Glynn Academy Red Terrors
Terror Character
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When you reach the playoffs in any sport for over 15 years in a row, it says something about your team and program.
That was all on the line last Friday night for the Glynn Academy Red Terrors.
After an up and down season, the Terrors found themselves down 24-21 late in the fourth quarter to the Evans Knights.
It was literally win and you’re in or lose and close but no cigar. The winner would be the region’s last team in and the loser could start pumping up basketballs.
With under 6 minutes to go in the game and trailing, the Red Terrors reached down and found that little extra they needed. They stood up and took charge of a game that they had made close with some crucial mistakes in the 3 ½ quarters before.
Behind the play of T. Y. Chisholm, Da’Sean Howard and Sean Wallace on offense and Tae Green on defense the Terrors came back to take a 28-24 victory and win a trip to take a six-hour bus ride to take on the Rome Wolves in the first round of the state playoffs.
In those final 6 minutes the Terrors showed the character of a team full of winners.
First, Howard put the team on his back and carried the ball on pretty much the same play three times in a row. The third one, a tackle breaking run went for 39 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. Tuck Tuckers extra point made it 28-24.
That left it up to the Red Terror D that had played well all night but had given up several big plays for scores.
They responded by making interceptions the last two times Evans had the ball. The last by Ervan Rowe on a 4th down and 28 Hail Mary pass. That 4th and 28 was set up by Tae Greens’ SIXTH sack of the night. The guy was a true Terror, all over the field.
Coach Rocky Hidalgo was “relieved” that the Red Terrors had won but bemoaned the errors that his Terrors had made.
All teams make errors and nobody is perfect but character stands out. In the last 6 minutes with the season on the line the Red Terrors showed character.
Can they stand up to the 5A #1 seed Rome Wolves? We will see. But the Terrors definitely have the right attitude and it begins with Coach Hidalgo’s comments following the game.
He stressed that the Terrors had to be ready not only for next Friday night in Rome but on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on the Glynn practice field. That’s why the Terrors are in the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season.
In the Rome Wolves, the Terrors will take on a hot team. After losing their first 2 games, the Wolves have been on a 7-game winning streak.
The latest being a 50-3 pasting of Kennesaw Mountain. The Wolves are prolific on offense scoring 59, 28, 70, 63, 35, and 50 in their last 6 games.
Defensively in those six games, they’ve given up 35 points total. The Terrors definitely will have to play their absolute best to hang with Rome.
If they make crucial errors at times in this game they could get hammered. The Terrors will head into the game at 6-4 and the regions 4th seed.
After a long season full of highlights and a few lowlights the Terrors can head up north knowing they are big underdogs.
The official website for Rome says they are playing the GLYNN COUNTY SCHOOLS. They evidently don’t even know who Glynn Academy is! Glynn should go and let it all hang out.
As the old saying goes, they’ve really got nothing to lose.
Terror-tory
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Its July and its hot and sticky. The weather forecast says RAIN every afternoon.
Lazy summer days with afternoon thunderboomers. But for so many of us it’s really time to start thinking about FOOTBALL. And today it’s specifically GLYNN ACADEMY RED TERROR football.
The Red Terrors of Rocky Hidalgo had a very successful 2023 campaign. 8-3 with an ohhhhhh so close agonizing first round loss in the playoffs.
The Red Terrors picked a bad game to play mediocre football and it cost them in a one point first round loss. On the positive side was another city championship running Rocks record against the Brunswick Pirates to 7-3. But let’s move on and look at 2024. As of today the Terrors are undefeated.
Defensively the 2024 squad should be good. While the number of returning starters may not be overwhelming. The fact is that this Terror team has a lot of juniors and seniors who have played a lot of minutes for the Red and White.
A few years ago as we came out of the pandemic, the Red Terrors were looking at maybe a dozen or so juniors and seniors on the team.
That has drastically changed in the past couple of years and the Terrors will have close to 50 juniors and seniors ready to play on Friday nights.
It’s a big difference. Especially on defense where there are holes to fill.
Quay Evans and Tay Green return on the D-line for the Terrors and Ty Chishom returns in the defensive backfield.
