Camden County Wildcats
The GOAT
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Legendary Camden County High School football coach Jeff Herron may have hung his whistle up for good at the end of the 2023 season, but those that know this man like I do understand that he has never been one to stand on life’s sideline.
Coach Herron is the living embodiment of “Team First”, but all of us that call Camden home are thrilled to see him get the individual honors that he so justly deserves.
This week the National High School Football Hall of Fame announced that it will induct Jeff Herron into its newest class.
Coach Herron roamed the sideline for 32 years as the head man at high schools in Georgia and South Carolina, compiling an overall record of 334 – 69. His record of 312 – 54 in Georgia alone, a winning percentage of 85.3%, is good enough for second best in the state’s history and 34th best in national high school football history.
Herron was named Region or Area Coach of the Year 25 times and the Georgia Coach of the Year 9 times in those 32 years. He was the Atlanta Falcons High School Coach of the Year in 2009. He has led 19 region champions, had 10 final four appearances and five state championships.
He is the only head football coach in Georgia High School Association (GHSA) history to win state titles at three different schools. He won his first state championship while at Oconee County in 1999, three at Camden County in 2003, 2008 and 2009, and his final at Grayson High School in 2016. That 2016 team at Grayson went 14-1, winning the GHSA 7A State Championship and the Public-School National Championship.
Coach Herron’s Camden County Wildcat teams also won 12 straight region championships, and hold the state record with a 58-game regular season winning streak, and a 28-game overall winning streak.
During his tenure, the Wildcats were ranked in the USA Today Top 25 six times and selected by ESPN as the program of the decade in Georgia for the 2000-2010 decade.
He also coached Walton (1989), Cedar Shoals (1990-93), Wheeler (1995-96) and Prince Avenue Christian (2013-15) in Georgia, and at T.L. Hanna (2017-18) in South Carolina.
In 2022, Jeff Herron was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Emory & Henry College in Virginia, where he was a starter and four-year letterman.
He was the team captain for the 1981 season when he was named a 2nd Team All Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) player.
In September of 2024 it was announced that Coach Herron will also be inducted as part of the 2025 Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) Hall of Fame class, which will also include former Charlton County High School head football coach Rich McWhorter, former Dougherty County and Troupe County head coach Charles Flowers, and basketball coaches Anzy Hardman and Rufus McDuffie.
The GACA induction will be on May 31, 2025 in Dalton, Georgia.
Its going to be a busy summer for Coach Herron. Two weeks after the GACA ceremony, he will be inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame on June 14th in Canton, Ohio.
All of us in Georgia’s southeasternmost county are eternally grateful for everything Coach Herron has accomplished as a coach, but we are most indebted for his role as a teacher, and a leader of young people when we needed it most.
The best news of all…Jeff Herron goes into the National High School Football Hall of Fame, and into coaching eternity, as a Camden County Wildcat.
Cats QB Ones
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start by saying there is no quarterback controversy. I repeat there is no QB controversy whatsoever.
Now that we have addressed that what we can say is that the Camden County Wildcats will have great QB play for at least the next three years.
Currently, the Wildcats will have Parks Riendeau returning for his senior season as the signal caller for Camden.
The Cats have also had a talented young QB transfer in. William Jackson is now on campus in Kingsland, GA. Jackson is a four-star recruit that stands at 6’4 196 pounds, has a cannon for an arm, and is a killer in the rushing game.
Jackson transferred into Camden County High School from Winter Park High School in the Orlando area at the beginning of this current Spring Semester.
The great thing for Camden fans is Jackson is only a sophomore. Jackson has offers from Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Arkansas and Marshall to name a few. He has also taken visits to Ohio State, Florida, USF, Auburn, Miami and Florida State. The offer list will only grow over the next few years.
Jackson played in four games as a freshman for Winter Park. He went 18-27 for 145 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Jackson should thrive when it is his turn in Coach Roland’s Spread offense as Riendeau did as a junior.
Riendeau threw for over 1800 yards and 21 touchdowns. He only threw 5 interceptions all season. At one point, Riendeau led all of 6A in passing yards.
