High School Football

Go Dogs!

By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

We are about one month away from the 2018 high school football season. North Gwinnett won the 7A state championship last season. The Bulldogs beat Colquitt County 19-17 on a last second field goal to win the game.

Coming into the season, they are ranked as the preseason No. 1 team. They will have a very tough time defending the title but I think it is possible.

The top recruit on the team is cornerback DJ Turner II. He’s a three-star prospect and committed to Michigan. He’s 6’0 tall so has good size for a defensive back. The other corner, Warren Burrell is also 6 feet tall and ranked the 66th recruit in Georgia. He received offers from Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, NC State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

There is another highly recruited member of the secondary, safety Quinton Newsome. He fits in the new mold of bigger safeties like Keanu Neal, standing at 6’2 and 180 pounds. He has 20 offers from schools like Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss and Cal. North Gwinnett has one of the best secondaries in the state.

Running back Tyler Goodson is also a three-star player and he committed to Iowa. He’s 5’10, 192 pounds and he’s a quick, shifty back. Last year he rushed for 1,315 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 18 receptions and 4 receiving TD’s.

The season begins with a tough opponent, No. 3 Brookwood at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The Broncos were 11-3 last season and won their region. They advanced to the state semifinals, so they plan on building on that in 2018.

Both teams are very talented so I’m not sure who will have the advantage in this early season match up.

After a bye week, the second game is in Apopka, Florida versus Wekiva High School. The Mustangs should be a pretty good challenge and Florida teams are known for speed. I expect North Gwinnett to come out victorious.

Norcross comes to town the following week. The Blue Devils are looking to bounce back and return to being an elite team. After winning back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013, they’ve been relatively quiet. They are talented but I don’t think they have what it takes to beat North Gwinnett.

Game 4 is at Walton, a Cobb County powerhouse. Walton beat North Gwinnett in last year’s season opener, 31-28.

This should be a very tough game and the Raiders have one of the best players in the state, wide receiver Dominick Blaylock. He is the No. 4 prospect in the state and a four-star recruit. He committed to UGA and I know he will want to shine against this secondary. I think the Bulldogs will be too strong for Walton.

Discovery High is the next game. The school opened in 2015 so it’s one of the newest schools in Gwinnett County. The Bulldogs beat them 41-7 in 2017 and this year will be the same.

On September 28th they travel to Lawrenceville, GA to play Mountain View. The Bears are led by defensive tackle Jaelin Humphries.

The four-star recruit has committed to Florida and he’s one of the best defensive linemen in Georgia. This will be a close game.

The remaining four games are against Mill Creek, Collins Hill, Duluth and Peachtree Ridge. The only easy win in the group is Duluth. The remaining teams should compete and play well but I give the Bulldogs the edge.

They should finish the season 9-1, 8-2 at the worst. They will be in position to make another run in the playoffs to win the championship.

To The Plains

By: Alex Mathis

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Jashawn Sheffield, 4-star athlete from Frederica Academy, has made his college decision.

In a video that has been watched over 100,000 times, Sheffield announced his decision to further his academic and athletic career at Auburn University.

His final decision came down between Auburn and South Carolina and both schools made it very difficult for him.

Sheffield has been on the recruiting scene since his freshman year at Frederica Academy. He received over 10 offers from colleges from across the country before starting his sophomore season.

For a while everyone thought he was destined to be a Florida State Seminole. If you ask him he would tell you that he always thought he would wear the garnet and gold as well. What a lot of people do not know is that Sheffield was once committed to Florida State.

He committed to Jimbo Fisher the spring of 2017. A lot changed at FSU in the fall that led to Jimbo Fisher taking a job at Texas A&M. The move of Fisher allowed Sheffield to open things up and give other schools a closer look. He was able to take several visits to different colleges and ultimately, he decided that Auburn was the best fit for him.

Sheffield will join his teammate, Jaylin Simpson, at Auburn. These two have been teammates since the 6th grade. Simpson will suit up on the defensive side of the ball and there is a chance that Sheffield could join him.

Sheffield is ranked the 10th ranked athlete in the country. This was appealing for Auburn. They feel as if he can play the offensive side of the ball or the defensive side. He is not sure which side he prefers. One day he will tell you wide receiver and the next day he will tell you safety. This will be something that Gus Malzhan and his staff will figure out when he arrives in the Plains.

