"You practice against it the first couple weeks of practice, but then you get away from it," said Clay High School Football Coach Jim Reape after his team lost 53-7 to North Marion High School Friday night in Green Cove Springs. "All the film we watched on them showed a spread offense. We weren't prepared for them in the I-formation."

Despite North Marion being a highly touted Class 3A team that had been to the state semi-final game for the last two years, the Blue Devils felt they could compete. 

The Blue Devils put their fans on their feet on the first play of the game when Stacey Burney raced 84 yards after catching the opening kickoff and set up his team on the North Marion 6-yard line.

Burney would leave the game after being struck in the stomach and was taken to the hospital to find out the extent of his injuries.

The Blue Devils' offense sputtered and, after a 25-yard field goal try sailed wide, came up empty on its first drive.

The Colts' first drive finished with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Chuckie Looney to Albert Gary. The Colts went on to score 47 unanswered points through the third quarter and intercepted Clay quarterback Steven Hearons twice.

The possibility of giving up a shutout at home was wiped away when Blue Devil Rodney Perry hurdled defenders on his way to a 90-yard kickoff return for Clay's lone score.

"It's simple. They executed and we didn't," Reape said about the lopsided game. 

The Colts' Eddie Rocker led the team in rushing with 103 yards on 16 carries, and two of those runs were touchdowms. Albert Gary was the Colt's top all-purpose back, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns on six carries, and  caught four passes for 144 yards and two touchdowms. Darrius Morgan caught three passes for 98, and two touchdowns."
"We had some guys who played their hearts out tonight," Reape said. "Roosevelt Williams played really well on defense."

Other Clay defensive standouts included Colby Robertson, Kris Mean, D.J. Schramp, and Eric Mininch. All had tackles for loss. The Clay defense lost Antwan Smiley late in the third quarter after he was injured while trying to stop a late Colts' drive. Smiley was taken from the field on a back board.

"He had feeling in his arms and legs, but there was definitely loss of strength on one side," Reape said. "So he was imobilized, put on the back board, as a precautionary measure and taken to the hospital." 

Theodore Monroe led the Blue Devils in rushing with 32 yards on eight carries and Davin Britt led the receivers with 41 yards on four catches.

Clay (2-2, 1-0 4-3A) travels to St. Augustine next week.

Scoring Summary
North Marion 20 34 53 53- 53
Clay 0 0 7 0- 7

First Quarter

NM- Looney 70-yard pass Gary (C. Smith kick) 7-0
NM- Rocker 29-yard run (C. Smith kick) 14-0
NM- Looney 49-yard pass Morgan (kick failed) 20-0

Second Quarter

NM- Rocker 7-yard run (C. Smith kick) 27-0
NM- Gary 12-yard run (C. Smith kick) 34-0

Third Quarter 

NM- Looney 69-yard pass Gary (C. Smith kick) 41-0
NM- Gary 31-yard run (kick failed) 47-0
C- Perry 90-yard kickoff return (Rizzo kick) 47-7
NM- Shannon 5-yard run (kick failed) 53-7