He also led Camden to the GHSA 7A Final Four in 2023 under then Head Coach, Jeff Herron running the Wing-T offense.
Riendeau has been on the varsity roster since he was a freshman.
The Camden County Coaching Staff has told SSE the plan is to have Riendeau lead the Wildcats in 2025 and then have Jackson take over for 2026 and 2027.
Region 1-6A is the region Camden plays in and it is the best region in the state top to bottom. Region 1-6A consists of Camden, Colquitt, Lowndes, Valdosta, Richmond Hill and Tift County.
The future is bright in Kingsland, GA for the Camden County Wildcats.
Wild Season For Wildcats
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2024 football season came to an end for the Camden County Wildcats recently.
New head coach Travis Roland finished his first year in Kingsland with a 7-4 overall record following a 28-7 loss to North Cobb High School in the first round of the GHSA 6A state playoffs.
Coach Roland brought a new attitude and a new playing style to Camden. Offensive Coordinator Grant Alford, also in his first season with the Wildcats, installed a new pro-style offense and in infusion of RPO (run-pass option) schemes.
Second-year starting quarterback Parks Riendeau, a junior, took to the new offense enthusiastically and posted stats not seen by a Camden quarterback since Brice Ramsey in 2013.
Riendeau finished the season with 131 completions on 224 attempts, tossing 21 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions.
Reindeau’s top target, senior tight end/wide receiver Elyiss Williams, put up dominating performances all season and displayed all of the talent you would expect from an athlete committed to play at the next level for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. Williams hauled in 54 passes for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Wildcats cruised through their non-region schedule and found themselves at 5-0, averaging 54.4 points and 420 yards of offense per contest.
Those five contests included victories over Brunswick 51-41; East Lake (Tarpon Springs, FL) 60-15; West Broward (Pembroke Pines, FL) 52-29; Ribault (Jacksonville) 62-6; and Spruce Creek (Port Orange, FL) 47-20.
As expected, things got much tougher when Camden began region play.
The first Region 1-6A contest was delayed due to Hurricane Helene and required the Wildcats to travel to Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on a Saturday to tangle with the Valdosta Wildcats. Camden was sent home with a 56-37 loss.
The Blue Wildcats returned home the following week and rebounded by playing their most complete game of the season, a 28-10 victory against Richmond Hill. Camden County pushed their overall record to 6-1, but found themselves just 1-1 in Region 1-6A.
Another trip to Valdosta followed in week 8, but this time it was on to the Concrete Palace to face the Lowndes Vikings, which resulted in a 33-7 loss.
The next week the Wildcats returned home again, and suffered their second straight region loss, this time to Colquitt County by a score of 54-41.
Camden County was now 6-3 overall and 1-3 in region play, needing a victory in the final week against Tift County AND a Colquitt victory over Richmond Hill just to make the playoffs.
As fate would have it, Camden beat Tift 38-28, and Colquitt took care of Richmond Hill, which earned the Wildcats the fourth seed out of Region 1.
This set the stage for the matchup with the North Cobb Warriors, the top seed out of Region 5.
The Region 5 champion Warriors (11-0) capitalized on mistakes by the Wildcats (7-4), securing a 28-7 victory in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
All of North Cobb’s scoring occurred in the second and third quarters, with two Camden turnovers turning into points.
Senior RB Jordan Hardy finished the season with 997 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns.
Camden County had multiple players recognized as all-region standouts for their efforts this season, including Elyiss Williams, who was named the Region 1-6A Offensive Player of the Year, and junior cornerback/wideout/return specialist David Coleman, who was named the Region 1-6A Athlete of the Year.
All-region first team offensive nods were given to junior QB Parks Riendeu, senior OL and University of Cincinnati commit Zack Taylor, and sophomore wideout Sean Green.
All-region first team defensive selections from Camden included junior inside linebacker Xavier Brown, senior outside linebacker Wayne Austell, and senior safety Ja’maric Daley.
