STATEBORO, Georgia (WTOC) – In 2023, the Statesboro Blue Devils won a playoff game for the first time in 10 years. Now the team wants to build on that success and start the new season.
“Considering we haven’t won a playoff game in years, this is a huge accomplishment for us and we are hungry for more,” said junior defensive back Ra’Quavis Prescott.”
“Everyone is a lot more optimistic and a little more excited, and with the new staff, it feels great to be here every day,” said Quinn Williams, senior center.
“We don’t want it to take 10 years for us to win a playoff game again. That’s our goal: to be a playoff team every year and to be a threat to win in the playoffs,” Statesboro head coach Matt Dobson said.
This goal seems quite achievable for the Blue Devils, as they were able to end their playoff drought in the first year under Dobson.
And now that he and the rest of the coaching staff have a year under their belt, they feel like they are much further along this year than they were this time last season.
“Our kids know what we expect, so they know what each day is going to look like. There aren’t a lot of surprises. Last year there were a lot of new things, the way we trained and the things we practiced were different for the kids, and this year they know what to expect and they’re responding great to it.” The effort the coaching staff has made to get to this point hasn’t gone unnoticed by their players.
“They want it as much as we do,” Williams said. “It seems like they’re not coaching, they’re playing with us. They want us to be good because they want to be good themselves.”
One of the biggest focuses for the Blue Devils this year will be the offensive line – making sure it is efficient and available.
“To make the playoffs, I think you have to be better at running the football. And I think our offensive line is going to play a big role in that,” Dobson said.
“We (had success last season) despite having seven offensive players out, and we worked on some backup players that we didn’t think would play last year, and we made it this far,” Williams said. “So what can we do this year now that everyone is healthy?”
Statesboro will get its first glimpse of that answer Friday night when they open their season against Southeast Bulloch at 7:30 p.m.
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