Weaverville – The Maroon Devil football team began the 2022 campaign this past Friday with a trip to North Buncombe. The major storyline for the Devils was the debut of head coach Sherman Holt. As fans who watched can attest the ’22 edition of the Maroon Devils looks every bit like, well like any other edition of Maroon Devil football. After a slow start the Maroon Devils slowly took over the game, grinding out a hard fought 21-0 road win to start their season.
While offensive coordinator Austin Cooke’s offense looked different, lining up almost exclusively in shotgun formation, the plays were very familiar. Even the casual fan could easily see the Devils running veer options and option reads all night. The results were good as the Devils rushed 36 times for 209 yards.
Gabe Lillard, in his first game as running back, finished with a game high 129 yards on 12 carries, including a 59 yard touchdown run that put the game away. Lillard, Josh Collins and Kellan McCullough shared the load equally in the backfield.
Reece Winchester, in his first start at quarterback, had a solid, if not outstanding game. Winchester was an efficient 5 of 8 through the air for 63 yards. Winchester also rushed 9 times for 6 yards.
On defense the Maroon Devils stood the test. In the opening quarter the Black Hawks lineup up and tried to run the ball down the throat of Swain, but the Devils defense held up. In the first half the only scoring threat North Buncombe had was a 49-yard field goal, which was blocked by Gabe Lillard.
All total the Devils limited North to 68 yards rushing on 31 attempts and another 53 yards through the air. Brandon Frost (8 tackles), Grady Lewis (7) and LD Lequire (6) anchored the Maroon Devil defense, as did the inside linebackers Lucas Sutton and Blake Sain.
Swain will host Smoky Mountain this Friday with kickoff set for 7:30.
