Blue Devils can’t be taken for Granted
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Lisbon quarterback Grant Minor turns the corner with lineman Gabe Evans and Southern’s Caden Dougherty trailing on the play Friday. (Photo by Ron Firth)
Lisbon’s Devin Kelly is stopped by Southern’s Damieon Pitts on Friday. (Photo by Ron Firth)
Lisbon receiver Cooper Terdina can’t come up with a catch while defended by Southern’s Jaylen Pitts on Friday. (Photo by Ron Firth)
LISBON - The 2026 football season for the Southern Indians and Lisbon Blue Devils has been trending in opposite directions. Unfortunately for the Indians, they have suffered three consecutive losses while the Blue Devils have won their last two games.
Friday night at War Memorial Stadium, that trend continued as the Blue Devils knocked off the Indians 38-0, extending their winning streak to three straight games.
They also improved to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference.
"It was so big, we knew that we needed this (win),” Lisbon senior quarterback Grant Minor said. “We had some mid-season lows, and we came out fighting these past couple of weeks because our coaches will not let us quit, and we don't want to quit. We want to keep winning and winning until we can't anymore.”
"I just love them to death," Lisbon coach Bill Meek said. "We play clean football. We don't play dirty. I'm as proud of that as anything. It just makes my heart feel warm. They just play hard, clean football."
Minor led the Devils’ attack with 257 yards passing on 17 of 23 completions and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 85 yards on 10 carries and scored another touchdown on the ground.
"I just want to thank God and my offensive line,” Minor said. “The offensive line played their butts off, and our receivers running under balls, catching balls, and playing for me, and our coaches schemed to get things open. It's all those guys and the hard work, so all glory to them.”
After punting on their opening possession in the contest, the Blue Devils scores on their next six possessions to seize a 24-0 advantage at halftime, and then they activated the running clock with a touchdown on their first drive of the third quarter.
"It was a big win with homecoming, and Southern is a rival of ours," Lisbon senior lineman Gabe Evans said. "I'm really proud of my team."
The Indians dropped to 1-7 on the season and 1-3 in the EOAC. It was also their second loss in a row to the Devils after beating them on the Bud Bucher Field turf in 2024.
"We're young and a little banged up; it's week eight. We're trying to find guys that can help us, and they are giving us everything that they got,” Southern coach Jimmy Malone said. “We just have to keep grinding and get back to it on Monday.”
Minor's big night started when he scored on a 13-yard run with just 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter to get the Devils on the scoreboard. Baylen Jackson added his first career field goal midway through the second stanza when he booted a 26-yard kick to make it 10- 0 in favor of the Devils.
"All week long I was really worried about their (Southern's) offensive and defensive line because they are much bigger than us. They come off the ball, and no one really stops them but themselves. But tonight, we dominated them up front," Meek remarked. "I'm so proud of my kids because I preached it all week and they did it, and that is a big thing for them."
Then the Devils displayed their quick-hitting capabilities on offense when they scored on two, two-play possessions to make it 24-0. The first was a 6-yard run by Cooper Terdina following a 47-yard flea-flicker pass from Minor to Nick Perchetti to the Southern 6-yard line.
"I'm proud to go out there and block on every play to get those guys in the endzone," Evans stated. "We all play with the same intensity and hold our team accountable. I love blocking for my team and playing for my team."
"We stopped their ability to run up the middle, and if we felt if we could do that, then they would have to throw the ball. Our secondary, we are still working in that area. We had guys in position, and they ran a couple trick plays on us and got us with those," Malone added.
The second quick score came on a 32-yard passing strike from Minor to Terdina. That was set up by an 18-yard pass from Minor to Perchetti along with an Indians personal foul penalty. The possession was set up by the Devils' Devin Kelly intercepting an errant Indians pass at the Devils' own 27.
The Blue Devils started the running clock on their opening possession of the second half when they marched 60 yards on 10 plays with Minor hitting Wyatt Newbold on a 41-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline. That put the Devils ahead 31-0 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.
They added a 16-yard scoring pass from Minor to sophomore receiver Jett Vrable to reach the 38-0 final score. That score came at the 9:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
"I attribute that to our offensive coordinator, Cory (Wonner); he does a great job,” Meek said. “I have the best staff. I wouldn't want anybody else than what I have. They do it all. All I do is keep the train going down the tracks.”
The Indians made one final desperate charge to get on the scoreboard, but they turned the ball over on downs at the Blue Devils’ six with just under two minutes to play in the contest.
"We're going to keep battling and keep improving. We'll get after them again next week. It's one week at a time," Malone said of the Indians team.
The Indians return home next Friday to host the Valley Christian Eagles. The Blue Devils will host the Madonna Dons in non-conference action next Friday.
S: 0- 0-0-0--0
L: 7-17-7-7--38
SCORING
L - Grant Minor 14 run (Baylen Jackson kick)
L - Jackson 26 field goal
L - Cooper Terdina 6 pass from Minor (Jackson kick)
L - Terdina 32 pass from Minor (Jackson kick)
L - Wyatt Newbold 41 pass from Minor (Jackson kick)
L - Jett Vrable 16 pass from Minor (Jackson kick)
TEAM STATS
SOUTHERN
First downs: 7; Total yards: 140; Rushing-yards: 21-34, Passing: 106; Comp-Att-Int. 8-18-1; Punts 5-25.8; Fumbles-Lost 0; Penalties-Yards 3-37.
LISBON
First downs: 16, Total yards: 353, Rushes-yards: 15-75, Passing: 278; Comp-Att-Int. 19-25-0, Punts 1-31, Fumbles-Lost 0, Penalties-Yards 1-5.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING--Southern, Logan Mettenberger 16-39; Lisbon, Grant Minor 10-85.
PASSING--Southern, Jack Pitts 8-18-1; Lisbon, Grant Minor 17-23-0-257, Nick Perchetti 1-1-0, Cooper Terdina 1-1-0.
RECEIVING--Southern, Jaymen Maines 4-72, Logan Mettenberger 2-22; Lisbon, Cooper Terdina 6-96, Wyatt Newbold 6-77, Nick Perchetti 2-66, Jett Vrable 2-28.
INTERCEPTIONS--Lisbon, Devin Kelly.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES--None.