Some say perfection is unattainable, but Simmons Blue Devils (10-0) head coach Tavares Johnson believes differently, even after shutting out the visiting Okolana Chieftains (5-6) 66-0 in the first round of the MHSAA 1A playoffs.
66-0 sounds like a perfectly played game on the part of the Simmons Blue Devils on both sides of the ball to most for a couple of reasons, starting with senior running back Vontrez Rush’s eight carries for 215 yards and five touchdowns performance.
Then, there’s junior quarterback Devontae Rush’s two rushing touchdowns with one from midfield.
Add to that a 61-yard rushing touchdown from senior wide receiver Jermaine Edwards and a kick returned 73 yards for a touchdown by junior receiver Charles Mallard III.
“We’ve got to play better than that,” said Johnson. “We played sloppily and had too many penalties.”
The Blue Devils certainly had a handful of careless false start penalties, which brought Johnson to his point that as the competition gets “greater,” good teams will capitalize on those mistakes and win that way.
“That’s what I’m trying to get them to understand — the mindset of a champion and that it’s the small things that count,” he said.
Johnson likened doing the small things to a successful relationship.
“It’s the small things that make a relationship greater — it’s the same thing on the football field and we’ve got to clean that up,” he added.
The Blue Devil defense, led by senior defensive tackle Tymon Wells, established its dominance early and often throughout the game with a bevy of tackles for loss.
Wells and freshman defensive back Prentavis Madison both recorded three TFLs and Madison recorded one sack along with junior defensive back Antoine Washington as the Chieftains tried to convert a 3rd down & 10 early in the second quarter.
With a little under two minutes left in the first half, junior defensive back Zacchaeus Nelson picked off a pass by the Chieftain quarterback at his own 40 and returned it 26 yards, giving the Blue Devils prime field position and a subsequent 8-yard rushing touchdown from Devontae Rush.
Johnson said of the Blue Devils defensive performance as a whole, “They’re flying to the ball, they’re communicating and they’re putting each other in the correct position so they can be successful.”
He added, ”Coach Demetric Warren and the defensive staff are doing an awesome job preparing them from week to week with the game plans and and they’re just going out there and executing.
Vontrez Rush, true to form, gave his offensive line a great deal of credit when asked how he was able to run so seamlessly against the Chieftain defense.
He said on what the key has been and will be on the Blue Devils’ road to another championship, “It’s building our focus and discipline and listening to our coach.”
Concerning their next opponent, whether it be the Highway 61 south rival Bulldogs or not, Vontrez said he and his teammates won’t overlook them, but will play with the same, if not more tenacity.