The New Era
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The high school football regular season has come to an end for the Camden County Wildcats but hope springs eternal as they prepare to travel to Kennesaw to begin the Georgia 6-A playoffs on Friday, November 15th.
It has been a year of big change for the Columbia-blue Cats. We saw the retirement of legendary football coach Jeff Herron not long after Camden’s unlikely run to the final four of the playoffs last year.
That was followed by the hiring of new head man, Travis Roland, out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, where his Buccaneers had just won the Florida 3S state championship.
Coach Roland immediately hired Grant Alford out of Florida’s Lake Minneola High School to be the Wildcats new Offensive Coordinator, and the change from Jeff Herron’s vaunted Wing-T, power running offense was converted to a more modern, pro-style attack.
The players enthusiastically took to the new schemes and produced scoring averages and statistics that would be surprising to any longtime follower of Camden County High School football.
During the five non-region matchups to start the season, the Wildcats averaged 54.4 points and 420 yards of offense per game.
Camden’s average of 213 passing yards each week during that span is probably what surprised folks the most. You read that correctly. Camden County High School is passing the football.
Those first five contests, in order, included victories over: Brunswick 51-41; East Lake (Tarpon Springs, FL) 60-15; West Broward (Pembroke Pines, FL) 52-29; Ribault (Jacksonville) 62-6; and Spruce Creek (Port Orange, FL) 47-20.
In the non-region games, Camden’s junior quarterback, Parks Riendeau, was an impressive 67/94 passing, with 1,030 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and only one interception.
Senior tight end, Elyiss Williams, who is committed to the University of Georgia, had six receiving touchdowns during that span while senior running back Jordan Hardy contributed and eye-popping 13 rushing touchdowns.
Once October arrived, so did the tough competition of GHSA Region 1-6A. But even before the region play could even begin, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the schedule.
Camden ended up traveling to face the Valdosta Wildcats on a Saturday and was sent back home with 56-37 loss.
The Wildcats returned home to Chris Gillman Stadium the next week and rebounded with a 28-10 victory over the Richmond Hill Wildcats.
Camden then lost two consecutive region games, a 33-7 loss to Lowndes and a 51-41 loss to Colquitt County.
After such a promising start to the season, Camden County found itself with a 1-3 region record heading into the final contest of the year, a home matchup against Tift County High School.
In order to reach the playoffs, the Wildcats had to beat the Blue Devils and hope for a Colquitt County victory over Richmond Hill.
Camden beat Tift 38-28, and Colquitt County took care of its business. As a result, Camden County earned the fourth spot in Region 1-6A, and a trip to Kennesaw to face the 10-0 North Cobb Warriors is round one of the playoffs. These Wildcats are ready for another magical playoff run.
QB Parks Riendeau finished the regular season by completing 121 of 204 pass attempts for 1,732 yards, with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Elyiss Williams had 52 catches for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns, while sophomore wideout Sean Green finished the regular season with 41 receptions for 500 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior running back Jordan Hardy ended up with 128 carries for 831 and 17 rushing touchdowns while playing in just nine games.
Junior David ‘DC’ Coleman finished with 20 kickoff returns for 583 yards and 3 touchdowns, while adding one additional punt return for a touchdown.
On defense, Camden County was led by junior linebacker Xavier Brown with 116 total tackles, including 8 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.
Senior outside linebacker Wayne Austell contributed 91 total tackles including six tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks.
Sophomore weakside linebacker Kingston Melton recorded 53 total tackles with six tackles for loss, in addition to a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
The Wildcat Way
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Following the retirement of legendary Wildcats head coach Jeff Herron at the end of 2023 high school football season, which included a trip the GHSA 7A semifinals last November and a career that included three state championships at Camden, the Wildcat Way is going to have a new look for 2024.
Enter new Camden head coach, Travis Roland.
After spending a little time with him, you begin to understand that he doesn’t feel the need to fill the huge shoes left by his predecessor. Instead, the 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association 3S Coach of the Year is bringing his own pair of shoes to Kingsland.
Roland comes to Camden County after three years as the head man at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, FL where his Buccaneers finished last season as the Florida 3S state champions after a dramatic come-from-behind victory against St. Augustine.
