Our Week Two Game of the Week takes us to The Reservation to catch the soaring Stephens County Indians take on a talented Elbert County program. Both teams entered the season as top-10 ranked teams, with the Indians ranked #2 and Blue Devils at #9, currently.

STEPHENS COUNTY

The Indians rallied from a sluggish start in their opener against archrivals Habersham Central. After falling behind 10-0 following a 74-yd drive ending with a field goal, and a fumble that was taken back for a score, Stephens County owned the game from then on. Despite only playing into the third quarter, the Indians still put up numbers in a 28-10 final. Lightning delayed the game, and coaches determined they had seen enough. Javin Gordon is on the field anytime the ball is in their possession. That includes on special teams. The 3-star RB Duke commit got off a fantastic start with 256 total yards.

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ELBERT COUNTY

The Blue Devils opened with a bit of a shocking loss to Hart County. The Bulldogs are a good team, but #9-ranked Elbert County came in with a #4 state ranking and were clear favorites to win. The senior-heavy offense features Javyn Hickman as a solid dual threat QB, and Jacari Barnett (113 yds in the opener) leads the backfield. Ty’Rikis Jones is a go-to WR, and don’t discount Brady Dickerson. This is a talented team for sure, and well-coached.

BY THE NUMBERS (2024)

STEPHENS COUNTY

• 1-0 (0-0 in 8-AA)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 28.0 OFFENSE AVG
• 10.0 DEFENSE AVG
• #2 State Ranking

ELBERT COUNTY

• 0-1 (0-0 in Region 8-A DI)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 7.00 OFFENSE AVG
• 17.00 DEFENSE AVG
• #9 State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Two. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Stephens County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. For Stephens County, taking care of the rock is going to be critical, moreso than usual. The Indians need to let Gordon cook on offense, and keep those chains moving while converting in the red zone. That will leave less time on the clock for Javyn Hickman and the Blue Devils to do the same thing. This game has the potential to be a ground and pound game. In that, Stephens County is rich in the trenches, and Brock Tankersley fortifies a level that is hard to get past. If Stephens scores first, it’s a great sign they’ll go on to win. The Blue Devils have to do a better job passing, as they threw 2 picks last game. They also averaged a tick under 4.9 yards per tote. The offense just couldn’t get in rhythym. They need a breakout game from Hickman and, look out for our X-factor of the game, Ty’Rikis Jones. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Stephens County, we’ve been to 27 games for the Indians since 2009. In that span, the Indians are 16-11 overall, and winners of 3 in a row and 8 of the last 11 we made it to.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Stephens County HS / Toccoa, GA / The Reservation
LAST MEETING: 2015 (#4 Elbert County 34, Stephens County 30)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Stephens leads 30-19-2 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #2 Stephens County Indians (1-0; 0-0 in 8-AA); #9 Elbert County Blue Devils (0-1; 0-0 in 8-A DI)
HEAD COACHES: Wesley Tankersley (106-71; 17 Seasons); Shannon Jarvis (130-85; 20 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Stephens County has dominated Elbert County historically. These teams have been battling since 1960, playing 51 times prior to this one. It was the Indians who claimed the initial meeting by a 7-0 barn-burner. After that, the Blue Devils won 6 of the next 10, with 2 others going as ties. At the turn of the millennium, Stephens County began to assert its dominance, winning 10 straight in the series from 2000 to 2009. Since then however, Elbert has won each of the past 4 meetings (2010, 2011, 2014, 2015). It’s the longest win streak in the series for the Blue Devils. These head coaches have between them nearly 250 wins and 40 years’ experience, as well as 6 region titles…but have never squared off.

TEAM LEADERS (2024 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from last season; returning players only

STEPHENS COUNTY

PASSING
Tripp Underwood – 189 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 69% completion

RUSHING
Javin Gordon – 88 yds, 1 TD, 7.3 YPC
Brock Tankersley – 33 yds, 2 TD, 8.3 YPC

RECEIVING
Javin Gordon – 74 yds, 0 TD, 5 rec
Davon Swinton – 66 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec
Jonah Swinton – 49 yds, 0 TD, 1 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Brock Tankersley – 13 TKL, 1 TFL
Ashton Winters – 6 TKL
Kymani Colbert – 5 TKL
Morris Perkins – 4 TKL
Garrett Addison – 4 TKL, 1 FR
Jakob Lunsford – 4 TKL, 1 TFL
Jonah Swinton – 3 TKL, 1 FF
Kamani McCarter 2 TKL, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
Conner Holtzclaw – 2 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 Sack

ELBERT COUNTY

PASSING
Jayvyn Hickman – 117 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 60% completion

RUSHING
Jacari Barnett – 113 yds, 0 TD, 6.6 YPC
Jayvyn Hickman – 28 yds, 1 TD, 3.5 YPC

RECEIVING
Brady Dickerson – 37 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec
Tyrikis Jones – 28 yds, 0 TD, 5 rec
Dakhovin Winn – 23 yds, 0 TD, 2 rec
Carter Webb – 22 yds, 0 TD, 3 rec
Jacari Barnett – 7 yds, 0 TD, 2 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Lincoln Blackmon – 17 TKL, 1 Sack
Reunte Tucker – 12 TKL, 2 TFL
Jermaine Sims – 11 TKL, 2 TFL
Gilbert Fortson – 8 TKL, 1 TFL
Jose Rodriguez – 8 TKL
Malik Moon – 6 TKL, 1 TFL
Jerrell Sims – 5 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 Sack