High School Football
The Legend Of The Dirty Thirty
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It would be the epitome of understatement to say that the 2020 season for the Frederica Academy Knights was a surprising one.
Any season that ends in a trip to the state title game is a superlative one, no doubt.
Although the season was still somewhat up in the air due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the global pandemic was the least of Coach Brandon Derrick’s worries.
Defensive Coordinator Alex Mathis left the squad to join fellow FA coaching alum Geoff Cannon on the Brantley County Herons.
The already thin roster saw several contributors either opt out of the season or transfer to other schools, most notably the starting quarterback.
When the dust settled, the Knights would look to start the season with a meager 30 varsity players – “The Dirty Thirty” as they would come to be known.
And then, as the Knights approached their season opener versus longtime rival Valwood, COVID made its presence known. A positive test two weeks prior to the season opener required a 10-day shuttering of the program. After four days of game prep, the team headed to Hahira, GA to take on the Valiants.
After their first four quarters of the season, the Knights had given the first peek of what could be ahead in 2020 in the form of a 36-13 win.
Senior RB Kyle “Meatball” Perez put up 149 yards on the ground with 3 touchdowns, while freshman soon-to-be phenom RB “The River” Jordan Triplett notched 2 more touchdowns, while piling up 167 yards.
What turned out to be the tipping point of the season came in week three, when the team traveled to Chula, GA for the first time in six years to take on Tiftarea Academy.
The Panthers mounted a 4th quarter comeback and won the game 21-18, knocking the Knights to 1-2 on the young season, but more devastating was the loss of Kyle Perez. A broken leg would cost the running back most of his senior campaign.
The injury to Perez would mean an opportunity for Jordan Triplett to shine – and shine he did. The freshman back took on the weight of the starting role impressively, and the Knights wound up going 6-1 over the rest of the regular season, with the lone loss coming to Bulloch Academy, 20-16.
That loss would be avenged a month later in the first round of the playoffs, a game the Knights won 34-27.
In that game alone, Jordan Triplett carried the ball 24 times for a gaudy 278 yards and 4 touchdowns. Payback for another regular season loss came in the second round of the playoffs.
In a low-scoring affair, Frederica punched their ticket to the state championship with a 14-7 victory over Tiftarea.
Alas, the season ended where the Knights wanted it to end, it just didn’t end how they wanted it to end. The Goliath of John Milledge Academy got some payback of their own against the David of Frederica, flipping the script from 2018 and winning the trophy, 49-0.
When all was said & done, Jordan Triplett wrapped up the season with a noteworthy 1865 rushing yards on 237 carries, racking up 22 TDs on the ground and 2091 all-purpose yards.
Triplett’s opening salvo of his high school career saw him ranked as the #1 freshman running back in the nation, and the #2 back across all classes in the state of Georgia.
Post-season superlatives for #4 include selections to the GISA All State & All Region teams, Southern Sports Edition All-Area team, and an invitation to try out for the U.S. National Team.
While the freshman was making waves on the stat sheet, his 16 teammates from the Class of 2021were making their presence known as well. DEs Will Thompson and Will Counts (otherwise known as “the Wills”) combined for 94 tackles and were both named to the GISA All-State, All-Region, and All-Star teams.
Joining them on all three squads was LB Josh Meadows, who contributed significantly on both offense (his seam route was near unstoppable all season) and on special teams (blocking two punts in one game while playing without full use of one of his arms).
Senior MLB Joshua Elliott also got the nod for All-State and All-Region recognition, and three more Knights seniors were named to the All-Region squad as well; Eli Fritchman, Jaiden Rose-Scally, and Garrett Squire.
True, there are holes to be filled on the roster, but as any team coached by Brandon Derrick shows, talent follows talent, and more importantly, heart follows heart.
The 2020 Knights had plenty of both.