Several other of last year’s contributors will step into starting roles this year. With the depth the Terrors have built recently, Coach Rock feels the defense will be very good.
I think that the key for Glynn will be having some linebackers step up and play big time. If that happens the Terrors could be dangerous.
They could be dangerous because the offense will be lethal.
On offense the Terrors return a great mix of players including 3 offensive linemen.
The games are won or lost in the trenches and this group of road graters should be good.
Add in Josh Baker at center and this group should be solid. They are definitely going to have some guys in the backfield that can take advantage of every crease or hole the Oline gives them.
Returning are TE Deuce Hidalgo, WR Sean Wallace, QB Jayden Ellis and RB Greg Peacock. That’s 7 returning starters and a dozen or so with experience from last year. The Terrors will be fun to watch fosho!
And keep an eye out for Nico Nikomunoz. He’s a young QB who can sling it. If he gets on the field and can distribute the ball it will free up Ellis and Peacock to wreak havoc. Either way this offense has the potential to be VERY good.
Special teams are just that at Glynn and it’s just a question of how good. Returning will be Tuck Tucker to do the punting, kickoffs and FGs. Any time the Red Terrors get in the red zone it should be at least 3 with Tuck.
And keep an eye out for up and coming Patrick Coyle. He would start for most teams in the region but will give Glynn a great backup.
The return teams should be emphasized by Rocky and the staff. They could be electric this time around! Peacock is being recruited by all the D1’s. So, lets hope the Rock puts him back deep and lets the opposing teams kick it to him.
Glynn rolls into 2024 with several new coaches on staff including Steve Sigemund with the DB’s and all important Weightroom. Matt Moore comes on board with the RB’s. And Gage Sills heads up the QB’s. Welcome to the Terrortory gentlemen!
While I’m not going to break down the season game by game, the schedule is formidable.
Richmond Hill returns 18 starters and is in one of the fastest growing areas in the state. Ditto for the Rebels of Effingham. Evans will be loaded this year and Brunswick has talent.
Eight wins for Glynn Academy in the regular season again would be workable if things fall into place. Now let’s see if they can make a playoff run.
Living Legend
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s spring time! And while the Glynn Academy Red Terrors rack up win after win on the courts, the pitch, and the track. Let’s take a look at the numero uno Head man of the Glynn Academy football program. That’s Rocky Hidalgo.
Rocky came to Glynn in 2014. He inherited a program that while being competitive was also very tired.
Rob Ridings’ 10-year reign from 2004 to 2013 had stabilized the program. But the ‘my way or the highway’ regiment grew old to many. That included fans, boosters, coaches, players, and the administration.
By 2013 the writing was on the wall and ole Rob hit the road. The good thing about this was that the Glynn people had time to really look around and get a great, young, qualified coach. And that’s exactly what they did.
Enter one mister Rocky Hidalgo from Walton High School in Marietta.
Over a 5 year stretch from 2009 to 2013 Walton had won 40 games while losing only 18. This was also in the uber competitive North Atlanta area.
Could he bring his magic to a Glynn program that desperately needed leadership? Well, the proof is in the pudding. Glynn got the right guy.
As Rocky enters his second decade on the southside, Glynn has become a solid winning program. No, they haven’t won state…yet.
But they’ve come about as close as you can, losing in a great State Championship game in only his second year. Glynn fell to Allatoona 10-6 at the Georgia Dome. Add in a final four appearance in 2017 with a 4-point loss to eventual state champion Lee County and you get the idea. Glynn Academy football is in good hands.
To understand how positive this coach and staff have been. Take this into consideration. Rocky Hidalgo has won 81 games in 10 years at Glynn. He won 40 games in 5 years at Walton. As it sits right now, he is the second winningest coach in Red Terror history, which goes back to before World War 1.
He trails only the great C.M. Page who won 108 games over an 18-year span in the 40’s and 50’s. Add in Rockys’ 4 region championships in 10 years. Wow.