The recruiting process has not been one that Sheffield has been a fan of. A lot of fans do not really get what some of these recruits go through during the process.

Recruits have to try and figure out who is telling the truth and who is flat out lying. This decision is the first real adult decision some of these prospects will make in their lives.

Sheffield will join some of his Cam Newton 7v7 teammates on the Auburn commitment list. Quarterback Bo Nix, WR George Pickens, CB Jaylin Simpson and TE Tyler Fromm.

He will also join his longtime friend, Owen Pappoe. Auburn is not finished on the recruiting trail. They have their eyes on several other Georgia Prospects.

Frederica now has two prospects committed in their 2019 class. These two will not be the last. Harry Veal, Patrick Brunson, Michael Tindle, Cameron Gardner, JT Elliott, and Cole Hinson will all look to add their name to a college’s commitment list this year.

The 2020 class has some players that will play on Saturdays as well. Denver Anthony and Deke Jernigan will have the opportunity to play as well.

Brandon Derrick’s program has 3 student athletes playing football on Saturdays. Tony Heyward is at Rhodes College, Austin Skelton is at Samford, and Santana Clark will attend Jacksonville University.

Frederica Academy is at the top of GISA when it comes to sending its players to the next level to play football.

 

Wolves On The Hunt

By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Buford High School has been a football powerhouse since the turn of the century. The Wolves have won 11 state championships, 10 of them from 2001 to 2014. During that stretch, there were three different three-peats.

For a program of this caliber, not winning a championship since 2014 is a long drought. In 2017 they went 11-2 and lost to Rome in the AAAAA state semifinals 45-7.

Buford has produced several Division 1 prospects over the years and this season will be no different. Center Harry Miller is the No. 8 ranked player in the state of Georgia. He’s 6’4, 310 pounds so he has great size and he verbally committed to Ohio State.

Running back Derrian Brown is a four-star recruit and the 24th ranked player in the state. He received 34 offers from major programs like Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame, Georgia, Arkansas, Penn State and Florida.

Last year as a junior, he shared carries with Anthony Grant (Florida State) and Christian Turner (Michigan), who have both graduated and gone to the next level. Brown ran for 844 yards on 94 carries, which translates to 8.9 yards per carry. He will be the featured back this season so expect his numbers to be drastically better.

“He’s just becoming a complete back,” head coach John Ford said at the Corky Kell 7-on-7 tournament. “He can run with power, he can run with vision. He can run with patience. He’s doing some things in the passing game where he’ll be a threat in that too.”

The Wolves lost to Corky Kell champion Marietta in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Buford features another top 50 state recruit, guard Riley Simonds. He’s a three-star recruit and verbally committed to Florida.

They typically play a very difficult schedule and this year is no different. The season kicks off August 17th against Tucker in the Corky Kell Classic. The game will be played at Georgia State Stadium, formerly Turner Field. The Tigers are an elite 6A program so this should be a very competitive game. Tucker also has a star player, defensive end Derrick McLendon has committed to Florida State.

The following week is at home against Jonesboro. This will be an easy win.

Deerfield Beach (FL) comes to town August 31st. The Bucks were 8-3 last season so they should be pretty good in 2018. I still give the advantage to the Wolves.

After a bye week they face Newton at home. The Wolves will destroy Newton by 40-50 points.

September 21st is a huge match up in Lawrenceville at Archer. The Tigers are a 7A school with a ton of talent. They have stars like Andrew Booth, he’s a five-star corner back and the No. 6 player in the state.

They also have three-star players like Safety Jalyn Phillips and wide receiver Braylen Weems. I expect Archer to win but the game should be close.

Johnson (Gainesville) comes to Buford after that and region play begins. Buford beat the Knights 70-0 last season and I expect a similar result.

The Wolves then travel to Athens to play Cedar Shoals. They beat them 56-0 in 2017 and we can expect more of the same.

The final three games are at Loganville, Walnut Grove and Clarke Central. The combined scores against these 3 opponents last year was 136-7. These will all be huge blowouts again.

Buford will make the playoffs and compete for another state title. I’m not sure if they have what it takes to overtake Rome but we will see.

