The Bowdon Red Devils will face off against the Manchester Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bowdon comes in on 12 and Manchester on five.
Bowdon had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They secured a 35-31 W over Schley County on Friday. Bowdon's victory was all the more impressive since Schley County was averaging only 17.14 points allowed on the season.
Bowdon's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jordan Beasley, who rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Beasley was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 50 yards. Kyler Mcgrinn and his 118 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Bowdon's win.
Meanwhile, Manchester put the finishing touches on their eighth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They put the hurt on Telfair County with a sharp 35-13 victory. Manchester's victory was all the more impressive since Telfair County was averaging only 15.46 points allowed on the season.
Qua Cooper went supernova for Manchester, rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries. Another player making a difference was Darius Favors, who rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Manchester's defense and their five sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Cash White and Justus Terry who racked up five sacks between them.
Bowdon's victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-2. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 29.38 points. As for Manchester, their win bumped their record up to 11-2.
Bowdon and Manchester were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in August, but Bowdon came up empty-handed after a 21-20 loss. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Manchester's Keelan Whitaker, who rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Now that Bowdon knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
