The “Mayor’s Cup,” as it used to be termed in years past, pitted Swainsboro against their neighbors to the east, the Statesboro Blue Devils. The Tigers were unable to reclaim those bragging rights Friday night, losing 32-7 in an error-filled game that bore little resemblance to the offensive excitement of recent weeks.

Swainsboro turned the ball over 4 times, mishandled 2 punts that resulted in safeties, and committed the majority of their 9 penalties in a span of 5 minutes in the first quarter.

“We played very sloppy football against Statesboro and simply need to cut out our own mistakes,” said head coach David Johnson. “If we take care of our own mistakes, we have the ability to compete with and beat anyone.”

The mistakes were compounded by the absence of RB/WR Rico Johnson, who aggravated an injury in pregame warm-ups and has missed the past 2 and a half games. QB/RB Deantae Johnson was also banged up and not at full strength due to an ankle injury. Combine those personnel issues with a solid Statesboro defense and the result was a 144 yard output by the offense. Deante Johnson led the way with 61 yards on 11 carries and Jemerico Bell added 43 yards on 10 carries. The Blue Devil defense locked in on Bell all evening, focused on stopping the talented running back.

Swainsboro’s defense played very well despite the 32 points on the scoreboard. The Tigers limited Statesboro to 243 total yards and scored Swainsboro’s only touchdown when Bobby Andrews scooped up a fumble and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.

Next up for Swainsboro is arguably the top team in the state, Thomson. They are ranked #2 in several media outlets and will be a tough task for the Tigers. Heralded RB Chris Jordan leads the Bulldogs, averaging 200 yards per game on the ground. This will mark the first region game for Swainsboro and start the quest for the playoffs as only 4 of the 5 region teams will advance to postseason play.

In other region action, Dodge County dropped their third consecutive game as Jefferson County shut them out, 21-0. Washington County beat Lovett 48-35 and Thomson beat Greater Atlanta Christian 36-27.