Spring Terror

By: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are looking forward to another successful season in 2018.

Since Rocky Hidalgo was named the Terrors head man, Glynn Academy has won at least a share of the Region Title three straight years. In the previous four years with Hidalgo at the helm GA has finished in the Elite Eight twice, made a Final Four appearance and played for a state title.

The Red Terrors will enter the 2018 season in somewhat unfamiliar territory, Glynn will enter the season without having a clear-cut starter at QB.

GA just wrapped up Spring practice, finishing with the annual Spring game.

With so much young talent Hidalgo elected to play an intrasquad Spring game instead of scrimmaging another team. This allowed Coach Hidalgo to get as many of his players on the field at the same time to analyze what he has on the roster.

The QB competition certainly heated up in the Spring game. Senior Sam Wagner had taken most of the snaps in the Spring with the first team offense. However, Wagner did not play QB in the Spring game.

Instead, Hidalgo went with two younger QB’s both competing with Wagner for the starting job.

Sophomore TJ Lewis may have taken the lead in the competition with a pretty good performance in the Spring Game.

Lewis threw for 2 TDs and rushed for 1. The touchdown passes were long passes and put right on the money, one down the sideline and the other right over the middle. Lewis also scampered two yards for his rushing TD.

The final score was Red Team 4 TD’s and White Team 1 in the varsity segments of the game.

The Red Terrors will have Nolan Grant, Quantavious Bostic, and Caden Hutchinson taking the lion’s share of carries at RB.

One thing Rocky Hidalgo is very good at is getting his defensive unit to buy in to his system. Year in and year out Glynn has been a top 10 defense in the state and this year should figure no different.

A name for Red Terror fans to remember is Marlon Taylor. Taylor is a senior DT with great size and speed and already has offers from Cincinnati and Tulane, just to name a couple. He will be a nightmare for opposing QB’s and a bad match up for Offensive Coordinators.

There is still a long way to go before the season starts as the Terrors still have to go through Summer practice and then get ready come August to kick off.

One thing is for sure though, Rocky Hidalgo has built a perennial state power on Mansfield Street and the rest of the state has taken notice.

Readying The Ship

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

When you sit down with Brunswick High head football Coach Sean Pender the first question on your mind is how you replace 31 seniors from a 7-3 football team that shared a region championship from last season.

Pender is very optimistic about the 2018 Pirates as they conclude spring drills.

While youth and inexperience may be a factor going into the 2018 season, work ethic will not. “Our kids come out to practice and compete hard and listen, and this has been a fun group to teach since our winter program started in January” says Pender.

One position group that has a lot of experience returning in 2018 is the offensive line. The offensive line has four experienced players returning led by who Pender calls the best offensive lineman he has ever coached in Warren McClendon.

At 6’5 and 300 lbs, McClendon is a four-star recruit by all the recruiting services. He can play anywhere in the country that he chooses after the 2018 season is complete.

McClendon will play left tackle. AJ Kirkland will move over to center and has the versatility to play guard as well. Brett Hall returns at guard after bulking up to 250 pounds with the off-season strength and conditioning program. Xavier Ramsey will contend for All Region honors at the other tackle position, and Caleb Cook may win the other guard position. Pender thinks his run game will be solid in 2018 with this group leading the way.

Pender who coaches his QB’s really hard thinks he has some quality at the position in KJ Lee and Anthony Mountain.

Lee played some as a freshman in 2017 and has a quick release. He has a solid grasp on the offense according to his head coach. Mountain, a transfer, played the backup role in 2017 at Glynn Academy. He is learning the offense and a new set of fundamentals as he goes from a run-oriented attack to a spread offense. Both will get some serious looks at QB. Watch this battle as it develops over the summer.

Jaylen Trimmings will be the workhorse at RB and has worked really hard in the offseason for the role. The Pirates will be young and talented at WR. Marlon Carmena, Jailyn Jones, Xavier Bean, Amarion Whitfield, Syveion Ellis, Tyrease Jones, Michael McGee, and Mitchell Richburg will get reps at receiver as this offense gets the ball in a lot of hands. Pender is really high on Che Foy who will see double duty at slot and RB in 2018.