The results have come with some great players who have been committed to the program and the school. Rocky couldn’t win all those games and go deep into the playoffs without guys like Peyton Parker, David Prince, Greg Peacock, DeeJay Dallas, Garrison Heard, Kendall Cross, Randon Jernigan, Jack Podlesney, and on and on. Guys that were all dedicated to the program and committed to a winning tradition built by Coach Rocky Hidalgo.
Oh, and Glynn’s record against Brunswick during Rockys time with the Terrors is 7-3. Just wanted to be clear on that!
With the Terrors coming off of an 8-3 campaign in 2023, look for great things as the Red Terrors head into 2024 under the Rock!
Terror Town 2023
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, as we head toward the holidays, it’s time to take a look back at the 2023 Red Terrors football season.
The Terrors rolled to a successful 8-3 campaign, claiming the second seed in the region, and barely missing out on another playoff win. And while the Red and White southsiders would have loved a few more W’s, it was all and all a great season capped off with an overtime sinking of a Pirate ship. Any season with a city championship win over the Brunswick Pirates is considered a successful campaign for the Red Terrors. Trust me, I know!
So, let’s do a quick recap of another fine season for the Terrors and take a quick look at what’s coming back for the 2024 outfit.
8/18 Glynn Academy vs Statesboro Blue Devils. Terrors roll in the opener 21-0.
8/25 Glynn Academy @ MCA Buccaneers. The Red Terrors cruise up Highway 17 and take out the always tough Buccaneers in a close one 14-6. McIntosh Academy always plays bigger than they are and this one was no exception.
9/1 Glynn Academy vs Camden County Widcats. The Terrors find out on this Friday night that they aint the biggest boys on the block as the Wildcats rough up the homestanding Terrors 44-13. The Wildcats and Jeff Herron go on to the Final Four of the 7A playoffs.
9/7 Glynn Academy vs Baker County (FL) Wildcats. Glynn grounds out a tough 27-20 win over the Wildcats to bounce back into the win column and all eyes turn to the Pirates, who have already taken out a Camden team that ripped Glynn the week before.
9/22 Glynn Academy vs Brunswick High Pirates. Ahhhhhhhhhhh lets enjoy this one again. The Red Terrors sink the Pirates in a 22-15 overtime thriller.
The City Championship once again resides in the Glynn Academy trophy case. In this one the Terrors and Pirates find common ground from the top down to the 3rd stringers. We don’t like them and they don’t like us. Agreed……. Once again GLYNN 22 Brunswick 15.
9/29 Glynn Academy @ Effingham County Rebels. What goes up………… The Red Terrors play like they have a hangover that a whole bottle of aspirin won’t help. 49-3 Rebels, who go on to win the region championship.
10/6 Glynn Academy vs South Effingham High School Mustangs. The Terrors regroup and pulverize the Mustangs 35-0.
10/12 Glynn Academy @ Grovetown Warriors. Glynn has a nice trip up north and walks and runs all over Grovetown 43-3.
10/20 Glynn Academy @ Evans Knights. Another road trip and another win as the Terrors take out a tough Evans team 22-14.
11/3 Glynn Academy vs Lakeside Panthers. The Terrors get tuned up for the 6A playoffs with a 50-7 pasting of the Panthers at Glynn County Stadium.
11/10 Glynn academy vs Jonesboro Cardinals. Let’s see, what do you get when you fumble 3 times and have 2 punts blocked? It doesn’t matter who you are. 98% of the time you lose.
Well, the Terrors did their absolute best to be in the 2% but fall short in a heartbreaker 32-31.
Too many mistakes to overcome against a team that took advantage of them.
The Terrors lose at home in the final game of the year and end up with an 8-3 record. Not what Coach Rock and the Terrors wanted but another successful campaign for the Red and White.
The Terrors graduated some real leaders in 2023. Kids that worked their tails off and stuck with the program.
Among them were Peyton Parker, who earned Region Defensive Player of the Year, and David Prince Glynn’s great wide receiver.
The all-region team was well represented with Jayden Ellis at QB, Parker, Prince, RB Willie Butler, Max Poysky OL, Quay Evans DL, Da’Vontae Lang ILB, Trent Tankersley OLB, Ryan Young DB, Marshan Turner DB and Tuck Tucker P all First Team selections.
