LEBANON (Aug. 28, 2026) – Despite numerous changes at Castlewood, including a new head football coach, the struggles continued. On Friday, at B.C. White Stadium, in their first game under Cody Smith, the Blue Devils fell to Bland County 34-7.
Miscues were numerous for Castlewood, including two lost fumbles, two interceptions, and seven penalties. Mistakes made it exceedingly difficult to put a notch in the win column.
The Bears took the opening kickoff, but the Castlewood defense forced a punt. The Blue Devils took over at their own 42 and moved down the field patiently. On the 10th play of the drive, Jacob Farmer burst up the middle for a six-yard touchdown run. Isaac Latham booted the point after, and Castlewood was up 7-0 late in the first quarter, seemingly in a good position.
“I thought we were in good shape. Then we came out and fumbled the football,” Smith said. “We had a blown coverage. We got sucked in trying to play on our own, and then they popped it over the top of us. I’ve preached—it’s those little things. Once we take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.”
On the next possession, the Blue Devil defense again stopped Bland County, turning the ball over on downs after four plays. But on Castlewood’s second play, they fumbled, and Mason Koop recovered for the Bears.
Colten Lambert got behind the Castlewood defense, and quarterback Lane Tillett launched a 32-yard scoring strike. A bad snap foiled the extra-point attempt, and the Devils clung to a 7-6 advantage.
The teams traded fumbles.
A Castlewood pass was intercepted by Bland’s Braiden Grose with 48 seconds left in the first half. That was more than enough time for Caegin Browning to sprint around the right end for an 11-yard score. The run for two was stopped and the Bears settled for a 12-7 lead at the break.
“We’ve come a long way. We got better this week,” Bland County coach Harris Hart said. “Castlewood was a good test for us, and our young men played hard. Castlewood’s young men played hard, and we got a few breaks that they didn’t.”
The Blue Devils couldn’t establish anything in the second half. Browning, a speedster, continued to be a thorn in their side, scoring on 53 and 16-yard runs to put the game out of reach.
“He’s a good athlete. He’s quick,” declared Smith. “45’s (Mason Kopp) is quick off the edge on defense. I ain’t going to take nothing from Bland. Their quarterback’s smart. Once he hit the corner on us, it’s a foot race. And we’ve got to fix our pursuit angles.”
After another interception, the Bears added a late score when Vincent Ennis scored on a 24-yard rush with less than three minutes left in the contest.
Three Castlewood turnovers led to three Bland County scores.
“That’s one thing we talked to our athletes about all week,” commented Hart. “In these first games, it’s mistakes, penalties, turnovers, things like that. That’s what wins games. So, our young men stepped up, and Castlewood’s young men played hard. I’m proud of both sides.”
Browning finished with 145 yards rushing on 14 carries, averaging over 10 yards per attempt with three TDs.
“We’re young, but we’re starting to learn, so we’ll hopefully keep improving,” Hart stated. “Browning stepped up and had a big game. Hopefully, this is a precursor to a really good season for him.”
It was a tough opener for Castlewood. Their last win was at Hurley on October 31, 2024.
“Mentality’s a hard thing to change,” noted Smith. “Staying in the fight. We have to stay in the fight. We came out flat in the second half. Bland came out in the second half and kept on rolling, and that was exactly what they were supposed to do.”
The Blue Devils have a road game, traveling to Phelps, Ky., on Friday.
“We’ve got to put the work in,” Smith noted. “It’s going to be a good, hard week of practice. When we snap it off the thigh pad, those things are correctable. Conditioning is going to help us out a whole lot, especially on these humid nights.
“This game is over. We’re looking to the next one.”
Bland Co. 34, Castlewood 7
Bland Co. 0 12 8 14—34
Castlewood 7 0 0 0—7
First Quarter
CAS—Farmer 6 run (Latham kick), 2:35.
Second Quarter
BLAND—Lambert 32 pass from Tillett (kick failed), 9:31.
BLAND—Browning 11 run (run failed), 0:41.
Third Quarter
BLAND—Browning 53 run (Browning run), 0:00.
Fourth Quarter
BLAND—Browning 16 run (Mallory kick), 6:55.
BLAND—Ennis 24 run (Mallory kick), 2:37.
BLAND CAS
First downs138
Total Net Yards277155
Rushes-yards42-21335-146
Passing 6429
Comp-Att-Int3-5-01-10-2
Fumbles-Lost3-14-2
Penalties-Yards6-457-60
Punts1-220-0
