<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1ZuvD8_1GpfgpWF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1ZuvD8_1GpfgpWF00" width="729" height="486" >Unicoi County's Nehemiah Campbell, right, prepares to make a tackle against Pigeon Forge. — ERWIN — Nehemiah Campbell knows what it feels like to have football taken from him.One of 19 Unicoi County seniors, Campbell was injured three plays into the opening scrimmage last season and had to sit out the campaign with a broken left collar bone. “It was hard, but I am glad to be back, that is for sure,” Campbell said. All the 6-foot, 175-pound Campbell has done this season is record a team-leading 98 tackles from his middle linebacker slot, along with 24 tackles for loss and two interceptions for the Blue Devils (9-1), who rolled to the Region 1-3A championship. “I would tell you he is probably a little undersized to be in the middle, but he plays a lot bigger than what he is,” Unicoi County head coach Drew Rice said. “He played outside linebacker until this year, but we asked him to go in there and he has done it and has just been tremendous. He punts for us, he is just a football player, whatever you need him to do he can do.”Campbell will lead Unicoi County into tonight's TSSAA Class 3A opening round playoff game with McMinn Central (6-4) riding a nine-game win streak. “They are a good team, we have just got to go play our game and we will be fine,” said Campbell, who is glad to be playing at Gentry Stadium. “I think it is going to help. We are hyped up about it and just ready to go play.”The season didn’t start how Unicoi County wanted, falling to David Crockett. Yet, not only did Campbell get over concerns about his collar bone, but the Blue Devils used that loss as motivation to roll through the rest of their schedule, even snapping rival Happy Valley's 17-game regular season win streak in the process. “I think that helped us in realizing that we are going to have to go and play if we want to win,” Campbell said. “I think that made us as a team to come together and talk about it and say 'we have got to go'. If we want to win we have to go play."Campbell, who has been the defensive captain in all 10 games for the Blue Devils, has done that while playing one of the more physically demanding positions on the field, taking inspiration from a comment by teammate Levi Jones. “He said, ‘It don’t matter about the size, if you can go in there and hit, you can hit somebody and knock them back’,” said Campbell, who also plays some blocking back for the Blue Devils. He has been doing that for four seasons, earning a starting role as a freshman, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Zeke, who also played for the Blue Devils. Campbell also plays soccer for Unicoi County where his father, Brian Campbell, is the head coach. “By the end of the year he was starting for us and he is only four-year starter from these guys and has just been tremendous. His older brother, Zeke, played for us and was just great,” Rice said. “A football family, his mom and dad both are just awesome.”No one felt worse for Campbell than Rice when that injury occurred in last season. That team wound up winning nine games and advancing to the second round of the playoffs, but they were still missing a key piece. "It was a blow. We played well in the scrimmage, but we all were just sick because we just knew it for him and what he meant for our team," Rice said. “We had a great year last year and I always remind people that was probably without one of our best two or three players."It lasted all year and I hated it for him. I just saw how bad he wanted to be a back of it and he was unable to. He has rolled into his senior year and led us in tackles. The quarterback of the defense. I just so proud of him. He has been a great player and a great member of our program.”Campbell has enjoyed the experience of playing football at Unicoi County, which has won 35 games over the last four seasons, and is looking for a third opening round playoff win in a row. “I just love being with the team. The team is great, we are always hyping each other up being a family,” said Campbell, who has thrived in being part of so much success. “I think it is great, I think it is our coaches. I think our coaches help us a lot. They just help us and hype us up and they tell us we can do good and we go out there and do it.”That is the plan for tonight, and hopefully for a few more games in the postseason. “I think we have got a great chance,” Campbell said. “If we come out and play our game and we will do our job we will go to at least the third or fourth round. That would be great.”</div></body>

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Unicoi County's Nehemiah Campbell, right, prepares to make a tackle against Pigeon Forge. — ERWIN — Nehemiah Campbell knows what it feels like to have football taken from him. One of 19 Unicoi County seniors, Campbell was injured three plays into the opening scrimmage last season and had...

Campbell is back and making plays for Unicoi County

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Unicoi County's Nehemiah Campbell, right, prepares to make a tackle against Pigeon Forge. — ERWIN — Nehemiah Campbell knows what it feels like to have foot

Campbell is back and making plays for Unicoi County

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