Second teamers included Deuce Hidalgo TE, Harrison Knight OL, Camden Wilson DL, Gavin Wells OLB and T.Y. Chisom DB. Honorable Mentions were Michael Torello FB, Zeb Jackson WR, Sean Wallace WR, Caziah Alston, Benton Dyal and Josh Baker all on the OL, Tae Green DL, Chandler Owens LB, Bruce Edwards DB and LS Jeb Carson.
Quite a list and a testament to the consistent work ethic put in by the Terrors and the coaching staff.
As the Terrors look forward to 2024, they do so with a great nucleus to build on. The Offense has 3 linemen and 4 of the best skill players in southeast Georgia coming back. If the young line develops the Terrors will be very dangerous next year.
Defensively it’s the same story, 3 seasoned linemen, a linebacker, and a very good DB form a solid group to build around.
Tuck Tucker returns to kick and punt also. The coaching staff has a lot of work to do but a great core to work with.
Look for Rocky Hidalgo and the Terrors to build on the success of the young 2023 outfit and fight for more in 24!
It’s Good!
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It just a PAT right? Point after touchdown……easy peasy.
The team scores and the kicker comes in and tacks on another point.
Tuck Tucker, the kicker for the Glynn Academy Red Terrors, has hit 10 of them so far in this short season.
I was lucky enough to coach Tuck when he was 11 and 12 years old. I coach the kickers and QBs and he was our kicker on the 2019 State Championship Glynn County Broncos U-12 rec department team.
Head down, drive through Tuck! You lift your head, your running another lap! I don’t know if he was extremely coachable or hated running laps. Probably a little of both! Just a great kid with a great attitude.
Fast forward to today and while Tuck is kicking for the Red Terrors, he’s stepped into something much bigger. He has become a part of the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to researching and finding cures and assisting children with pediatric cancers.
Alexandra “Alex” Scott was born in 1996, the second of 4 children in the Scott family. At the age of 1 she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a deadly type of childhood cancer.
At the age of 4 Alex asked her parents if she could open a lemonade stand to help with the fight against the disease. Out of this wooden Lemonade stand, selling cups of lemonade with the proceeds going to Cancer research, grew the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation that has raised millions of dollars for pediatric cancer research.
The Foundations motto is “Fighting childhood cancer, one cup at a time.” The mission statement is “Our mission is to change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer.”
You can donate by going to the Foundation site online or at the lemonade stand at the Red Terrors home games.
And while you’re on the website, look for Tucks page.
Just type in Tuck Tucker on the ALSF search bar. His page is KICK! Cancer with Tuck Tucker.
It reads the following, “Im holding a fundraiser to help Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation move one step closer to finding a cure for all children with cancer. Ill be dedicating my season to kids with cancer by turning my stats into life-saving research dollars”.
“Please make a donation of any amount toward my fundraising goal. The money you donate will pay for research to find better treatments and cures for childhood cancer. You can help kids and their families by providing desperately needed hope!”
The Foundation has funded more than ONE THOUSAND Medical Research Grants since 2005.
According to Dr. David Poplack, “The ALSF grant program is helping researchers throughout the country move closer to the day when a cure is a reality…”
The ALSF is the only childhood cancer research organization that has been given the National Cancer Institute peer-reviewed funder designation for rigorous selection of research grants. That’s how donations are helping.
I’d love to say that Alex Scott is alive and well and working with the Foundation. She would be 27 years old now. Sadly, that’s not the case.
Pediatric cancer is a killer and it took Alex’s life in 2004 at the age of 8. Before she died, Alex had raised over a million dollars for cancer research and inspired all around her. And it all started with a front yard lemonade stand and a girl who cared. So does Tuck. Give if you can.
As I was talking to Tuck, our conversation naturally went to kicking and I asked the junior kicker about the season.
He said he had made 10 out of 12 PATS with one of those being a block.
Well, what about the first one that you missed I asked? He said he saw the rush and clanked it off the crossbar. I said yep, you raised your head……..I didn’t make him run a lap.
