Frustration and disappointment showed on the faces of  the Williston-Elko High football players  Friday night as they walked off the field in the Devils Den.
Not since a 14-0 loss to Blackville-Hilda on Halloween night 2008 had the Blue Devils tasted defeat on their home field.
Williston-Elko’s season opening 7-0 loss to Strom Thurmond High of class division 2A defied the usual explanations.
On a night when Kendric Salley ran for 134 yards and the offense ran 20 more plays than its opponents, the Blue Devils still had a tough time getting out of their own way, committing three turnovers and squandering five scoring opportunities in the red zone.
Blue Devils head coach Dwayne Garrick said the miscues were the difference in the game.
“This was a very physical game and both teams made mistakes. However, our mistakes were more crucial,” Garrick said. “You can’t move the ball up and down the field against a good team like Strom Thurmond like we did tonight and not score any points.”
The loss snaps a 14-game winning streak by Williston-Elko High.
For the Blue Devils, turnovers defined the offense. On the team’s first possession, the Blue Devils drove from their 28-yard line to the Rebels 36-yard line.
Moments later the drive ended on a turnover  when Tamyn Garrick’s pass was intercepted. 
Early in the second quarter, the Blue Devils were on another march. This time, the eight-play 59 yard drive ended when Garrick’s fourth down pass went in and out of the hands of the intended receiver.
Bad fortune continued for the Blue Devils’ next possession. On second down from the 42-yard line, Garrick tried to connect with his receiver in the flats.
On the play, the receiver seemed to have possession of the ball, but he had it jarred loose by a defender and intercepted.
The interception set up the Rebels on a  52-yard scoring march. The drive ended with  Rebels quarterback Raleigh Yeldell tossing a seven-yard pass to Antonio Hamilton for a touchdown. The kick after was good.
During that drive, the Rebels had “lady luck” on their side. On second down from the Blue Devils 34-yard line, Yeldell lost control of the ball as he sprinted free through the Blue Devil defense.
The ball popped up in the air and landed into the arms of Rebels receiver Darius Hammond. Hammond hauled in the pigskin and advanced to the four-yard line before being tackled.
“That was a tough break for us on that play. We had a chance to make a play to get the momentum back. They just had a player in the right spot at the right time,” Garrick said.
In the second half, the Blue Devils were turned away three times after penetrating deep in Rebel territory.
The Blue Devils’ best scoring chance in the second half came on a 58-yard march to open the third quarter. Behind the running of Salley and Dexter Staley, who finished with 75 total yards, the Blue Devils drove to the Rebels two-yard line.
The promising drive, however, ended on fourth and goal when Salley was tackled short of the goal line.
 “We had several chances to get into the end zone tonight. We just didn’t get it done,” Garrick said. “This is a tough loss for our team. However, I believe we will be a better football team because of this game.”
Despite the loss several players performed well defensively for the Blue Devils as they held Strom Thurmond to 157 yards of total offense. The unit was led by Marcus Bates with eight tackles, including four for losses. Andrea Williams had seven tackles, including two for losses. Dvarius Hosey, Demetrius Facison and Kevin Johnson each finished with four tackles.