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ECHS ends football season in state playoffs
ECHS Football team running
Effingham County's football team made an exciting run to the state playoffs before falling to East Paulding 51-14 in the first round on Nov. 15. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


A football season filled with highlights ended for Effingham County in the first round of the Class 5A state championships Nov. 14.

The Rebels’ high-octane offense, a trademark of their season, sputtered during the first three quarters and East Paulding breezed to a 51-14 victory on a cold night in Dallas, Georgia.

“The kids had a good week of practice, but they just didn’t play well,” ECHS coach John Ford said. “East Paulding deserves credit. They have a great program, a great facility and great support. Their only loss was to Rome (No. 8 in 5A) so they’re 10-1 for a reason.”

East Paulding pulled away when it scored 16 points in the final three minutes of the first quarter to take a 23-0 lead.

The Raiders led 37-0 in the fourth quarter before Effingham County scored on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Perkins to Lamar Roberts.

Ryan Wells added a 52-yard interception return for the Rebels’ second touchdown later in the quarter.

ECHS finished with a 6-5 record – four of the losses (Houston County, Brunswick, Lakeside and East Paulding) were against teams now in the Sweet 16.

“Our kids battled through a lot of adversity all year. I’m proud of them and optimistic about the future,” Ford said.

John Ford
Effingham County football coach John Ford (right) surveys the field as offensive lineman Jordan Kimble (No. 54) gets ready to enter play against Statesboro on Nov. 1. The Rebels advanced to the state playoffs for the fourth straight season but lost in the first round to East Paulding 51-14 on Friday night. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
Ford pointed out that it was the school’s second senior class to make the playoffs in all four years. The senior class, playing from 1999-2002, also went to state four straight years.

“I’m proud of the seniors, disappointed on how it ended but no less grateful for the way they played,” Ford said.

The Rebels opened the season with shootout losses to Houston County, New Hampstead and Brunswick before settling down and winning six of their final seven games to earn a No.  3 seed from Region 1.

During the winning surge, ECHS overcame rescheduling because of the effects of Hurricane Helene that put the team on the road to the Augusta area three times within 10 days.

The Rebels won twice and played Lakeside, Evans competitively (38-38 midway through the fourth quarter) before the Panthers won 59-38.

ECHS’ offense, led by Perkins, averaged a school single-season record 33.6 points a game.

The Rebels will have some rebuilding to do but Perkins, a junior this season, and running back Jmere Doe-Davis, a sophomore, should be good starting points.

Ford said he expected Noah Reese, Devaughn Jones and freshman Jernard Albright to step into key offensive roles next season. Jaden Praylo and John Baker could see bigger roles on defense.

“Offensively, it was an unbelievable season,” Ford said. “We’ll always adjust and adapt to what our kids do well.”