Wave Of Terror
By: Garrison Ryfun
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy finished the 2022 season with a record of 6-5, after losing a close game in the first round of the playoffs at Northside-Warner Robins.
Throughout the 2022 season, Glynn evolved as a team and really found their offensive identity in the latter half of the season with a focus on getting the ball into their best playmakers’ hands.
Two of those playmakers will be back this season in junior Greg Peacock and recent Georgia Tech commit, senior David Prince.
This shift in offensive philosophy took the Terrors from averaging 20 points per game in their first seven games to 31.5 points per game in their last four.
August 18th – Glynn vs Statesboro: Last year in Statesboro, the Terrors won in a 43-42 shoot-out to begin their season. Since that game, the Terrors found their offensive identity and ended 2022 looking like a better team. While the Blue Devils of Statesboro ended their season on a disappointing note, finishing the year 3-8. I have Glynn picking up the win at home this year.
August 25th – Glynn @ McIntosh County Academy: The MCA game in 2022 was a game that felt like Glynn had full control of, but Glynn never pulled away. MCA is a solid 1A team, but I have Glynn picking up the win in Darien.
September 1st – Glynn vs Camden County: Last year’s Camden County game felt like a wake-up call for the Terrors. They were shut out until a long run from Hank Noonan in the fourth quarter. I expect the game to be closer this year, but don’t know if they will pull off the upset.
September 7th – Glynn vs Baker County (FL): A part of the 2nd Annual Florida-Georgia Border War Classic, this will be a Thursday night game for the Terrors. Last year they took on Creekside (FL) in the first Border War, losing 21-20 in a torrential downpour. Baker County beat Richmond Hill in the Classic last year and seemed to be a solid team in their division in Florida. I expect this to be a tough contest for the Terrors, and the homer in me wants to say they’ll pick up a hard fought win before the bye week.
September 15th – Bye Week: Region play starts after this bye week.
September 22nd – Glynn vs Brunswick High: Glynn will be the home team this year for the City Championship. Glynn has now lost three in a row to Brunswick, but last year was the widest margin of the three with Brunswick winning 55-21. Glynn will need to dominate time of possession and get some key turnovers if they want to win this year’s City Championship.
September 29th – Glynn @ Effingham County: Last season, with worries of Hurricane Ian threatening to impact South Georgia, the game was moved up to a Wednesday. After a disappointing loss in 2022, I expect Glynn to be hungry to get after Effingham this season.
October 6th – Glynn vs South Effingham: Though the scoreboard does not reflect it, this may have been the game where Glynn figured out their offensive identity last year. I expect this to be a bigger win for Glynn in 2023.
October 13th – Glynn @ Grovetown: The game where it seemed to all come together for Glynn in 2022, winning 46-13. Though the drive to Augusta will be long, I expect Glynn to pick up the win again this year.
October 20th – Glynn @ Evans: After a comeback 25-22 win against Evans last year, Glynn kept their #3 seed hopes alive. I expect Evans will put up a tough fight after last year’s win.
October 27th – Bye week
November 3rd – Glynn vs Lakeside (Evans): Glynn finished up the regular season last year, with a 42-20 win over Lakeside (Evans). A team that had some young stars, I expect the game to be a little closer this year but for Glynn to get the win.
For now, I have Glynn going 8-2 with losses to Camden and Brunswick High. This team will have a chance to make a legitimate run in the playoffs, like a lot of past Rocky Hidalgo-coached teams have.
The Prince Of Terror
By: Garrison Ryfun
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy Red Terror Senior wideout David Prince looks to make some noise in his final season as a Terror.
A four-year starter at the receiver position and standing 6 foot 4 inches 220 pounds, Prince is an imposing force at wideout.
Glynn Academy used his size advantage last year, as he became a regular jump ball target on the goal line for Quarterback Tyler Devlin. Prince’s wider catch radius makes him a perfect target for an inexperienced quarterback, which the Terrors will be rolling into 2023 with.