Daytona was home for Coach Roland and he finished his time at Mainland High School, which is also his alma mater, with a 30-10 record. Prior to Mainland, he spent four years as the head coach at Flagler Palm Coast. His career record as head coach stands at an impressive 58-22.
Anyone who has followed Camden County football over the years knows that the Wildcats’ signature has been as a power running team, mostly operating in the Wing-T. Coach Roland will begin to evolve that system by including more passing concepts and spread formations.
The Wildcats also have a new offensive coordinator in Grant Alford, who comes to Kingsland after spending eight years as an assistant coach at Florida’s Lake Minneola High School.
Starting quarterback Parks Riendeau returns for his junior season and is looking to continue the momentum from last year’s deep playoff run.
Riendeau is a tough-as-nails kid with all the leadership qualities you could ask for.
In addition to the QB, the Wildcats offense will undoubtedly benefit from the play of senior athlete, Elyiss Williams. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound tight end has a 5-star rating from most major recruiting services and has committed to play for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs beginning in 2025.
Coach Roland is known as a defensive coach, and all signs point to him being the one to call plays on that side of the ball.
The Wildcats will be looking to replace the entire defensive front as that group consisted of all seniors last season.
Big things will be expected this coming year from Jam and Jav, the Daley twins, who are rising seniors. Ja’maric Daley saw action last year at the safety position, while twin brother, Ja’varis Daley, contributed as a linebacker.
Xavier Brown should step in and fill the spot at inside linebacker for his junior year, but I expect this defense to be led by senior Wayne Austell who showed incredible improvement throughout the season last year as an outside linebacker.
The Wildcats finished last season with an overall record of 10-4, earning playoff victories against Newton, McEachern and Mill Creek before losing to Walton in the state class 7A semifinal.
After all of that, Camden will enter the 2024 season in a new classification. The Georgia High School Association has done away with class 7A in an effort to decrease the distances between schools in its highest classification for football, which will now be 6A.
In addition to Camden County, the new Region 1-6A will include Richmond Hill, Colquitt County, Lowndes, Valdosta, and the return of old region foe, Tift County.
The top four teams in the region will be eligible for the 2024 playoffs.
The Wildcats schedule for 2024 is:
8/9 at Benedictine (Savannah) Scrimmage
8/16 at Brunswick HS Brunswick, GA
8/23 vs East Lake HS, FL Kingsland, GA
8/30 vs West Broward HS, FL Kingsland, GA
9/6 vs Ribault HS, FL Kingsland, GA
9/13 vs Spruce Creek HS, FL Kingsland, GA
9/27 at Valdosta HS (Region) Valdosta, GA
10/4 vs Richmond Hill (Region) Kingsland, GA
10/11 at Lowndes HS (Region) Valdosta, GA
10/25 vs Colquitt HS (Region) Kingsland, GA
11/1 vs Tift County HS (Region) Kingsland, GA
A New Era
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A new era of football has arrived for the Camden County Wildcats.
On February 28th the Camden County school system announced the hire of Travis Roland to become the next head football coach.
Legendary coach, Jeff Herron retired after three seasons with Camden. Herron took the Wildcats to the GHSA 7A Final Four this past season.
Travis Roland will come in with success of his own. Roland spent three seasons as the Mainland Buccaneers Head Coach and went 30-10 in that span. Mainland High School is in Daytona, FL.
Roland’s Buccaneers made a state title game appearance in 2022 but came up a little short. However, the Buccaneers returned to the title game in 2023 and this time walked away State Champions under Travis Roland’s leadership, beating powerhouse St. Augustine 21-19.
It was reported that over 30 applicants applied for the opening. The Camden County School System announced a meeting on Friday February 16th where they intended to announce a new football coach on that date.
However, Tracolya Green, Camden County Superintendent, announced at that meeting that no hire would be made as not enough time was given to properly vet references for the final 2 candidates for the position.
Coach Roland played high school football at Mainland High School and then went on to play at Bethune-Cookman. He played Arena Football after his college playing days ended.