Committed
Coastal Georgia Area Football Early Signing Period Commits
Glynn Academy
TJ Lewis-QB/Louisville
Jaiden Miller-DB/College of Charleston
Camden
Micah Morris-OL/Georgia
Shawn Hardy-WR/Nebraska
Hudson Tucker-DT/Tennessee Tech
Brunswick
Caleb Cook-OL/Georgia Southern
Kyle Rehberg-K/Rose-Hulman Insititute Of Technology
MCA
Khay Loyd-DB/Army
All Area High School Football Team
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Offense
QB-TJ Lewis/Glynn Academy
RB-Trenton Johnson/MCA
RB-Jordan Triplett/Frederica
RB-Ree Simmons/Brunswick
WR-Deonte Cole/Camden
WR-Tyrease Jones/Brunswick
WR-Shawn Hardy/Camden
TE-Ryan Burkhart/MCA
OL-Micah Morris/Camden
OL-Caleb Cook/Brunswick
OL-Kanaya Charlton/Brunswick
OL-Nick Muchison/Glynn Academy
OL-Garrett Squire/Frederica
Defense
DL-Hudson Tucker/Camden
DL-Will Counts/Frederica
DL-DeTerias Glover/Camden
DL-D’Marius Clinch/Glynn Academy
LB-Jadin Jones/Camden
LB-Miles Wood/MCA
LB-Miles Smith/Glynn Academy
LB-Zane Rosenbaum/Brunswick
DB-Keith Giddens/Camden
DB-Jaden Drayton/Glynn Academy
DB-Amarion Whitfield/Brunswick
DB-DaMarion Hayes/Glynn Academy
Coach Of The Year-Brandon Derrick/Frederica
Pirates Voyage
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Brunswick High Pirate Football team finished its season with a tough loss to Lee County in the second round of the State playoffs last week.
Brunswick finished with an 8-4 record. Head Coach Sean Pender and the Pirates won a share of the Region 2-AAAAAA crown this fall, which is something the Pirate football program has not done since 2009.
The eight-win season is something the program has not accomplished since 2010. The 2020 Pirates also won their first City Championship since 2013, and in spite of these accomplishments Sean Pender was not named the Region Coach of the year and the award went to a team and coach he defeated. 2020 strikes again. Maybe a recount should be requested.
This edition of the Pirates got off to a rocky start with a loss at Pierce County, where star running back Chukobe Hill suffered a knee injury that that kept him out of action for a month.
BHS bounced back and beat MCA in week two.
In week 3 the Pirates fumbled away a chance to beat highly thought of Benedictine deep in Cadet territory with a minute left in the contest.
After the 1-2 start the Pirates went on the road on a Thursday night and beat a good Northeast Macon team 41-12 and that began a four-game winning streak that included the “Miracle between the Bricks” 75-yard TD pass from KJ Lee to Tyrease Jones with 16 seconds left in the contest to win the City Championship.
On Halloween weekend the Pirates came up short against Richmond Hill but then won three straight before falling at Lee County last week.
The Pirates were well represented on the first team All-Region selections with the following Pirates be named to the first team:
OL- Caleb Cook
OL- Kanaya Charlton
DB: Amarion Whitfield
WR: Tyrease Jones
RB: Ree Simmons
LB: Zane Rosenbaum
Second Team Selections:
KJ Lee
Xaiver Bean
David Newbauer
Kayshawn Thomas
Kaleb Hampton
Camron Crump
Devontae Gadson
Anthony Elvine
Honorable Mention:
Kevin Thomas
Chukobe Hill
Quan Gibson
Keon Leggett
AJ Wilson
Kyle Rehberg
This Senior Class has put the program back on solid ground moving forward for the future. Coach Pender when asked about this group of seniors got a little emotional when commenting on this group:
“These kids bought into everything we were trying to teach them. They worked hard, and there was a spirit of unity with this group that has been infectious for the younger players in the program. They have laid the foundation for a winning culture here. They were the first group I have had here for all four years, and this group will always hold a special place in my heart because the foundation they created will produce results long after they will no longer walk these halls at BHS. They leave us as champions both Region and City and it has been a while since we have said that here, and now that is the expectation moving forward with this football program”.
