Seminole County earned its first win over a state-ranked team in 11 years, defeating widely considered state-ranked Schley County 32-14 on Friday night, Aug. 16, at Seminole Stadium in Donalsonville. at the Indians’ season opener.

The win puts the Indians in the state’s top 10 for the first time since 2014. Before the game, Schley County was ranked fifth in the state, and last season the Wildcats lost by three points to eventual state champion Bowden in the state championship semifinals.

The Seminole County Gridiron Indians put on a complete team show for their home crowd on Friday night! The game began with the Indians passing the ball to the Wildcats and then allowing a dangerous return from Schley County. However, the momentum changed after a game-changing interception by Seminole County senior Khamari Brown.

The Indians’ offense ran at full speed for the rest of the game, rushing for 371 yards and 73 yards through the air. The team’s running game was led by Kamauri Johnson, who rushed for 194 yards on 14 carries. Terry Daniels ran for 79 yards on six carries, Devin Gale had 67 yards on nine carries and Ellis Denham ran for 30 yards on eight carries.

During the night, Indians quarterback Denham threw a total of 48 yards; however, he was also the recipient of a pass from Devin Gale for 25 yards.

While the offense was exciting to watch, the Indians’ defense kept the crowd on their toes. The team had 59 total tackles on the night, with Marvin Pulley leading the way with nine, followed closely by Terry Daniels with eight tackles, six of which resulted in yards. Devin Gale and Zakari Henderson were both at their best with seven tackles, each recording one tackle for a loss. Khamari Smith and Marcus Thomas each recorded five tackles, Quon Owens had four tackles, Nei’Ko Edwards and Demetric Martin each had three, and Quentin Chrispin had two, one of which resulted in a loss.

The Indians had five sacks that night, including one each by Terry Daniels, Marcus Thomas and Michael Beard and two by Khamari Smith.

The Indians finished the night with a total of five touchdowns. Two of them went to Terry Daniels, followed by Kamauri Johnson, Devin Gale and Ellis Denham with one each.

In an interview with Todd Holcomb of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Seminole County coach Cedric Stegall commented: “We played four full quarters against a strong opponent, which has definitely been a weakness in the past. The game started as a defensive battle, but eventually we were able to break through with some big runs that put us in a position to score.”

“A big win like this gives our team and our community a much-needed confidence boost to start the season. I can see how our guys have grown over the years and are learning to work together as a unit, as a complete team, not just as individual players. This win means their hard work is paying off. But we have to enjoy the win and focus on next week and next opponent.”

“Our guys have a desire to continue to work hard and get better. They are committed to the success of this team. They love this game, they love each other and they love being Indians.”

The Indians will be back in action at home on Friday night when they welcome the Chattahoochee County Panthers. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m.