LaFAYETTE, Ga. – The LaFayette Ramblers are one step away from becoming part of the Georgia Class AAA football playoff field. Though on the surface that is not a huge surprise, how they got to this point may be.
There are numerous success stories of prep programs going from wing-T offenses to the ever popular spread attacks and winning right away. It even happened to the Ramblers in 2008 when Perry Swindall was hired as coach and quickly turned the program around from 1-9 the previous season to 6-4.
However, it’s more rare when a program goes from the spread to a power-based offense and has immediate success. LaFayette has done just that with the hiring of Tab Gable, whose first move was to install an I-based offense that required his linemen to block longer and be more physical.
It also needed a playmaker, and Gable knew from the first day of spring practice that he didn’t have to look very far. Junior running back Devarus Porter, all 5-foot-7, 148 pounds of him, was going to be the focuse of this new offense, and the shifty runner hasn’t disappointed with 1,450 yards and four games of more than 200 yards.
Gable knew Porter had the talent, but at his size could he hold up to 20-25 carries per game?
“Devarus can do things you can’t coach,” Gable said. “I knew in the spring when we couldn’t tackle him that he was special. But I didn’t know how tough he was. That’s what I questioned more than anything: Can he take a beating? Well, he hasn’t missed a practice, even with the hits he’s taken.”
Porter also was concerned, which led him to a strenous summer workout program that increased his strength (he can squat 370 pounds) and his agility. He’s also benefited by having a rare ability to avoid major hits.
“I don’t let people get good hits,” he said. “I can’t say how I do it. I guess it’s just God-given ability.”
Porter leads the 5-4 Ramblers into action tonight at Jack King Stadium against 8-1 Cartersville, a rematch of an earlier game the Purple Hurricanes won 28-20 with two touchdowns in the final two minutes. A win would give LaFayette its first playoff berth since 1993, when the Rayvan Teague-coached team included Tracy Porter, Devarus’ dad.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to help get us back to the playoffs,” Devarus Porter said. “It would mean a lot to the team and to the community.”
The Ramblers are one of four area teams in do-or-die games tonight. In Class AAA, Dalton hosts Gilmer County, while in Class AA, Dade County travels to Armuchee and Chattooga visits Pepperell.
Ridgeland and Allatoona will vie for the 7-AAA title tonight at Ridgeland, while Calhoun travels to Rockmart in the 7-AA title game. Those four teams will host first-round playoff series next week, while the other winners will travel.