I have enjoyed covering this team and group of seniors, and like Coach Pender stated this group has laid the foundation for the future of BHS football.
The 2020 Brunswick High Football team will always be remembered as the “Drought Breakers” on Altama Avenue and as champions and this senior class will be champions in life, and that means more than winning football games.
Pirate Pride
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I was on the search committee four years ago that recommended the hiring of Sean Pender as the 8th Head Football Coach in the history of Brunswick High School dating back to 1968 when the football program began.
One thing that jumped out in the process was that Sean Pender came to the interview with an already developed Brunswick High Pirates Leadership Training Manual that blew away the selection committee, and the passion in which he discussed leadership ultimately landed him the BHS job.
For this story in Sean Pender’s own words is his vision for the BHS program he has built over the past four years:
“The vision of our program is clear and simple. We want to create a championship mindset. We not only want to win State Championships but we want to be champions in life. We will set an expectation of excellence. Our goals will be set high and we will formulate a plan to achieve our desired goals. All members of our team will play vital roles in our mission. We want the members of the football program to graduate with the following skills:
To look people in the eye when talking to them.
To speak about things that matter.
To commit to something and actually stick with it.
To work hard for goals that they set for themselves.
To become a good teammate who works with multiple changing personalities on an ongoing basis and makes all work together.
To receive coaching and then give mentorship once it is learned.
To learn how to win, how to handle a loss, and how to move forward with a positive take away (Learning opportunity, stay strong).
To understand how to deal with pressure with clarity of mind.
To learn the value of delayed gratification.
To appreciate structure and understand its value.
These are real skills that student athletes can take with them when they are in real situations in life.
These qualities will help them become better community members, husbands, and fathers.
Our program will not exclude students from having the opportunity to be a part of the team. All student-athletes will have the opportunity to learn.
It is our belief that good coaches give encouragement. This program will not be built strictly on motivation and hype, but rather it will be built on empowerment.
Motivation, by itself, might get us through a practice or a situation, but empowering will give us the belief that we can be something more.
Empowering our program will get everyone involved to continue the work when it becomes the grind.
We will be the type of coaches that tells all team members that they are the reason we are winners. We will provide encouragement and the opportunity for encouragement.
We will learn to fight for what we love, to belong to something bigger than self, and to work with diversity.
It is our goal to not only build championship caliber student-athletes, but to also build our team to become champions in life. So, our students can grow up to be productive adults excelling in a competitive global environment.”
The character word for this week and pretty much the season has been unity. You see a unity walk every week when the Pirates arrive at the venue they are playing in.
The kids love their coaches, and the coaches love these kids. In the context of 2020 you read, hear and see all sorts of negativity in the world.
If you want to see great things happening with young people go observe the BHS football program where young men are being developed to lead for the future.
As for the results the Brunswick High Pirates take on Lee County in the second round of the State Playoffs.
The blueprint has turned into a City and Co-Region Championship this season. The 8-3 Pirates are a very good football team; something that began with character development.
The Pender Way is the right way for Brunswick High Football. The best is still to come.
Wildcat Roar
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It was a very straining year for the Camden County Wildcats. It was a year full of ups and downs and year that saw Camden decimated with injuries.
Overall, the Wildcats finished the season with a 5-6 record.
Camden opened up at home against the Richmond Hill Wildcats. Camden struggled mightily on offensive and Richmond Hill pulled away, beating the Wildcats 28-11.
The second game of the season went a little better for Camden as they stopped the high-powered rushing attack of the Glynn Academy Red Terrors for a 31-14 win. This started a 4-game winning streak for Camden.
In that streak they beat the Raines Vikings 35-26 on the road, the defending state champion Marietta Blue Devils at Chris Gilman 24-21, and notched a road win against the Oakleaf Knights 25-12.
