Red Level to host Notasulga Friday

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 4, 2014

Red Level will be playing a “talented” bunch in the Notasulga Blue Devils on Friday night at Bobby Dye Stadium.

The Tigers are coming off of a close 25-21 loss to J.U. Blacksher and will be vying to break their 27-game losing streak. NHS is 0-2 on the season, but played some decent teams in Class 5A Tallassee and Class 2A Lanett.

Tigers head football coach David Godwin said NHS is really big up front.

“They’ve got some 240s (pounds), 260-guys up front,” Godwin said.

Additionally, the Blue Devils tout a good running back in Anfernee Dukes. Dukes is the two-time defending 200-meter state champion.

“He’s really fast,” Godwin said. “They run two guys at quarterback. One of them is a little better thrower and the other will run the ball.”

Godwin said the key to break the quarterback threat down is to guard the edge.

“We’ve got to make sure we contain them, and don’t let them outside,” Godwin said.

Defensively, the Blue Devils will sure find a way to “stack the line” on the Tigers, the coach said.

“We need to be able to throw the football when we can,” Godwin said. “We need to be smart up front and know our assignments and pick guys up.”

While the 0-2 start for the Blue Devils may provide comfort for RLS fans, the school has a tradition of winning, Godwin said.

“They’re a perennial playoffs team,” he said. “They have a long history, and have been a state champion in the last 15 years. They’ve got some tradition of success.

“One of the reasons I scheduled them was to test ourselves and see where we are at Red Level,” he said. “We’ll get a gauge of where we are this week.”