Richburg and Mountain will handle the punting duties and Avery Yoak will be the FG kicker in 2018.

On defense the Pirates lost 13 of 15 players who saw varsity action in 2017.

Justin Akra will be the leader in the defensive line. Pender thinks Akra will have a big season in 2018.

Stacy Young is back at OLB/S and is a major college prospect who Pender calls the leader of the defense. Devin Lafayette, Freddy Towns, and Demetrius Hardee will make the Pirate secondary a solid group in the fall.

Keith Garrett, Xavier Stevens, Jaylen Carter, and George Humphries will provide depth on the defensive line.

The Pirates lost a ton at LB due to graduation, but some talent is ready to step in make a name for themselves. AJ Wilson, Octavis Butler, and Ryne Buckley will have to grow up fast and contribute right away.

Offensively, Pender wants to run his base offense and expects his run game to be solid and is looking for consistency in the passing game.

Defensively the head coach says he wants to see his young kids flying to the point of attack in a bad mood and playing fast and physical.

Knighted For Next Level

By: Alex Mathis

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

It seems like it was yesterday when Jaylin Simpson received his first division 1 offer from Ohio State.

The smile he displayed that day was visible when he committed to Gus Malzahn (Auburn) earlier this month.

Simpson visited Auburn for the first time last month. He knew then that Auburn would be his next home after he leaves Frederica Academy. After visiting with the coaches and taking the tour on the first visit, he knew he wanted to get his mother on campus to check everything out before making a decision. That visit was a slam dunk for Simpson’s mother.

We all have seen a lot of the commitment videos from kids over the last month. I have always wondered what the reactions were when recruits tell the coaches at these colleges that they are committing to their school.

I actually got to be present for this one. Simpson actually walked right into Gus Malzahn’s office, hugged him and said, “Coach I am a Tiger. I am committed.” Coach Malzahn’s face lit up and he and his wife yelled with excitement. It was a pretty cool moment to be a part of.

At Auburn, he will look to play either safety or corner. The Auburn staff loves the versatility that Jaylin brings to the table. Simpson has played multiple positions while at Frederica. He has played quarterback, wideout, safety, corner, and has been the Knights punt returner. This versatility makes him very appealing to the Tigers.

What made Simpson choose Auburn? Jaylin has told several people that he loves the relationship that he has formed with the coaches. Kevin Steele (Defensive Coordinator), Kodi Burns (Wide Receiver Coach), and Marcus Woodson (Defensive Back Coach) all have done a great job building relationships with him. He knew that these coaches he could trust.

Simpson has already turned into a recruiter for the Tigers. If you check his twitter you will see that he is going after some of the top targets in the 2019 class.

He has the type of personality that others want to be around, so him helping out the Auburn coaching staff should be helpful.

So, are schools backing off since Jaylin’s commitment? Absolutely not. There have been several schools who have picked up the communication with Jaylin Simpson since last week.

Simpson has said that he is 1000% committed but things might get interesting as this year goes.

Right now, Simpson’s main focus is finishing off this semester strong and getting back on the field with the rest of the Frederica Knights. Brandon Derrick’s Knights will look to win it all this year after suffering a heart breaking lost in the semifinals against Valwood.

Simpson is the first of Frederica’s talented 2019 class to commit to a school. Coach Derrick hopes that a good bit of his players will sign athletic scholarships next year.

Jashawn Sheffield has several power 5 offers. He has no timetable for a decision.

Harry Veal is starting to get a lot of buzz. The talented linebacker will be highly recruited in the near future. Veal scored a 29 on the ACT and several Ivy League schools have noticed.

Patrick Brunson will also have the opportunity to play at the next level. Before missing last season, Brunson received interest from several division 1 schools.

Shifty back, Isaiah Jackson, has shown on several division 2 boards. His vision and quickness will land him a spot on someone’s college roster.

Talented offensive lineman, Michael Tindle will also have a chance to suit up on Saturdays if he chooses. Tindle is one of the best offensive lineman to suit up for the Knights.

Next year has the potential to be a very fun and productive year for the Knights.

Steering The Ship

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

In sports, usually the leader is the coach, but sometimes certain players are appointed team leaders and must possess some of the same leadership characteristics as an effective coach.

