Blue Devils overwhelmed by Bruins

A dominant rushing attack and a stout defense led to a 37-10 Northwest Whitfield win over Model on Friday night in Shannon as the host Blue Devils fell to 0-3 on the season.

Model fought to keep the game close in the first half, but the Bruins were able to recover from an early mistake and ran away with the non-region contest.

Blue Devil linebacker Karson Eldridge made a big impact on defense with 7.5 tackles, including one for a loss. Cornerback Kwalic Dublin also came up in a big way with five tackles to go along with an interception.

Injuries to key players, such as starting quarterback Jackson Couch, forced other players into action as Model head coach Gordon Powers went with multiple quarterbacks in the contest. A tough, stingy Bruins defense thwarted any offensive effort as the Blue Devils mustered just 55 yards of total offense.

“You only get better by playing good football teams and us playing up and playing against a 4A team is really going to help us as the season goes along,” Powers said.

After the Bruins’ first drive came to a halt, thanks to an interception by Dublin, Northwest Whitfield (31) returned the favor with a pick six. This kicked off the scoring as a couple of plays later the Bruins capitalized again, scoring on another interception return.

Down 37-0 after three quarters, Model’s offense was able to avoid a shutout as running back A.J. Woods scored on a 6-yard scamper to put points on the board for the Blue Devils.

Woods and Dublin fought hard for yards all night. The Blue Devil defense forced a turnover late and was set up in prime position to score. They settled for a late 36-yard field goal from Matthew Syverson with 11 seconds left in the game.

The Blue Devils will kick off Region 7-AA play next Friday at Dade County.