Roland began coaching in 2009 at Mainland High School as an assistant. He spent three seasons with the Buccaneers before transitioning to Seabreeze High School, also in Daytona, as an assistant.
In 2012 Roland returned to Mainland High School’s coaching staff and remained until 2016. In 2017 Roland was named Head Coach at Flagler Palm Coast. He remained head coach there until 2020, when he once again returned to Mainland High School, this time as the Head Coach.
Coach Roland is the reigning Florida Coach of the Year.
He will take the reins of the Camden program, which is saturated with rich and proud history. Camden County Wildcat Football has been synonymous with tough, hard-nosed football and the Wing-T offense.
The Wildcats ran that Wing-T offense from 2000-2016 under former coaches Jeff Herron and Welton Coffey. The Wildcats won 3 state titles under Jeff Herron in 2003, 2008 and 2009.
Camden ran a spread from 2017-2020 under former coach Bob Sphire. The Wildcat offense went back to the Wing-T when Jeff Herron re-assumed the position as head coach.
It is expected Coach Roland will bring in a brand new system.
A new era has dawned in Kingsland.
Farewell
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Legendary Camden County Wildcats Coach Jeff Herron recently announced his retirement.
Throughout the early 2000’s the Camden County Wildcats Football Program was a juggernaut under Jeff Herron. During his first tenure with the Wildcats, he won 12 straight region titles and 3 state championships.
Herron left the Camden County Wildcat football program after the 2012 season to pursue other coaching opportunities.
In 2021, it was announced that Camden was going to welcome Jeff Herron back home and offered him a second stint as Wildcats’ Head Coach, which Herron accepted.
In Herron’s second year he took the Wildcats to the second round of the GHSA playoffs, a feat that had not been accomplished since 2015.
This past season, Herron led the Wildcats to the Final Four of the GHSA playoffs, eventually losing to powerhouse Walton. The Wildcats were the only team from their region to advance that far in the playoffs.
The legendary coach retires with a career record of 335-69.
Before the second go around with Camden, Herron’s last head coaching job was at T.L. Hanna High School in South Carolina and in 2 years there he amassed a 25-2 record. A year before that he won his 5th state championship with Grayson in Atlanta going 14-1.
Herron was the Head Coach at Oconee High School from 1997 to 1999 and won his first state title there. He went 33-6 at Oconee. When Herron took over the Oconee program the school had won a total of 8 games in 4 years.
During Herron’s first stay in Kingsland, he had a record 154-18. At one point the Wildcats won 58 straight regular season games under Herron, which is a Georgia record.
Herron had the Wildcats ranked inside the top 25 nationally six different seasons and the Camden program was named the program of the decade in the state of Georgia in the 2000’s.
The Wildcat program is looking to become a consistent state power once again and have returned to their roots to do so.
When the Camden administration hired Jeff Herron they asked him to get the football program moving in the right direction again. As always, Jeff Herron over-delivered. He amassed a 23-15 record in his second stint as Wildcats coach.
In his illustrious coaching career Herron only suffered one losing season ever, that was 2021, his first season back as head coach. The Wildcats still made the playoffs that season, finishing 4-7.
Herron leaves the program in far better shape than he found it.
The Cats Are Back
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2023 season was a breakout season for the Camden County Wildcats.
The Cats went 8-4, including a trip to the second round of the playoffs. The 2023 season also saw wins over both Valdosta and Lowndes, something that has not been accomplished since 2015.
Thus, to say the expectations are high for 2024 is drastic understatement.
Legendary coach Jeff Herron returns for his third season as the head man in Camden and has rebuilt the identity of the program in two short years. The Wildcats are back to playing ‘tough, grind it out’ football.
Camden will return Mason Robinson at QB for his senior campaign. The Wildcats Wing-T rushing attack will be led by standout running back Jaden Daily.
On defense the 2024 Cats will be very fast and physical. The defense will be led by senior linebacker Cooper Thornhill.
Here is how the schedule pans out for Camden.
