The Devil-Dog Game. Danville versus East Knox. The game that packs a stadium every year with so many fans that there is no place to walk or move. Well, it happened, and it happened in a dominating fashion, in the case of the Danville Blue Devils who won the rivalry game 36-6 over the opposing Bulldogs.
While the game for Danville was a dominating performance, it was shadowed by a sad incident. With 3:52 left on the clock in the first half, Danville's Wesley Payne went in for a tackle on a Bulldog ball carrier, and failed to get back up. Medical staff was called onto the field as Payne laid face down on the field. Players from both sides got on their knees, as for 20 minutes the game was on stand-by. Payne was eventually carted off in an ambulance. His injuries are unknown at this time.
“I love Wesley,” Danville Coach Matt Blum said after the game. “I love him with everything that I have and to see that injury, I just hope he’s ok.”
Prior to the incident Danville had scored twice, and held a 14-0 lead over East Knox. Linebacker Josh Byers scored the first score of the night, as he lined up at running back and took off for a 28-yard touchdown run. The second score before the half came as the result of a trick play in which quarterback Jacob Hackman pitched a flea flicker to Nolan Ridgeway who threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to none other than Payne.
While in the locker room, Coach Blum gave his players one thought to keep in their minds as they headed back out for the second half.
“What would Wes (Payne) want?”
The Blue Devils came out and added another 22 points on the board in typical Danville Football fashion, down hill running. Running back Aiden Burke scored all three of the second half touchdowns, in a game where he had another fantastic performance, rushing for 181 yards on 22 carries.
East Knox was able to get the ball in the end-zone finally, late in the game, when Bulldogs quarterback Jaxon Lester connected with Logan Clark for a 29-yard score.
Lester went 16-36 for 201 yards on the night and was the lone bright spot for EK. The Bulldogs were unable to manage much on the ground as they only established 20 yards on 14 attempts as a team.
For Danville, the run was the name of the game, as they accumulated 319 yards as a team. Hackman threw minimally, completing four of his eight passes for 35 yards. The Danville defense had a great night, allowing only 221 yards of total offense and had two interceptions as well.
When asked after the game, what this rivalry match-up meant to him, Coach Blum shed a few tears.
“It really means a lot, um, I lost my father last year, and one of the last games he was able to be at was this one, two years ago on this field, right there on the logo, I remembered hugging him. I know he's upstairs watching. The way we played tonight, the way we rebounded throughout the season, I know he has my back. This was pretty cool for me.”
East Knox finished the season 4-6, and failed to make the playoffs. Danville, on the other hand, finished the season 8-2, and is the first seed in the Region 27 playoffs. They will take on Bridgeport (3-7) at home this Friday at 7:00 p.m.
All prayers go out to #2 Wesley Payne and the Payne family as he recovers from his injury.