The tide quickly turned as the injuries continued to mount for Camden and the Wildcats would lose the next three games.
The Coffee County Trojans came to Kingsland and beat the Wildcats in convincing fashion, 37-13.
Then Camden took to the road to play the Warner Robins Demons in a game where the Wildcats were vastly out-manned and put on a running clock in the 4th quarter. Camden lost this game 43-7 and scored on the last play of the game to avoid being shutout. This was, most certainly, the low point of the season.
It did not get any easier for the Wildcats the following game as they traveled to Moultrie to take on the Colquitt County Packers, who were ranked #3 in the state at the time. Despite a valiant effort in the first half, the depleted Camden County Wildcats went down 34-13.
The losing streak ended the following week as Camden manhandled the Tift County Blue Devils 35-14 to notch their first region win and guarantee them a #3 seed at worst.
The following week Camden took to the road to Valdosta to play the Lowndes County Vikings with a #2 seed on the line.
Most did around the state did not expect this game to be close, but with the Wildcats beginning to get healthy they went toe to toe with the Vikings. Lowndes held off Camden in the end for a 28-21 victory.
This ended the regular season for the Wildcats with a 5-5 record. Camden earned their way into the playoffs and took to Atlanta to take on the Parkview Panthers, who were the #2 seed from region 4-7A.
Camden struggled again on offense for the first 3 quarters of the game and fell behind 17-0 in that span. The defense kept the Wildcats in that football making critical stop after critical stop to keep them in the football game.
Camden dominated the 4th quarter and came all the way back to force overtime 17-17.
Parkview would prevail in overtime 24-17 to end Camden’s season.
What we saw for most of the year was a team that was under-manned due to injuries and then a very good football team once the team finally started getting healthy. Evidenced by blowing out Tift, playing Lowndes tough to the end and giving Parkview all they wanted.
We will see what the 2021 season brings to Kingsland.
Pirates Ship
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After a huge win in the region opener against Glynn Academy the Brunswick High Pirates have an inside track to win the region. Here are my mid-season grades for Brunswick.
Special Teams: B+: Anthony Elvine has become a weapon punting the football.
He is close to setting a school record for punts downed inside the 15-yard line. He is a weapon he creates a long field for Pirate opponents.
Elvine is having an all-region season at punter.
Kyle Rehberg is putting many of his kickoffs in the end zone in 2020, and the big third quarter FG that gave BHS a 17-7 lead in the City Championship game ended up being the difference in a wild 24-21 win.
The Pirates are still waiting on the big kick return for BHS in 2020, but the special teams area, which has long been a weakness for BHS has become a team strength in 2020.
Defense: B+: The defense is giving up under 20 points per game this season.
Kashawn Thomas is starting to make a name for himself on the defensive line and has become that force in the middle of the defense for BHS.
We know what Cameron Crump and AJ Wilson can do at linebacker. Zane Rosenbaum was the defensive player of the game in the City Championship.
In the secondary Devontae Gadson is having a solid season. This unit, led by DC Thomas Tedder, is much improved in 2020.
The unit gave up two long TD drives in the 4th quarter against Glynn so there is room for improvement.
Offense: B: The offensive line coached up by OC Garrett Grady has become one of the best in South Georgia.
Caleb Cook and Kanaya Charlton are major college prospects at tackle.
Keegan Carroll, Jaquan Gibson, and David Newbauer round out a starting unit that can execute the power run game and protect the passer.
The Wolfpack or the running back group Ree Simmons and Chuckobe Hill are the best tandem in the region.
Simmons is having a great season, and Hill is back from an injury suffered in season opener.
The emergence of Leon Charlton has given BHS three great options at running back.
Tyrease Jones just made the greatest play in BHS history to win the City Championship game from that will forever be known as “The Miracle Between the Bricks” a 75-yard TD pass caught off of a deflection plus all-out sprint to the end zone that broke a losing streak in the series.