Week 1: Columbia Eagles: This is a game Camden has circled on the calendar as the Eagles came to Chris Gilman stadium and stunned the Wildcats in a massive upset.
Week 2: Brunswick High Pirates: Another game that is circled in the schedule after the Pirates won in a nail biter last season at Glynn County Stadium by making a goal line stand at the end to win. This contest will be held at the friendly confines of Chris Gilman Stadium.
Week 3: @ Glynn Academy Red Terrors: The Wildcats blistered the Red Terrors last season, but that was at Chris Gilman Stadium. This game will be at Glynn County Stadium against a hungry Red Terror squad that will be looking to prove its’ metal early.
Week 4: New Hampstead Phoenix: New Hampstead is coming off of a 6-5 campaign and a playoff appearance. The Phoenix are an underrated team and not your typical Savannah public school push over.
Week 5: Somerset Academy Panthers: The Wildcats made short work of the Panthers last season despite Somerset being a playoff team in their classification last season. The Panthers make a second straight trip to Kingsland.
Week 6: Atlantic Coast Stingrays: The Stingrays also make their second straight trip to Kingsland. Last season the Wildcats won 47-6 in a game that wasn’t even that close. The Stingrays did not win a single game last season.
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Richmond Hill Wildcats: Region play begins for Camden against Richmond Hill. Last year Camden County went up to Richmond Hill and escaped with a 21-14 win. Richmond Hill returns the trip to Chris Gilman.
Week 9: Colquitt County Packers: The Colquitt County Packers are the best team in South Georgia. The Packers went up and down the field last season on Camden’s defense in Moultrie. The Packers head to Kingsland this season.
Week 10: @ Valdosta Wildcats: Valdosta will be looking for revenge against Camden. Camden grabbed the attention of the state last season beating ranked Valdosta 17-14 in Camden last season. Camden will take the trip to Title Town this season.
Week 11: @ Lowndes Vikings: The Lowndes Vikings got blown out in Kingsland last season and will be looking to earn some respect back after winning only one region game last year.
Jeff Herron and the coaching staff have things on the right track in Kingsland. Look for the Camden County Wildcats to go 9-1 on the season and make a deep playoff run. I expect Camden to at least be an Elite Eight team come playoff time.
Running Wild
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For the last three years I have had the pleasure of watching Jaden Dailey progress as a player for the Camden County Wildcats.
The Camden running back began getting carries for the Wildcats on the varsity level as only a freshman and has evolved into the main weapon at running back for Camden.
Dailey was born in Camden and then moved to Valdosta shortly after. Fortunately, for Camden fans, he moved back to Camden at the age of six. At age seven Dailey began playing football and immediately was a natural. By the time Dailey was eight years old his father, Michael Dailey, saw his son had a gift as a football player.
His father began working with his son on becoming a better running back and harnessing his talent.
Jaden Dailey was a freshman in Bob Sphires last season as Camden County Head Coach in 2020 and earned the trust of the coaching staff.
Dailey had a great mentor as he often shared the same backfield as Jamie Felix. “Jamie was a great motivator and was like an older brother to me. He would always tell me stay positive and keep my head up.” Jamie Felix is now playing on Saturdays at Georgia Tech.
In 2020 Felix went down for a portion of the season with a hamstring injury and Jaden Dailey was given the opportunity for some carries and he never looked back. By 2022, Dailey was a tough ‘between the tackles’ runner with great vision in Jeff Herron’s Wing-T offense.
Herron took over the program in 2021 and installed his signature Wing-T offense.
“My first impression of Jeff Herron was he was tough and serious. As I have gotten to know him I have seen some funny moments out of him too. He wants us to be physical as offense and pound the ball. He sets the tone.”
Jaden is the oldest of three brothers: Julian and Noah. Fourteen-year-old Julian also plays for Camden and plays running back. Noah is 11.
Jaden has some lofty goals for 2023 on the field. “I want to rush for 2,000 yards this coming season. I would also like to have 3,000 all-purpose yards.” If Dailey accomplishes those goals you will probably see the Wildcats in Atlanta in December.
