Red Devils

Wow, what a run and what a great thing for the community.
Starting with the heartbreaking loss to the dreaded terriers after having a 17 point second half lead. Then going on a run before forfeiting a game because of the teachers strike.  Then finishing the regular season with another run and beating Benton and DuQuoin who were both undefeated at the time and then it was playoff time.
In listening to the Althoff game the last minute seemed to go on for hours but the Devils held on and moved to the next round.
In the second round the Devils played undefeated IVC from Chillicothe and the surrounding area.  In watching the game I had no doubt the Red Devils were far and away the better team.  They proved me right and on to the next round.
In the third round the Devils played perennial  powerhouse Kankakee McNamara.  If I was a McNamara fan I would be pissed.  They lost a lot of big plays due to penalty and lost a fumble recovery deep in Devil territory because of an early whistle.  Murphysboro ran the opening kickoff back for a td then recovered an onside kick which they took down the field for another td.  McNamara came back though and tied the game late in the fourth quarter.  The Devils answered with a long drive capped off by a td and a win.  My high school teammate and buddy Twink said early in the third quarter that McNamara's lineman were getting tired and he proved right.
In the quarter finals the Devils played Effingham who have the unfortunate name of Flaming Hearts.  The field was awful and had a big impact on the game.  The Devils got on the board with an early safety on a bad snap for a punt.  This proved big since the Devils kicking game wasn't very good.  The Red Devils scored twice more in the first half and had a 14-0 lead.  The Hearts came back behind a couple long passes but their kicker missed the second extra point and the score was tied 14-14.  Effingham got the ball back and drove down inside the Devil 10 and was setting up for a winning field goal when they fumbled the snap and the Devils recovered to sent the game to OT.  In OT they kicked a field goat however on second down the Red Devils scored a TD on a deflected pass and it was off to Dekalb.
In the championship against Richmond-Burton the Red Devils were outclassed.  They had a very big line and some really good backs and the game was never close. 
I really hope there isn't any of the 2nd place state champions stuff that occurred a few years ago with the basketball team.  There's only one champion and that's Richmond-Burton.  2nd place is a great accomplishment in itself.
As a lifelong Murphysboro resident and a former Red Devil player I'd like to thank the coaches and players for what they accomplished.  While I'm ecstatic about what they did on the field I'm even more ecstatic about what the accomplished off the field.  People were talking Red Devil football in the stores, restaurants and bars around the town which reminded me of the way things used to be and hopefully will be again every year.
THANKS.