler High School 10/26/2012 @ 07:00 pm Lauderdale County High School (3A) R Elkmont High School 11/02/2012 @ 07:00 pm Wilson High School (4A) Wilson High School