After starting high school with Louisville commit, TJ Lewis at QB and the stability of the last two years with Devlin, Prince will be looking to Ryan Schueneman as the new signal caller.
Schueneman, who played a similar role to David Prince last season, will now be the third starting quarterback to play with David Prince.
While out at practice, Prince and I talked about where he got his love of football from. He attributed it to watching his brothers play when he was growing up. Prince said after he started playing in the sixth grade he just fell in love with the sport.
Prince embraced the run-first identity of Glynn Academy’s offense in our interview saying: “Our number one thing is running the football; we ain’t ever going to change that.”
Despite playing in a run-first offense, Prince put up impressive stats last season, totaling up 28 catches for 607 yards and 7 touchdowns. That includes an explosive performance against Northside in round 1 of the playoffs last year, where he caught 3 passes for 120 yards and 1 touchdown.
Prince also played two ways last season, embracing being a team player and plugging in as an outside linebacker on defense. Prince told me he expects to play on defense again this season, once again playing outside linebacker for the Terrors. Another year’s worth of experience at the position, colleges are sure to take notice of both David Prince the tight end and David Prince the linebacker.
He talked about his goals and the team’s heading into 2023: “Get stronger, faster, and try to win a region championship. First day of spring we came out here with a mindset to win a region championship.”
Those kinds of goals are the right mindset to have and are warranted when you look at Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo’s track record. Coach Rocky Hidalgo has won a region title, or tied for one, five times in his career at Glynn Academy.
Coach Hidalgo himself had this to say about Prince: “He is an amazing kid, he is a lot of fun to be around. Anything he does is going to automatically be more energetic, it’s going to be more enthusiastic, and it’s going to be more fun. He’s just kind of naturally got one of those personalities. Great kid, got a good heart, and he’s a great teammate.”
Prince talked a little bit about the college recruitment process and told a story about receiving his first offer from Troy: “I was in class, [Troy coach Evan McKissack] texted me and asked if he could call me. So, I went somewhere and called him, he was telling me that I was going to be the first tight end that they offered.”
Prince went on to say the current state of his recruiting process felt “regular,” saying that it hasn’t changed who he is as a person. He is also interested in making the most of his coming college experience, possibly pursuing a business degree.
David Prince is a bright young man, who will turn some heads in high school ranks and with more college coaches very soon. Look for him to not only have a great senior year, but also be a steal for whatever college is lucky to get him.
Farewell, George
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been an incredible time of ups and downs recently.
This world has lost some fine people; Vince Dooley, Charley Trippi, Mike Leach, Devin Willock, and Chandler LeCroy all in just the last 3 months. Just a crazy time.
But to me, this one hurt worse than anything. We recently lost the great George Rose.
Not only was he one of the top athletes to come out of South Georgia EVER, but he was one of the nicest and most genuine people you would ever want to meet.
Throughout our latter time together whenever we saw each other it was……….” Hey Coach!!!!!” “Hey Joe!! How’s Kim doing?” The guy was just solid gold.
When I learned of his passing it brought tears to my eyes. He was my coach but through everything he was my friend.
If you know anything about Glynn Academy Red Terror football, then you know who George Rose was. I’m not going to list everything here that he accomplished as a player at Glynn, Auburn and the NFL. It would take up the whole column and more.
Just a few superlatives were, he was a team captain at Glynn, and Auburn. He was the 34th overall pick in the NFL draft and played for Minnesota, New Orleans and San Francisco. He gave up ONE pass completion in his senior year at Auburn as a defensive back, ONE! He was that damn good and just purely fast as hell.
After the pros he came back to Glynn County and coached the Red Terrors during my senior year. I played QB that year for the first time and the truth be told I was pretty good and terrible. George got handed a mediocre bunch of Jimmys and Joes with a few good players sprinkled in that year.
But we worked hard and had a lot of fun. I remember one day at the end of practice we were doing extra passing drills and were all needling coach about playing DB and got him to go over and cover a couple of guys.
