Red Devils beat Bulldogs in Fulton

A quick start by the South Fulton Red Devils helped secure their 56-22 win over Fulton City last week.

In the battle of the Twin Cities, the Red Devils got first quarter touchdown runs of 63 and 16-yards from Greg Davis, along with a 31-yard run from Dylan Ransom to go on top 22-0.

In the second quarter, it was Drew Barclay scoring on a two-yard run at the 6:46 mark, with Davis again crossing the goal line from seven-yards out with 2:48 on the clock.

The Bulldogs put their first points on the scoreboard just before halftime, when Amire Hobbs scored on an 87-yard pass play from Jahiem King. Hobbs then added the two-point conversion for a halftime score of 36-8.

In the third quarter, Davis resumed his big night by crossing paydirt for the fourth time, with this score coming from 35-yards out.

Fulton City countered the touchdown, when Kire Tribble scored on a 65-yard pass play to make the score 44-16.

The South Fulton offense continued to shine, as Mason Harper got in the books with a 28-yard touchdown run.

The period ended with the Bulldogs Jahiem King scoring on a 28-yard run to bring the score to 50-22.

The final points of the night came from the Red Devils, with Davis scoring on a two-yard run.

South Fulton coach Eric Knott recorded a first in his coaching career, as his team rushed for 430-yards in the game, without attempting one pass.

“This was a first, I have never done that,” said the coach. “It wasn’t really planned. We just made an effort to get back to running the football. A lot of things played into that, with Bryce (McFarland) being hurt and several other receivers being hurt. So again unplanned, we just turned to Greg (Davis) to be the focal point.”

Davis rushed for 220 of the teams total yards in the game, which drew the praise of coach Knott.

“He really did a great job. The air raid and those things look good, and they are fun to coach, but they are hard to run the ball in. Greg is at 260 pounds running back, so I said let’s run the ball.”

Fulton City coach Harold Hutcherson said his game plan focused on South Fulton spreading the offense and throwing the football.

When the Red Devils resorted to the running game, Coach Hutcherson said the move went against his defensive weakness.

“I was surprised and it hit my weakness. We just knew they would spread the field and put the ball in the air. As far as our defense, we are small up front, but our corners really have speed. We are more suited to a passing attack, but with the big backs they had, they just overpowered us. After they had their second possession, I knew we were going to have to try to stop the run.”

Despite the score, coach Hutcherson said he saw great improvement on the night, especially with the passing attack.

While the Bulldogs managed only 42-yards on the ground, they accumulated 253-yards through the air.

“My guys won’t quit. I told them at halftime to keep going strong. We made some changes at halftime. Once we began to throw, it worked out good. It showed them that they can move the ball. They can score if they put their mind to it. I saw more improvement in this game on the offense. Some of these guys can make a difference. I think they really realize that now.”

Along with Davis in the rushing category for South Fulton, Dylan Ransom gained 88-yards, with Mason Harper 70, Mason Gaskins 43 and Drew Barclay 9.

For Fulton City, Jahiem King led the way in the rushing department with 50-yards.

On pass receptions for the night, Amire Hobbs was the team leader with 82-yards, followed by Kire Tribble 79, Camarae Cobb 40, Jahiem King 35 and Hunter Hayes 17.

The Bulldogs will now hit the road to Webster County this Friday night, while South Fulton will enjoy a much needed bye week to heal several injured players.

“We are extremely beat up,” said coach Knott. “I really have only one healthy wide receiver that we started the year with. Dalton (Gray) and Brock (Brown) are questionable, so Drew (Barclay) has had to move back to quarterback with Bryce (McFarland) being hurt. So we have a lot to work on with new players in new spots. Having this two week break will help us in getting some of these guys healed and ready to go.”