Blackman Rolls Over Smyrna, 35-7

The Smyrna Bulldogs rolled into “The Inferno” on Friday night to face the No. 22 Blackman Blaze. Smyrna tried to keep up, but BHS put together a complete team performance en route to a 35-7 victory over the away side.   “When we first came out here [for pregame warmups], the energy was a little low. But our coaches told us to pick it up, and when we did that, momentum started to pick up,” Blackman wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] said. “Our defense did an excellent job tonight, and the offense executed well.”   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Photo-Oct-17-2025-11-28-15-PM-crop-1051x691-1760761789.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1959278" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Blackman WR [player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] after the Smyrna game.</figcaption></figure>   Blackman got the scoring started when it received the opening kickoff and put the ball in the end zone in under five plays, courtesy of an Oduor 35-yard receiving touchdown.   The Blaze continued to dominate the first quarter, forcing two turnovers that were converted into a pair of Jabari Kemp rushing touchdowns, leading 21-0 after one.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1979343694752026716 </div></figure>   However, heading into the second quarter, Smyrna was driving down the field in an attempt to cut the lead. That's when Blackman's defense stepped up to force a field goal try, which was hooked wide left.   The Blaze made the Bulldogs pay for that, as just 45 seconds later, [player_tooltip player_id='1030583' first='Brycen' last='Mitchell'] took a short pass nearly 70 yards to the end zone to go up 28-0.   Oduor scored his second touchdown of the night two minutes on an impressive catch and run to give his team a 35-0 lead at the intermission.   Blackman pulled its starters in the second half, but Smyrna still could not take advantage of it, aside from a garbage-time score to end the shutout.   It was nice for moral support, but was nowhere near enough as the Blaze cruised to a 35-7 win.   BHS moves to 7-1, the program's best start since 2018.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   Player of the Game    Oduor was impressive once again in his team's 35-7 win over Smyrna. He doesn't get a ton of usage since there are many mouths to feed in that offense. But when he got targets, he showed people why he has Power Four offers.   The junior had multiple catches, including two long touchdown grabs, and well over 100 yards. He's an anomaly of a receiver, standing at 6-foot-3 but still having great athleticism, speed and elusiveness.   The Blaze wide receiver is beginning to establish himself as one of the top players in the state while continuing to be a big-time playmaker for his 7-1 squad.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   Other Notable Players   2027 DT [player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart'] – Blackman   The Blackman defense was impressive on Friday night, especially up front, where they dominated the line of scrimmage. [player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart'] was one of those players who rendered the Smyrna offense useless with how much pressure he was getting.   Stewart does a great job of shutting down the run and taking on multiple blockers to allow his teammates to make a play.   He can also get after the quarterback with his twitch, solid pass-rush moves and quickness off the line.   2026 QB Jaevion Elliot – Blackman   Jaevion Elliot transferred in from Rockvale during the offseason and has fit in perfectly. He's not going to wow you with his arm, but the senior signal caller is a dual-threat guy who can hurt you in multiple ways.   He's highly athletic and agile to make things happen on the ground or keep a play alive by scrambling around in the pocket. Elliot has a decent arm, but is accurate on short and intermediate passes, allowing his stud receivers to make plays.   The 2026 prospect is a veteran player who's been around the block for a while. So, he's a good leader on and off the field, putting his team in a great position to win.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/jmartin.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1907130" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Smyrna defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1282327' first='Jerry' last='Martin']. Photo by Smyrna Athletics.</figcaption></figure>   2026 DL [player_tooltip player_id='1282327' first='Jerry' last='Martin'] – Smyrna   It was tough sledding for the entire Smyrna Bulldogs team, but defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1282327' first='Jerry' last='Martin'] was one of the only bright spots. The senior was disruptive against the pass and pressured Blackman's QBs multiple times.   He was also good against the run, consistently making plays to give his squad a chance to stay in the game until things got out of hand.   Martin is a legitimate Division I talent with nice size, explosiveness, a high motor and good moves as a rusher.   2026 RB Jabari Kemp – Blackman   Kemp is one of the original Blackman players who was on the team when head coach Matt Kriesky took over in 2023. He's an experienced player, and that helped him against the Bulldogs.   He's a compact running back that's heavily utilized, especially on short-yardage downs. At 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, he's not the biggest player, but he plays hard and makes up for his size with effort.   Kemp is also speedy, allowing him to break off big runs, not just short ones, due to his hard-running style.   He's the workhorse back and has been a big contributor to the Blaze this season.

The Smyrna Bulldogs rolled into “The Inferno” on Friday night to face the No. 22 Blackman Blaze. Smyrna tried to keep up, but BHS put together a complete team performance en route to a 35-7 victory over the away side.