We were all laughing and having a good time and I went over to the receivers’ line and got lined up with George and he started laughing. I said come on Coach I’m gonna burn you! Well, I looked over at Coach Hudson, who was throwing and nodded my head. Coach Hudson goes “HUT ONE” and I take off……. huh wait a second……. I take one step and all of a sudden, I’m looking at the sky on my back. I don’t think they called it bump and run back then but I guess I’d call it bump and dump because I didn’t run anywhere!
Next thing I know George is looking down at me laughing, Coach Hudson is about to fall out laughing and next thing you know I’m laughing with everyone else.
I’d love to say we won all the close games and had a great year, but we didn’t. But what we did do was get better. Our last game of the year was against Brunswick High and they were the sub region champs and everyone from Murray Poole to my 12-year-old little brother said they were going to beat the snot out of us. And probably badly.
Well, between George, Marvin Hurst, Herman Hudson and the other coaches, they got us ready.
We beat the Pirates 26-21 at old Lanier Field in front of a standing room only crowd, coming from behind in the fourth quarter. We were the city champs.
After the game I went over to George and hugged him and told him thanks for everything he had done for us that year. He looked me straight in the eyes, smiled and said “Joe you played your best game tonight.” I’ll never forget that……. It brought tears to my eyes then……….and it brings tears to my eyes now.
God bless you coach, War Damn Eagle! Rest easy.
Resurrected Terrors
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors went through a 6-5 season in Coach Rocky Hidalgo’s 9th season as the head man at the school.
It was another winning season for Coach Rock and the Terrors, who have made the state playoffs every year during his tenure. However, it was not what the Red Terrors wanted in the form of a region title and deep run in the playoffs.
In my conversation with Coach Rock, it was apparent how very proud of this team he was. Especially how they fought like hell in the first-round loss on the road 18-13 to the second seeded Northside Eagles.
The Brunswick Pirates were bounced out by a fourth seed and the Effingham Rebels were hammered by the three seed from 1-6A. The Red Terrors acquitted themselves well on the road against the Eagles.
They had real chances and only a missed field goal kept them from potentially taking control of the game late in the fourth quarter.
Coach Hidalgo said the game showcased how far this edition of the Terrors had come and how it bodes well for the 2023 season.
While the Terrors will say goodbye to a small core group of seniors led by Tyler Devlin, Hank Noonan and others, they will return a large group of seasoned sophomores and juniors led by the electric Greg Peacock. They all played major roles in the teams’ 2022 success.
Let’s take a quick look back at the 2022 season.
8/19 Glynn at Statesboro. The Red Terrors squeak out an exciting 43-42 win on the road against the Blue Devils to start the season.
8/25 McIntosh Co Academy at Glynn. The Red Terrors make it two in a row, pulling away with a win over the tough Buccaneers; 22-13 at Glynn County Stadium.
9/2 Glynn at Camden County. The Red Terrors take their first loss of the season with an away loss at Chris Gilman Stadium to the 7A Wildcats.
9/8 Creekside (FL) at Glynn. In a pouring monsoon the Red Terrors lose a heartbreaker 21-20 to fall to 2-2.
9/23 Brunswick High at Glynn. The powerful Pirates drop the Terrors to 2-3 on the season with a dominating 55-21 win.
9/28 Effingham County at Glynn. The Terrors fail to bounce back and drop a fourth straight game. The Rebels take it by a 31-14 score. The second loss in the region puts the Terrors in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time under Coach Hidalgo.
10/7 Glynn at South Effingham. The Terrors taste victory again with a 13-9 victory over South Effingham
10/14 Grovetown at Glynn. The Terrors turn it around and level their record at 4-4 with a 46-13 pounding of the Warriors between the bricks.
10/21 Evans at Glynn. In a pivotal region game, the Red Terrors come from behind to take a thrilling 25-22 win over the visiting Knights. Its Senior Night and the Terror Nation shows its appreciation with a great crowd.
11/4 Glynn at Lakeside Evans. The Terrors win their fourth in a row as the Panthers are declawed 42-20. The Terrors finish out the regular season at 6-4 and head into the playoffs again.
11/11 Glynn at Northside. The Terrors go on the road and put up a great fight against the second seeded Eagles. They have real chances to win the game going tooth and nail with Northside.