Coaches and team leaders are typically respected by other team members not only for their sports skills and abilities but also for other qualities, such as responsibility, work ethic and attitude.

For the 2017 Brunswick High football team that team leader was Ty Hinson. Hinson started 31 games at center for the Pirates during his career, and some things I noticed during his career:

Led by example: Ty Hinson was a picture of this during his time at BHS. I noticed Hinson at all off-season workouts even when BHS was in a coaching transition. First in line at football drills, and always carried himself in a positive manner off the field.

Passion: You cannot fake passion in sports or life. I don’t know another kid off the top of my head that loves Brunswick High School more than Ty Hinson. That passion always showed up on Friday nights during football season.

Ability:  As I said earlier, Hinson made his first start in a playoff game in 2014 as a freshman and never left the starting line-up after that. That football ability was rewarded in February as Hinson signed a football scholarship to Valdosta State University.

Communication: Hinson played center and has great communication skills and his fellow offensive lineman depended on those communication skills every Friday. Hinson was a key piece in a record setting offense in 2017. The non-verbal communication skills are important as well. Hinson always seemed confident and poised when adversity hit, and his teammates took notice.

Will to Win: No person in the program wanted to win more than Ty Hinson. Hinson led a group of seniors to a 7-3 record in 2017, and got Brunswick High Football back on track after two tough seasons.

At 6’2 and now 275 pounds Hinson worked his tail off in the weight room to get bigger and stronger, and the younger kids in the program took notice and followed.

Hinson’s leadership skills were noticed early in his recreation football league days. His youth league coach State Court Judge Bart Altman said the following about Hinson, “Hinson is a natural born leader and he laid the foundation as an 11 year old for kids who followed him on the Red Death offensive line. I still talk about his leadership qualities to my current team and will do the same to future Red Death players. Hinson is a kid that will be a future leader in this country, and I’m proud to have coached him at an early age”.

Hinson’s principal Dr. Scott Spence added “Ty is a campus leader and anything he chooses to do in life will reflect positively on Brunswick High School”.

His football coach Sean Pender added “Ty was a leader in this program from day one when I arrived a year ago, and his leadership helped get our football program back on track last season. I’m going to miss him, but he’ll do well at VSU”.

 

Hinson comes from a family line of educators. His dad is a middle school principal and his mother an elementary school teacher. Ty is the role model of what a student athlete should be. Ty will graduate in May and head to Valdosta State and will have a solid career there. He will graduate from college and be a productive leader in society as an adult.

One lucky mom and dad will get the blessing of their life one day when their daughter brings Ty Hinson home to introduce him to the family.

Ty Hinson thank you for your commitment to Brunswick High School. You leave BHS football in a better place for others to follow.

New Captain Of The Ship

By: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

After interviewing several coaching candidates, the MCA Buccaneers have chosen their next head football coach.

Tony Glazer will take over as the head Buccaneer for the upcoming football season.

Glazer will be coming over from Liberty County where he served as the Defensive Coordinator for the last four seasons.

Glazer did a very good job as the DC for Liberty and coached Richard LeCount. LeCount, of course went on to commit to Georgia and was considered by many the #1 safety in the country.

Glazer also coached standout RaeKwon McMillan while filling the DC role for the Panthers.

Glazer will be the 5th coach in 7 years at MCA. With everything that program has been through with coaches this needs to be a long-term hire.

If Glazer is still at MCA in four years then it has been a successful hire. Stability is the key word for this hire.

There is potential to win at MCA, as proven by former coach Robbie Robinson as he took the Bucs all the way to the State Title game just two years ago.

The first step is to win the trust of the kids in the program and then get more kids to come out. McIntosh County is loaded with athletes, they just need to come out.

Tony Glazer will have a tough job in front of him. MCA’s best player, JP Palmer, has moved on to the next level and the Bucs’ starting QB, Denver Anthony transferred to Frederica Academy in the offseason. Those were the two best players for MCA from last season.

There is also the job of winning community support in McIntosh County for his new football team.

This is Glazer’s first job as a head coach.

MCA went 3-6 last season.

Terrorizing The Next Level

By: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news service

The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are coming off of a state semi-final appearance in a year that most thought the Terrors would be rebuilding.

