Defense carries Columbus to first win over Carver since 1990

After eight straight losses to the Carver Tigers, the Columbus Blue Devils snapped the streak on Friday.

The Blue Devils (3-5, 2-3) were dominant, blowing out their crosstown rivals 36-13. Columbus’ victory was fueled by six forced turnovers as well as two touchdowns from wide receiver Ian Rome.

“I’m extremely proud of them,” Columbus head coach Phil Marino said. “This is the way we should be playing. We’ve just asked these kids to follow the process, allow themselves to be coached and do what we ask them to do.The kids bought in after that homecoming loss (to Westover) and responded.”

While the Blue Devils had the last laugh, the game’s early goings made it appear as if Carver (2-6, 2-3) was in complete control. The Tigers ran the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, then turned around and executed an onside kick after the score.

That, however, is when the Columbus defense went to work. The Blue Devils pounced on a Carver fumble; two plays later, quarterback Caleb Bailey found Mike Ramsey on a 46-yard touchdown pass.

The Columbus defense didn’t stop there. Defensive back Jordan Geter was a menace with two interceptions, while linebacker Josh Scarborough picked up a fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Ramsey had one interception, while Brent Epps and Chris Brown each recovered fumbles.

“It was just a total team effort,” Marino said. “(Those turnovers) gave us good field position, and we were able to score points.”

Columbus’ victory was likely the final blow to Carver’s hopes to reach the postseason, which means the Tigers will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

The Blue Devils, meanwhile, have their work cut out for them with games against Americus-Sumter and Cairo remaining, but Marino has his players believing they’re in the thick of it.

“We’re still in it,” Marino said. “Don’t get me wrong -- we’ve got two extremely tough opponents to play. But we’ve still got something to play for.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Defense carries Columbus to first win over Carver since 1990."