Blue Devils set for National Spotlight

The Zanesville Blue Devils know the feeling of being doubted.

“(People) don’t expect us to win so it makes us just want to work harder and be better at what we do,” said senior quarterback Derek Grandstaff.

Coming off a 5-5 campaign in 2014, Z.H.S. is already beginning to prove the doubters wrong. The Devils won the Ohio 7-on-7 state championship and are now prepping to compete in the 7-on-7 University National Championship Series in Washington D.C.

“Our quarterback is back. All of our receivers are back. We’re only losing a few people and we just went there and we competed and we won,” senior wide receiver and defensive back Alessio Amato said of the state tournament.

This is Zanesville’s first trip to the national tournament. The Blue and White won the state title two years ago but elected not to make the treck to Alabama.

“They think they’re good players and they are good players,” said head coach Chad Grandstaff of his team. “(They are) just going out and being able to compete at a high level against some top-notch talent and D-1 talent and go out there and make plays.”

For at least one Blue Devil, visiting our nation’s capital will be special.

“Honestly, this is going to be like life to me because it’s going to be a one-time thing with people I love,” said senior Ja-Quan Mathews, who is looking forward to visiting one of Washington’s most famous memorials for good reason.

“My parents told me all about (Martin Luther King Jr.),” he said. “My grandparents grew up with him, actually.”

Visiting D.C. is about more than football for Mathews, but he and his teammates wouldn’t mind bringing home some hardware, too. Pool play for the tournament begins on Friday with the champion being crowned on Saturday.

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

GAME 1: Calvin Coolidge (DC) vs. Zanesville – 9:30 a.m.

GAME 2: Lake Braddock (VA) vs. Zanesville – 12:00 p.m.

GAME 3: John Champe (VA) vs. Zanesville – 1:30 p.m.