In the end a missed field goal and an interception hurt the Terrors and they lose late 18-13. It’s another tough loss that the Terrors couldn’t quite pull out. The Terrors end the year at 6-5.
As I mentioned above, when I talked to Coach Rock you could see how proud he was of this outfit and how they came back and played hard after being 2-4.
They could have folded up and headed home but didn’t. He was very proud of what they had accomplished. They were winners!
Rocky Hidalgo is one of Glynn’s winningest coaches ever. He has region championships and a state championship appearance under his belt.
He has averaged over 8 wins per season in his nine years with the Red Terrors. So, when he says he is looking forward to this sophomore and junior dominated team coming up big next year. I’m all in. Let’s do it Rock!
Raising Terror
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call Glynn Academy’s 2021 football season underwhelming. Coach Rocky Hidalgo is out to change that.
Last year got off to a baffling start in the form of a 14-point tie to our northern neighbors in McIntosh, the MCA Buccaneers.
That was quickly followed by a shellacking at the hands of our southern neighbors from Camden, the Camden County Wildcats.
Compile that with an overtime loss to the Brunswick High Pirates in the City Championship Game, and it’s pretty obvious the season never fully got on track.
The Terrors followed up a pedestrian 4-5-1 regular season with an early playoff exit, losing in the first round to Langston Hughes on the road 42-14.
Flip the calendar forward eight months, and Big Red seems to be ready to turn the page and get back to basics. Local football afficionados have noticed a more hands-on approach from Coach Hidalgo this offseason and hints of a more “in-the-trenches/wing-T” style of play on offense.
That should prove to play to the strengths of his returning offensive stars. Rising Senior QB Tyler Devlin developed a solid rapport with receiver David Prince last year and looks to build upon that in the coming season.
The Terrors look to be sturdy up front with big guys John McCleod and Jack Hunt leading the line & opening some big holes for the multifaceted sophomore RB Greg Peacock.
On defense, familiar names like William Tankersley, D.J. Riley, J.T. Gibbons, and Hugh Edgy will be filling in the gaps left by last years’ graduating class. All in all, the 2022 season looks to be much more satisfactory for Terror Nation.
Here’s how we see Glynn’s season unfolding:
WEEK 1 – @Statesboro – It’s tough to pick when you have two teams trying to rebound from a disappointing season. We’ll go with the Terrors over the Devils in a close one on the road, 21-17.
WEEK 2 – vs. MCA – That draw from last year still stings. Hidalgo & company will make sure that outcome isn’t anywhere close this time around. Glynn wins big, 49-9.
WEEK 3 – @Camden – Last year’s drubbing had folks wondering if the Wildcats really were back or not. No more of the same this year, Glynn flips the script in a shootout 51-45.
WEEK 4 – vs. Creekside – A tough non-region opponent in a tough spot on the schedule. The Knights hand Glynn their first loss on the year 35-21.
WEEK 5 – CITY CHAMPIONSHIP vs. Brunswick – As a Pirate alum it pains me to say this, but I fear the streak for the Blue & Gold ends here. Coach Rock hoists the trophy once more, 31-28 (OT).
WEEK 6 – vs. Effingham – Glynn always seems to lose one game a year they have no business losing. This one seems as good a candidate as any. Terrors still feeling hungover from the victory over BHS put up an uninspiring effort in a 17-3 loss.
WEEK 7 – @South Effingham – The boys in red get back on track and avoid going “Oh-for-Eff,” breaking the Mustangs bigly 56-14.
WEEK 8 – vs. Grovetown – The first of three home games against new region opponents to end the season sees the Terrors notch their first shutout of the season, embarrassing the Warriors 34-0.
WEEK 9 – vs. Evans – All cylinders will be firing as the regular season winds down, but the Terrors let this one slip by. Glynn falls in a close one 24-21.
WEEK 10 – vs. Lakeside – Coach Rock fixes the issues from the week before and sends the Terrors to the playoffs riding high. Terrors over Panthers by a decisive 42-14 score.
FINAL RECORD – 7-3, 2nd place in the Region, playoff bound.
