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Mustangs provide glimpse of hope in loss
Cameron Edwards
Mustangs running back Cameron Edwards (1) sweeps around the left end at midfield for a few yards against the Blue Devils on Friday. - photo by Mark Lastinger/staff
Mark Lastinger
Effingham Herald
Published: Oct 25, 2021, 10:23 AM

STATESBORO — South Effingham didn’t get the big victory it wanted Friday night but it picked up a few small ones while searching for it.

The banged-up Mustangs (1-7, 0-4 in Region 2-AAAAAA) scored on their opening possession against Statesboro, giving them their first lead since posting a 33-30 overtime win over Wayne County on Sept. 10. They also churned out 18 first downs with a clock-eating offense that got off 21 more offensive snaps than the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1).

The successes weren’t enough, however, as the Mustangs were burned by multiple big plays in a 35-6 setback.

“I thought we outplayed them in the first half other than three plays,” South Effingham head coach Nathan Clark said. “In the first half, they had a big pass, they had a big run by the quarterback and they had the fumble.

“Other than that, I thought we controlled the first half.”

The Mustangs opened the game with a 73-yard touchdown drive that trimmed nearly eight minutes off the clock and produced five first downs. The surge ended with a 3-yard pass from Kaden De Genaro to  Justin Martell.

The first big Statesboro play Clark referenced came on the first snap after Martell’s grab. It was an 80-yard touchdown pass from Kam Mikell to Tim Taylor.

The Blue Devils’ second touchdown came just 20 seconds later on a 29-yard fumble return by defensive back Caleb Tisby.

Midway through the second quarter, the Mustangs advanced to the Blue Devils 29 before setting for 46-yard field goal try that missed the mark. Three snaps later on a third-and-nine situation, Mikell scrambled in the backfield while looking to pass before taking off for a 79-yard touchdown run.

Down 21-6, South Effingham opened the third quarter with the ball at its 30. It couldn’t get a first down, however, and had to punt after three plays.

On the first snap after the ensuing kick, Jordan Lovett took a handoff and raced 70 yards for a touchdown.

“When we didn’t execute on the first drive (of the second half) and they did, that really hurt us,” Clark said. “That put us behind the 8-ball to make a comeback but I thought our kids continued to fight really hard.”

Following Lovett’s scoring jaunt, the Mustangs marched 50 yards in 13 plays to the Statesboro 30 but were unable to score. The drive featured a mixture of short passes and runs by Cam Edwards.

Edwards rushed for 127 hard-earned yards on 33 carries. De Genaro passed for 120 yards, completed 14 of 25 attempts.

“We made progress,” Clark said. “We continued to move the ball throughout the entire game better than we have all year. Defensively, we contained them other than big plays.

“Statesboro has some very explosive playmakers. We knew they were going to make some big plays but we have to be able to sustain offensively what we did tonight and finish drives.”

The Blue Devils’ final big play was a 68-yard touchdown reception by Lovett. Statesboro’s four offensive touchdowns accounted for 297 of their 399 total yards.

South Effingham is set to host Richmond Hill on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Effingham County Falls 34-33 to Clarke Central in Playoffs
Effingham County football
Jmere Doe-Davis rushed 194 yards on 26 carries, but Effingham County fell 34-33 to Clarke Central, marking the Rebels’ fifth straight first-round playoff loss. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Donald Heath
Updated: Nov 15, 2025, 4:54 AM
Published: Nov 15, 2025, 4:35 AM

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — Effingham County watched a 16-point second-half lead disintegrate in a heartbreaking 34-33 loss to Clarke Central in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament Friday night at The Griff.

The Gladiators’ Tristan Thomas hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining, and quarterback Kamron Lawrence followed with a two-point conversion run to end the Rebels’ season.

It marked the fifth straight first-round playoff exit for ECHS in the last five seasons.

But this one hurt more than most.

“It’s terrible. You don’t get this time in your life back,” senior linebacker Duff Davis said. “I didn’t know tonight would be the last time taking off the pads, but you have to cherish it and enjoy every moment you get a chance to play.”

The Rebels (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Region 1, had every reason to believe another game awaited them. Even after Clarke Central rallied to tie the game in the fourth quarter, ECHS surged back in front, 33-26, on Jmere Doe-Davis’ 9-yard touchdown run with 3:41 left.

Doe-Davis finished with 194 yards on 26 carries. He handled the ball 11 times on the Rebels’ 12-play, 89-yard go-ahead drive.

But 37 seconds later, ECHS was behind for good.

“It’s a team loss. We played our hearts out. We just didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Doe-Davis said. “We just didn’t execute at the same level we did at the beginning of the game. We came out flat in the second half.”

Effingham County football
Effingham County’s Duff Davis (27) and Marshawn Monroe (95) chase Clarke Central quarterback Kamron Lawrence during the Rebels’ 34-33 first-round playoff loss Friday. “It’s terrible. You don’t get this time in your life back,” Davis said after the game. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Rebels dominate late first half

After taking a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, the game quickly slipped away from the Gladiators. Doe-Davis and the Rebels pounded Clarke Central’s three-man front for 78 rushing yards on the next possession — all but one yard from Doe-Davis — setting up Jackson Wilhoite’s second field goal, a 29-yarder, to cut the deficit to 7-6.

ECHS appeared to force a punt from the Gladiators’ 23 with less than three minutes left in the half. Central showed a fake but called timeout.

The Gladiators returned with the same fake — and this time were stopped. Collin McIntosh was dropped for a three-yard loss, giving the Rebels the ball at the 20.

Two plays later, quarterback Tucker Perkins found Noah Reese for a 14-yard touchdown, and Wilhoite’s PAT pushed ECHS ahead 13-7.

Things only worsened for Clarke Central. Lawrence fumbled on the next possession, and linebacker John Baker recovered at the Central 29.

Six plays later, Jernard Albright scored on a 2-yard run out of the wildcat with eight seconds left in the half, giving the Rebels a 19-7 lead.

Effingham County football
Jernard Albright (7) scores on a 2-yard run out of the wildcat formation, capping a key drive that showcased Effingham County’s balanced rushing attack against Clarke Central. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Clarke Central mounts a furious comeback

Clarke Central opened the second-half scoring with a field goal, but ECHS responded with Perkins’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Malik Letman to build a 26-10 advantage.

Perkins completed 20 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

But the Gladiators kept swinging. Two touchdown runs by Nuhsi Valenti and a pair of two-point conversions pulled Clarke Central even. The second conversion came on a halfback reverse and throwback to Lawrence to tie the game at 26.

“They made adjustments. We were ready for it, but we didn’t execute like we should have,” Davis said.

Effingham County football
Noah Reese dives into the end zone for a touchdown, finishing off a 14-yard connection from quarterback Tucker Perkins. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)