Red Devils rule on 'D'

This sparkling new stadium wasn't the place for dynamic offenses and fancy, freewheeling football on a sticky Friday night.

Lincoln County instead brought its stout defense to Hephzibah, and the unit hounded the Rebels all over the field. By the time it was done, the Red Devils had shut out their third consecutive opponent, this time blanking their Class AAAA hosts 23-0.

"We're not burning up the scoreboard yet," Lincoln County coach Larry Campbell said. "Our (defensive line) has played tough all year long. Super all year long."

Lincoln County, which had outscored its first two opponents by a combined 63-0, scored on two short runs in the first half for all the points it needed.

A 53-yard misdirection run on the second play of the game by Jafabian Green set up the first score. Field position -- the Red Devils began the drive 41 yards from the end zone -- and a key 15-yard facemask penalty set up the second.

The Red Devils added three points just before the half by taking advantage of an obscure rule. They fair-caught a line-drive punt 36 yards from the end zone, then had kicker Vance Tarver tee it up like a kickoff and boot the ball between the posts from 46 yards out.

"It's a rule -- when you fair catch the football, you get a free kick," Campbell said. "No one ever uses it, but we do."

Three times in the first half Hephzibah started a possession either in Lincoln County territory or within 4 yards of midfield, but couldn't even penetrate the Red Devils' red zone.

"We just got manhandled in some spots," said Hephzibah coach John Bowen, whose team gained 137 yards in 56 plays. "They never let us get any momentum."

The Rebels (2-1) had a four-game winning streak snapped with the loss, a mark that was the second-longest streak in the area behind Blackville-Hilda (seven consecutive wins). Their last loss was a one-point defeat to Liberty County last Oct. 26.

A minute into the second quarter, Hephzibah had run only eight plays, yet trailed 14-0. Two of its first three drives ended in turnovers inside Lincoln County territory. In the second quarter, it failed to convert two fourth-and-1s inside the Red Devils 30-yard line (fullback run for no gain, incompletion).

By the time the Rebels sustained a drive -- their next-to-last possession went 17 plays, including nine rushing attempts or scrambles by quarterback Connell Reddick -- they trailed by 17 and less than 15 minutes remained.

"If we would have put one in early, it might have changed the whole complexion of the game," Bowen said.

The Red Devils met an opponent from Class AAAA for the first time since a 20-point loss to Greenbrier three years ago.

Reach Matt Middleton at (706) 823-3425 or matt.middleton@augustachronicle.com.