Bryson City – This past Friday Swain hosted the Franklin Panthers in an old Smoky Mountain Conference matchup. Franklin entered the game 0-2 on the season having lost to Robbinsville and Murphy. Meanwhile the Maroon Devils were 2-0 after having knocked off Charlotte Country Day and Smoky Mountain. The Maroon Devils rode a strong rushing attach to a decisive 40-13 win over Franklin.
In year two Coach Sherman Holt looked to improve his offense from last season. He first hired David Napert to take over the defense, which Holt had coached last year. Next Holt himself switched sides of the ball, taking over play calling duties. But most importantly he returned a nice cache of skilled players to go with some seasoned veterans along the front line.
The results have been staggering so far on the young season. Friday against the Panthers Swain recorded their 2nd 300+ yard rushing game as a team on the 2023 season, as they finished with 396 yards. Last season the Devils didn’t have a single game with more than 300 yards rushing. Solid returns for this early in the season.
On the defensive side of the ball the Devils have not missed a beat. Through three games the Devils defense has allowed 23 points, for a 7 point per game average, and only 77 yards per game rushing.
Friday both sides of the ball showed out. On offense the Devils rolled to 396 yards rushing with 5 touchdowns on the ground. Josh Collins led the way with 177 yards on 13 carries. James Stroman provided a huge spark as he ran for a career high 83 yards on 13 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Reese Winchester added 47 yards and a touchdown, while Drew Cody finished with a career high 72 yards on only 3 carries, which included a 64 yard touchdown scamper.
Swain’s defense was just as impressive as they limited Franklin to 80 yards rushing for the game. Nse Uffort led the defense with 11 tackles, Skeet Cook had 8 1/2, while Josh Collins and Grady Lewis finished with 7 tackles each for a defense that allowed 2.9 yards per play.