Coastal Pines Technical College

By Kevin Price

The performance by Long County’s Ahmari

Douglas this past Friday against Brantley

County would be a big one in most any high

school football game.

The sophomore running back rushed for 203

yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries to

play a huge role in the Blue Tide’s 28-19

victory over the Herons in Nahunta.

But when you consider the magnitude of the

Region 1-AAA win for Long County, the

performance by Douglas becomes all the

more Herculean.

It also becomes easier to understand why

Douglas was selected by 912 Sports as the

Coastal Pines Technical College Player of the

Week in a week when he wasn’t the only area

ballcarrier to run for more than 200 yards in

his respective game.

For the Blue Tide, who make their home in

Ludowici, Friday’s region victory was the first

for the program in a league game since the

2015 season. The road win in the region was

also the team’s first away from home in a

league contest since the 2012 season.

And also, Long County had not beaten the

Herons since 2008 when they won 20-9 on

Halloween night in Ludowici.

“Ahmari has done a great job of continuing to

improve each week and really broke out this

week,” said first-year Long County head coach

Michael Pfiester. “Our ability to run off-tackle

Friday night helped to open up some things

inside for him as the game went on. We also

have been working on some other ways to get

him the ball on the perimeter, and he was

able to score on a toss play as well.”

For the season, Douglas, who is 5-foot-10 and

185 pounds, has gained 888 yards on 111

carries for an average of 8 yards per attempt.

Douglas has scored nine touchdowns while

also converting three two-point plays.

Long County is 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the

region. The Blue Tide lost their league opener

two weeks ago to Appling County, the state’s

fourth-ranked team, 41-8 at home.

This Friday, Long County will be at home for a

region contest against Pierce County, the

defending Class AAA state champion and

current No. 5-ranked team in the state.

The Blue Tide will be off next week before

going to Tattnall County to close out the

regular season on Nov. 5.

Long County was 1-39 the past four seasons.

The team is trying to reach the playoffs for

the first time in its 24-year history. The Blue

Tide are currently third in the region

standings behind Appling and Pierce.

Of course, their sophomore running back is a

big reason for their overall success thus far in

the 2021 season. “We are looking forward to seeing him continue to grow and improve,” Pfiester said

of Douglas.

Coastal Pines Technical College

Players of the Week

Week 1 - CJ Parker (Jeff Davis)

Week 2- Jake Lindsey (Camden)

Week 3 - Anthony Paulk (Coffee)

Week 4 - Jaylen Lilly (Charlton)

Week 5 - Thomas Castellanos (Ware)

Week 6 - Ty Everson (Pierce)

Week 7 - Samari Dowdy (New Hampstead)

Week 8 - Cartevious Norton (Ware)

Week 9 - Ahmari Douglas (Long County)

By Kevin Price

As the primary setter for the Statesboro volleyball

team, the Lady Blue Devils’ offense runs through

Micaia Difuntorum who has been chosen by 912

Sports as the Coastal Pines Girls Student-Athlete of

the Week.

The 5-foot-5 senior is also the heart and soul of

the Lady Blue Devils, the team she led to the

Region 2-AAAAAA championship this past weekend.

“She is one of the best kids to lead our volleyball

team,” said Statesboro coach Bob Massee of his

senior captain. “Her attitude on and off the court

is what every coach wants from their players.”

In two matches Saturday in the region

tournament, Difuntorum recorded 41 assists, six

aces, two blocks and five digs as Statesboro

claimed the league championship after going a

perfect 6-0 in region action during the regular season.

With a 25-11 overall record, Statesboro is set to

take on Lovejoy today in the opening round of the

Class AAAAAA state tournament.

In the region tournament, the Lady Blue Devils

knocked off Effingham 2-0 in the semifinals before

defeating Richmond Hill 3-1 in the championship match.

Difuntorum completed the regular season with

more than 300 assists and she eclipsed the 1,000

mark for her career during the season.

“She’s the epitome of what a coach looks for in a

setter,” Massee said. “She commands the ball and

does a great job quarterbacking our team.”

Massee added that she is a “hard worker in the

classroom and comes from a great family.”

The winner between Stateboro and Lovejoy in the

first round will take on the Lassiter-Dacula winner

in the Sweet 16 scheduled for Saturday.

Girls Student-Athlete of Week

Week 1 - Presley Harrison (Appling, Softball)

Week 2 - Scarlett Patton (Camden, Softball)

Week 3 - Natalie Herrin (Pierce, Softball)

Week 4 - Lilly Wood (Glynn Academy, Volleyball)

Week 5 - Marin Bograd (Camden, Cross Country)

Week 6 - Kamila Vicente (Glynn Academy, Softball)

Week 7 - Erica Bentley (Brunswick, Softball)

Week 8 - Tori Wright (Vidalia, Softball)

Week 9 - Micaia Difuntorum (Statesboro, Volleyball)