KJ Lee is having the season we all expected of him. Great arm talent.
Coaching: B+: Sean Pender has done a fantastic job with this team. The players love their coaches and there is a sense of unity on this team that stands out.
This team is still improving weekly. Pender has put his stamp on the program with the win over the Terrors.
There is still a lot of work to do with this team in 2020, but they are definitely heading in the right direction.
The goals for BHS every season are:
City Championship
Region Championship
State Championship
Goal #1 is complete now it is on to Goal #2, which will be decided over the next few weeks.
Stay tuned the 2020 football story is still being written at BHS because” It’s All About the Family” for the City Champions.
Corky Kell Kickoff
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The high school football season kicked off last week. I’m going to recap the Corky Kell Classic, which features some of the best teams around the state.
Greater Atlanta Christian 20, Denmark 0: Greater Atlanta Christian is ranked sixth in class 3A.
The defense had six interceptions, including a streak of five consecutive on five Denmark possessions. Senior cornerback, Saiku White had three of the interceptions, and Josh Williamson, Luke Field and Joseph Rose each had one.
The Spartans had a solid performance from quarterback Deymon Flemming, who was 15-of-28 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
This was the final game of the Corky Kell Classic.
Lowndes 51, Archer 21: Lowndes is ranked second in class 7A and No. 9 nationally.
The Vikings are led by 4-star quarterback Jacurri Brown.
He went down with an apparent leg injury midway through the second quarter. The game was tied at 7.
He had a short breather and got his ankle taped before returning. He threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns, completing 50% of his passes. He also had a rushing touchdown.
Archer is ranked No. 7 in class 7A so this is a very impressive win.
Collins Hill 46, Carrolton 24: This was a matchup between 7A and 6A teams.
Carrolton is No. 4 in the state in 6A but they were no match for the Eagles.
Collins Hill forced three interceptions.
They have a junior four-star quarterback, Sam Horn. He’s the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the country for the junior class.
He was 27-of-40 passing for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns and lead an offense that gained 509 total yards of on 66 plays.
St. Pius X 38, Flower Branch 28: The Golden Lions ran 62 offensive plays and gained 430 yards. 398 yards of that offensive production came on the ground as Pius averaged seven yards per carry on 57 rushes.
Mason Benefield finished with seven carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns.
Shug Bentley had seven carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Paul Quigley had four carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Dennis O’Shea was 1-of-5 passing for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Walton 35, Kell 28: This was a battle between Cobb County schools.
The Raiders trailed 28-16 in the third quarter before making a comeback.
Zak Rozsman was 9-of-21 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed nine times for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski was 3-for-3 for 58 yards. Braylen Stokes had 15 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Kenny Djaha had nine carries for 76 yards and three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.
North Gwinnett 35. McEachern 7: The Bulldogs are led by four-star Clemson-commit Barrett Carter. The linebacker finished with a 7-yard touchdown run from the wildcat formation, a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown and a team-leading 10 tackles, 2.5 for a loss.
Brookwood 40, Dacula 34: This game went to four overtimes before the Broncos scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Alexander Diggs.
Brookwood quarterback Dylan Lonergan was 28-of-43 passing for 433 yards and four touchdowns.
Denylon Morrissette had 12 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
West Forsyth 42, Mays 6: Coach Dave Svehla got the win in his first game.
He coached at Etowah from 2012-19 and had a 49-41 record there.
The Wolverines led 35-0 at halftime.
Daba Fofana carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns with one touchdown reception.
Cherokee 38, Carver-Atlanta 12: The Warriors dominated and Keith Adams Jr. ran for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Gator Chomp
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last year saw the Jason Strickland era begin with a bang at Ware County.
Arriving in Waycross after successful stints at Lamar County, Fitzgerald and Pierce County, Strickland wasted no time in making his mark.
The Gators took a few lumps early on in the non-region schedule, only to storm through Region 2-AAAAA undefeated and make it to the second round of the state playoffs before bowing out to eventual state champion Buford.
