Red Devils pound Vikings

The South Fulton Red Devils used a strong ground game, and smothering defense, to beat the Humboldt Vikings 54-12 last Friday night at home.

The (2-6) Red Devils got four touchdowns from running back Dalton Gray, and three scores from Greg Davis, and took control of the game from the opening kickoff.

“We wanted to run the ball at them all night and were able to do that,” said coach Jason Rodehaver following the big win. “We went down and got the early score, then recovered the onside kick and were able to score again. I think you could see really quick that it deflated them. You know, we were hoping to get the early lead and set the tone, and we we able to do that.”

Gray started the offensive onslaught for South Fulton with a 60-yard touchdown scamper at the 10:39 mark of the first quarter, which was complimented by a two-point conversion run by Rider Whitehead.

Less than two minutes later, Davis produced his first points on a 25-yard run, and added the two-point conversion for a 16-0 lead.

With 3:02 on the scoreboard in the first quarter, it was Davis again crossing the goal line on a 26-yard run.

Gray converted the two-point conversion and the Red Devils took control with a 24-0 advantage.

The second quarter saw South Fulton open up a 46-0 halftime lead, as Davis scored on a 12-yard run, followed by Gray’s 17-yard run and 97-yard interception return.

With the running clock in the second half, Humboldt got on the scoreboard in the third quarter with a three-yard run from Zacheas Coleman, which was countered by Gray’s 47-yard untouched touchdown and 54-6 lead.

The Vikings put the only points on the board in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Malik Cox crossed the endzone on a four-yard run.

After the Red Devils posted their largest offensive point production of the season, coach Rodehaver paid compliments to his players for the overall team win.

“Greg (Davis) and Dalton (Gray) really did a good job running the ball, and I can’t say enough about our offensive line. They just controlled the game. They gave us the blocking we needed and allowed us to do what we wanted to do. On the defensive side, we got out and gang tackled and really kept them (Humboldt) from getting anything going. I also have to compliment the defensive play of Drew Barclay. He is one of the smaller guys on this team, but he had several tackles for us. It was a big effort from him and the team.”

Coach Rodehaver also complimented the teams ability to rebound from a tough loss the previous week.

“I was really proud that we had no turnovers and very few penalties in this game. You know the week before down at Lake County, we went down there and just laid an egg. We didn’t have a good effort at all. I was so proud that the guys bounced back for this win. It was a game we needed and it still kept us in the playoff hunt.”

On the night, the Red Devils pounded out 366-yards with the ground attack, led by Dalton Gray’s eight carries for 170-yards and 13 carries from Greg Davis for 142-yards.

With the win over Humboldt, South Fulton now sports a (2-2) district record with two games to play.

This week the Red Devils will travel to face West Carroll, and will wrap up their regular season schedule Oct. 26 at home against Gleason.