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Knights lay claim to realm

By Billy Byler  |  Columbia County Bureau

Saturday, October 13, 2007

                                                                                  

There's a new king in Region 3-AAAA.

It used to be the jester.

Evans knocked off Statesboro 10-7 on Friday night in an upset that fans at John Pierce Blanchard Stadium haven't seen in years.

Evans, the same team that tallied a combined five wins over the previous two seasons, now holds a 6-0 record and first place in the region standings after beating the No. 4 team in Class AAAA.

Statesboro held a 7-3 lead until Evans' final drive of the game.

The Knights recovered a fumble and turned possession over to the offense, which marched 86 yards in four and a half minutes to set up the game-winning score.

 
Jim Blaylock/Staff

Statesboro's Patrick Jenkins is stopped short of a first down in the second quarter by Evans' Brandon McCladdie.

Millward spent most of the drive finding senior receiver Jonathan Nicely downfield.

Nicely tallied 82 of his season-high 111 receiving yards on that final drive. His biggest catch was a 22-yard reception in the back of the end zone with 1:23 left in the game that gave the Knights a 10-7 lead.

"Jonathan's a great receiver, no doubt. He did a good job of making himself open," Millward said. "He found seams that weren't in the plays. He just got open."

Evans' defense held Statesboro again on a fourth-and-28 play with 34 seconds left in the game. Luke Connell's pass fell incomplete, and the Knights' win seemed inevitable.

It wasn't that easy.

Millward fumbled on Evans' next play, to give Statesboro the ball back on its 48-yard line.

That set up the final drive and missed 30-yard field goal attempt by Matt Conner with 9 seconds left, his third miss of the night. It allowed the Knights to escape as the only remaining Region 3-AAAA team with an undefeated record.

"Nothing was going to stop us tonight," Evans senior Trey Henderson said. "We just kept saying we got to do it. Everybody knows how Statesboro is. They're the No. 4 team in the state.

"But I got to say, when I saw the field goal miss, tears came to my eyes."

Statesboro led for all but nine minutes of the game thanks to a 70-yard kickoff return by Patrick Jenkins in the Blue Devils' first possession.

The touchdown gave Statesboro a 7-3 lead, but Evans' defense never let the Blue Devils get out of reach.

"Our defense is fantastic. Everybody knows it now," Evans quarterback Kevin Millward said. "They were the ones who really won this game for us."

Evans coach Marty Jackson expected a war, and that's what the Knights got from the Blue Devils.

"We knew coming in that it was going to be a battle," Jackson said. "I think it really did come down to the fact that we aren't going to panic. We've never changed how we want to win."

Reach Billy Byler at (706) 863-6165 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.

EVANS 10, STATESBORO 7

Evans 3 0 0 7 - 10

Statesboro 7 0 0 0 - 7

First Quarter

E-Matt Dickerson 20 field goal, 5:37

S-Patrick Jenkins 70 kickoff return (Matt Conner kick), 5:26

Fourth Quarter

E-Jonathan Nicely 17 pass from Kevin Millward (Dickerson kick), 1:23

EVANS 10, STATESBORO 7

First Downs  E 11 S 9
Rushes-Yards E 28-111 S 32-97
Passing Yards E 152 S 88
Comp.-Att.-Int. E 14-28-1 S 5-14-0
Fumbles-Lost E 3-1 S 2-2
Punts-Yards E 5-34.0 S 4-41.3
Penalties-Yards E 4-35 S 4-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Statesboro: Patrick Jenkins 11-42, Nic Lanier 11-40, Jonathan Coleman 2-11, Marcus White 5-19, Luke Connell 3-(-15). Evans: Trey Henderson 4-11, Brandon McCladdie 5-15, Sean Matthews 1-12, Jonathan Finch 5-22, Kevin Millward 13-51.

PASSING-Statesboro: Luke Connell 5-14, 88. Evans: Kevin Millward 14-28-1, 152.

RECEIVING-Statesboro: Diego Prince 3-40, Torrance Whitaker 2-48. Evans: Jonathan Nicely 7-111-1, Trey Henderson 1-1, Reuben Faloughi 1-19, Brandon McCladdie 5-21.

Evans 10, Statesboro 7

Play of the game: The Kevin Millward-Jonathan Nicely connection worked five times in Evans' final drive of the game. The last play, a 22-yard touchdown catch by Nicely, gave the Knights the lead for good.

Why Evans won: For the second week in a row the Evans defense made the difference. This time they held the No. 4 team in the state to only two first downs in the first half.

Why Statesboro lost: For three and a half quarters the Blue Devils' hard-nosed running offense didn't produce a single point. By the time they needed a quick score in the final minutes of the game, the time-wasting running game was no use, and the passing attack was no match for Evans' defense.

Star of the game: Nicely's 111 yards on seven receptions stand out, but it only happened because senior center Michael Heredia and the rest of the Evans offensive line made Statesboro star lineman Deangelo Tyson a non-factor and gave Millward time to throw.

What's next: Evans will play a rare Thursday night game at Brunswick next week. Statesboro will return home to face Richmond Academy.

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