Heading into Year Two under Strickland, Ware has faced the same trials and tribulations as every other team in GHSA, as they have been limited in their preparations for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think we’re getting through everything just fine,” Strickland said. “I’m lucky to have a staff that is experienced and has been together for a while. As for the kids, I think they’re fine. Honestly, I think kids respond to this kind of shake-up and adversity better than most adults.
“They have taken the attitude of focusing on what needs to be done each day and just working forward from there. That’s big for them and big for our community. A lot of people in this area need something to make them smile. And for a lot of these towns, football can do that. So long as we can be safe and play, that’s something we’re looking to do for ourselves and for the community.”
It’s good that the Gators have been hard at work because there will be no shortage of challenges on this season’s schedule.
Ware County joins longtime rival Wayne County in a shift to Region 1-AAAAA with the GHSA’s latest region alignments.
The teams spent the last few seasons playing region rivals in and around coastal Georgia, but the competition now shifts west and north as they join a stacked region that includes Coffee, Veterans and Warner Robins.
“I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this will be the toughest region in 5-A,” Strickland said. “It might be one of the toughest in the state at any level. But we’ll embrace that challenge. There will be a lot of tense Friday nights, but a lot of fun Friday nights.”
Heading into a tough schedule, the Gators will lean heavily on proven leaders on both sides of the ball.
Rising senior linebacker Michael Mincey has Strickland’s trust to make calls and anchor the defense.
On the attacking front, quarterback Thomas Castellanos will be a junior this fall, but has been at the helm of the Gator attack since he was a freshman.
“Michael has some big-time offers and he’s a leader on and off the field for us,” Strickland said. “Thomas can get things done with both his arm and his legs. He’s got another year in the system and he’s really starting to settle in and run the offense.”
In addition to their tough region slate, the Gators will travel to Florida to take on Bartram Trail and will also face Cook and Thomson in non-region action.
The New Buzz
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wayne County is no stranger to great football. The Yellow Jackets rank 26th all-time in the state of Georgia with 561 wins.
Better yet, Wayne County is currently enjoying its most successful run to date.
Three of the school’s 15 region championships have come during a run that has seen the Jackets reach the playoffs in a school-record eight consecutive seasons.
The 2019 campaign saw a small step back with an 8-3 record following back-to-back region titles in 2017-18, but the Jackets notched a first-round win in the state tournament before dropping a close contest to state quarterfinalist Clarke Central.
This year’s team figures to be stacked as the Jackets return eight starters on offense and seven on defense.
Highly touted offensive guard Weston Franklin also returns to Jesup after spending a season at the IMG Academy.
“With everything going on (related to COVID-19 and practice restrictions), I still think we’re ahead of the game,” WCHS coach Ken Cribb said. “We have a lot of veteran guys who are ready to get the season going.”
One of the most impressive aspects of the Jackets’ recent success has been their ability to endure change. All prep teams must deal with graduating seniors, but many perennially successful programs have continuity at head coach. As for Wayne County, it has found its current success under three different head coaches.
“I give a lot of credit to everyone in the program,” said Cribb, who is entering his fourth season with a 28-6 record at Wayne. “We’ve got a great group of coaches and our kids are ready to work hard every day.”
Cribb and his team continue to have high hopes for another solid season, but the road will be much rougher due to region realignment.
Wayne County won its two most recent region titles while regularly dispatching struggling rivals such as Statesboro, South Effingham and New Hampstead.
Now a resident in Region 1-AAAAA, the Jackets will run a non-stop gauntlet of perennial powers Coffee, Veterans, Ware County and Warner Robins.
All five teams made it to at least the second round of last year’s playoffs, with Warner Robins finishing as state runners-up for a third consecutive season.
Opponents such as Pierce County, Benedictine and Richmond Hill dot the Jackets’ non-region schedule, meaning that there will be very few breathers along the way.