Instead, this senior class almost led Glynn to a state title and will go down as the most successful senior class in Glynn Academy history.

Signing Day has come and gone and the Terrors will have some of that senior class take their talents to the next level.

Here is a run down of the Glynn Academy signing class.

Sean Bravo: Bravo came in and played one year for the Terrors and made a huge impact on the field for Glynn, especially in the playoffs. Bravo signed a letter of intent to Eastern Arizona.

Caine Crews: In my opinion, Crews is one of the best all-around players to have ever played at Glynn. He was a shut down DB early in his Glynn career and then transitioned to running back his senior year. Crews still played some DB when it was necessary. Crews committed to Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Marvin Dallas: Dallas has NFL potential if a few things go his way. There is no way the Terrors would have made the state semi-finals without Marvin Dallas’s play in the playoffs. Dallas took the opposing team’s best WR out of the game plan every Friday night, even the guys that had signed with big name colleges. Dallas will attend Georgia Military College.

Hunter Hall: There has never been a better defensive player at Glynn Academy than Hunter Hall. Hall also has NFL talent if he is given a fair look due being a little undersized for a linebacker but no one I have ever seen plays the position better. Hall committed to West Georgia.

Cameron McClellan: McClellan is a big, tough linebacker that came over to the Terrors from Frederica and proved to be a monster in the middle for Glynn when healthy. McClellan suffered a toe injury at the beginning of the season and was finally able to come back and was a beast for Glynn at LB. However, only a few games later he ended up tearing his ACL, which put him out for the year. This is a kid you root for; great kid, great family, and a desire to play football at the next level no matter the odds. McClellan will continue his football career, signing with Florida Tech.

There will likely be several other players for the Terrors that will sign late but one thing is for sure, Glynn County is finally getting the recognition it deserves for being a talent hot bed.

Pirates Sailing To Next Level

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Brunswick High School had a school record 13 kids sign letters of intent on National Signing Day. Glynn County is becoming a hotbed of high school football talent and this year produced a bumper crop at athletes going to the next level from BHS.

Let’s go through each signee in numerical order:

#1 Sharrod Frazier: Marshall University. The Thundering Herd are getting a top caliber athlete who can flat out fly. Frazier’s speed should get him on the field early for the Herd.

#2 Kam Futch: West Georgia. Futch a three-year starter for the Pirates was very high on the Wolves board at LB. Futch will now team up with Hunter Hall from Glynn in Carrollton to form the foundation from the Golden Isles to solidify the middle of the Wolves defense for next four years.

#4 DJ Whitfield: Valdosta State. Whitfield is a speedy WR who had a great senior season for Sean Pender. He could see early playing time at VSU.

#5 Aubrey Williams: The United States Naval Academy. Very impressive to sign with Navy and speaks volumes about the quality of this young man.

#6 Alonzo Brown: University of Virginia-Wise. Brown had a record breaking season at WR for BHS. Look for Brown to play right away and maybe take a starting spot.

#7 Jaylen Jackson: Georgia Tech. Jackson is the best overall athlete I have seen come through BHS since Darius Slay. Jackson will have a fine career at GT.

#8 Jamarius Stevens: Hocking College, OH: The single season total offense record holder for BHS gets a shot to play QB in college. Hocking got a good athlete with a rocket arm.

#10 Rudy Nixon: ASA Miami: Nixon is a physical specimen who will develop into a fine college player.

#13 Tevin Small: Valdosta State: Small was Mr. Versatility at BHS and the Blazers got a diamond in the rough with Small.

#51 Ty Hinson: Valdosta State: VSU got a leader and a kid that will work hard and will never make your program look bad. Look for Hinson to be a future starter at VSU.

#59 John Cano: Reinhardt University. Reinhardt got a top-notch student athlete and a immediate starter at OL who plays with a mean streak that separates him from others.

#81 Malik Alston: Highlands. Alston developed into a dangerous red zone threat for Sean Pender’s Pirates and with his tall frame will develop into the same at Highlands.

#99 George Mincey Jr: Valdosta State. Mincey came on his senior year and became an All Region player. He should become a future VSU starter.

What a class for BHS. These kids played for three head coaches in four years and went out as co-region champions with a 7-3 record and laid the foundation for the quick turnaround their senior season.