The Elbert County Blue Devils will be playing in front of their home fans against the Swainsboro Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Elbert County had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They pulled ahead with a 42-41 photo finish over Trion. Winning may never get old, but Elbert County sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Jayvyn Hickman had a dynamite game for Elbert County, rushing for 187 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Jacari Barnett was another key contributor, rushing for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Swainsboro earned a 18-6 victory over Lamar County on Friday. The win made it back-to-back wins for Swainsboro.
The critical scores for Swainsboro came from La'marqus Webb and Bryson Tarver.
Elbert County pushed their record up to 10-2 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 9-3 Rabun County and 8-4 Mount Vernon (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 66.1% over those games). As for Swainsboro, their victory bumped their record up to 10-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Elbert County has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 154.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Swainsboro struggles in that department as they've been even better at 293.2 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