He is a good student as well. He has a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and hopes to graduate with honors.
The plan after high school is to attend college and major in Business Marketing.
He will have a big decision as several schools have shown interest in offering Dailey a football scholarship. Some of those schools include Navy, Stetson, Tennessee Tech, Kennesaw State, UConn and Georgia State.
I expect a ton more offers to follow and for Jaden Dailey to have a monster 2023 season.
The Cats Are Back
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2022 season has come to an end for the Camden County Wildcats.
Camden traveled to Loganville, outside of Atlanta, to play the Grayson Rams in the second round of the GHSA playoffs. The Rams ended the Wildcats season with a 28-10 win.
Camden ended the season with an 8-4 record and the Wildcats accomplished a lot this season.
The Wildcats earned a two seed in Region 1-7A, upset the #3 ranked team in the state in the Valdosta Wildcats, beat the Lowndes Vikings for the first time since 2015, won three region games and won a first-round playoff game for the first time since 2015.
Camden is on the right track to becoming a state title contender again and the future is bright.
The Wildcats will only graduate 22 seniors and will 44 replace them next season. The rising freshmen and sophomore classes are loaded with talent and those will classes will contribute heavily next season as juniors and sophomores.
Expect a deep playoff run in 2023.
Let’s take a look back on the amazing 2022 campaign.
August 19: Columbia @ Camden: The season got off to a rocky start as the AA Columbia Eagles came to Chris Gilman Stadium and stunned the Wildcats, upsetting them 13-10.
August 26: Camden @ Brunswick: The Brunswick High Pirates were expected to compete for a state title in 6A. The Pirates dropped Camden 16-10 on a goal line stand at the end of the game.
This is the game that turned the season around. You could tell the kids in the locker room came together after losing this tough game.
September 2: Glynn Academy @ Camden: The Glynn Academy Red Terrors walked into an ambush that night. They were expecting a struggling Wildcat team ripe for the taking.
Instead, they got a vicious, angry, physical team that sent them home with a 37-7 drubbing.
September 9: B.E.S.T. @ Camden: This would be more of the same. B.E.S.T. Academy, out of Atlanta, came down and were overwhelmed by the Wildcats, 45-0.
September 16: Somerset Academy @ Camden: The Wildcats woodshedded the Somerset Academy Panthers 48-21, but the game wasn’t even that close.
September 23: Atlantic Coast @ Camden: This wrapped up the trio of games against Florida schools and the result was the same as the priors. The Wildcats dominated Atlantic Coast, 47-6.
October 7: Camden @ Richmond Hill: Wildcats v Wildcats. Camden did not play well in this game but found a way to win and earn their first region victory of 2022, 21-14.
October 14: Camden @ Colquitt: The Wildcats headed over to the Hog Pen and found out what Colquitt was for real. The Packers outpaced the Wildcats, 49-21.
Colquitt was ranked #2 in the state at the time and this game was a flag-a-thon by the zebras. Most of the calls going against Camden. It’s tough to win at Colquitt for a reason.
October 21: Valdosta @ Camden: Another Wildcats v Wildcats matchup. Camden kicked a Field goal to take a 17-14 advantage.
Valdosta marched down the field to attempt their own field goal to tie the game, which Camden blocked and then ran out the clock on the folks from Winnersville.
When it was all said and done Camden had knocked off the #3 ranked team in the state, 17-14.
November 4: Lowndes @ Camden: The Lowndes Vikings were hoping take the #2 seed away from Camden by beating them at home. Instead, the Vikings were run out of Chris Gilman, 48-21 and the game was not that close.
November 12: East Coweta @ Camden: The East Coweta Indians made the long drive from Atlanta to Kingsland. The first half ended with East Coweta up 21-14.
In the second half the Wildcats outscored East Coweta 30-12 and ended their season with a 44-33 win.
November 18: Camden @ Grayson: Jeff Herron returned to place where he won his last state title in 2016. The Rams were a solid team and the Wildcats couldn’t quite find that one big play to get them going.
The Rams eliminated Camden 28-10.
See you next Spring.
