Bryson City – The Maroon Devils spun a little more first round magic this past Friday. Swain executed a near perfect game plan and downed a very talented Mountain Island Charter School squad 13-6. The win bumped the Devils first round playoff record to 36-2 all time, and extended their home playoff winning streak to 19 straight games.
For the Maroon Devils the gameplan was relatively simple, maintain possession, move the ball, and stay disciplined on defense. Check, check and check. On offense the Devils kept the ball, running 59 plays for 267 yards. The defense stayed disciplined all evening, limiting the explosive Raptor offense to only 32 plays good for 148 yards. On the season the Raptors were averaging over 350 yards rushing per game, while star running back Elijah Burris was averaging over 250 yards rushing per game.
Burris, for the first time all season, was held below 100 yards rushing. The Maroon Devils limited Burris to 94 yards on 13 carries for the night. Make no mistake Elijah Burris is an elite talent, one that for sure will play on the next level. On this night though, the Maroon Devils relied on a great game plan and a disciplined defense that held Burris in check.
The Maroon Devils took the opening kickoff and did exactly what they needed to do to set the tone for the game. Swain marched 75 yards on 11 running plays which took 4:39 off the clock. It was Bryce Sain who scored on a 10 yard run to get the Devils on the board first. The extra point attempt failed, leaving the score at 6-0.
Mountain Island Charter answered the Swain score with their first drive of the game. In just 4 plays the Raptors covered 63 yards. After 3 Elijah Burris carries resulted in 29 yards, the Raptors went to the air, scoring on a 32 yard pass. Colby Taylor blocked the Raptor conversion leaving the game tied at 6.
The game would remain tied until the second half. It was the Maroon Devils on their first drive of the second half who broke through. This time on a 7 play 42 yard drive that took 4:40 off the clock. Again it was Bryce Sain who found the endzone, scoring on a 12 yard scamper. Zack Cline hit the extra point to give Swain a 13-6 lead with 4:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Sain would finish with a game high 100 yards on 23 carries. Damian Lossiah added 88 yards on 12 carries, while Ian Brooks finished with 57 yards on 14 carries.
On defense Jake Langston finished with 10 tackles while Hunter Burrell and Ian Brooks had 6 each for a well balanced Swain defense.
With the win the Maroon Devils hit the road this week, traveling to Mount Airy to face the top seeded Granite Bears.