High School Football
Tough Loss For Terrors
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Terrors fell to the Richmond Hill Wildcats 12-7 Friday night in a game that put Glynn Academy in unfamiliar territory.
Someone else now controls the Terror’s fate. Richmond Hill came into the game undefeated, with West Virginia commit Sam James leading the way from his wide receiver spot.
While Glynn entered off of dominating performance over Brunswick the week before. This was a matchup of the top two contenders in this region.
The Terrors entered this game knowing all of this full and well. Both teams would be in for a slugfest. In a game that was black and blue throughout with both teams playing a smothering brand of defense, the predominant color was yellow. Flag after flag flew in Glynn County stadium, with most going against the home team.
For the most part Glynn did a great job of shutting James down. Unfortunately, there were too many times when a Glynn corner would deflect a pass, only to look down and see that little yellow hanky laying at their feet. I counted at least 3 pass interference calls against the corners covering James, and there were even more holding calls charged against the Terrors.
It’s hard enough to beat a quality opponent on their own, much less when you’re competing against the officials as well.
Glynn’s defense was smothering, with the only touchdown coming on a 4th and an inch, when the running back broke free from the scrum for a walk in. Besides that, this vaunted Richmond Hill offense was shut down.
The only problem? So was Glynn’s. Richmond Hill committed hard to stopping the dive, and forcing Jernigan to throw. Jernigan never looked comfortable in the pocket, and was only able to complete a few balls. Two of those passes lead to first downs in the Terror’s lone touchdown drive, but they simply weren’t able to be consistent enough.
The run game, Glynn’s bread and butter, was also hit or miss. Caine Crews and Tyler Grant were able to break a few, but never consecutively. The quarterback center exchange didn’t help either as Jernigan was scooping the ball off the ground at least five times during the game.
All of that, and Glynn still had a chance to pull it out in the end, but bad snaps and lack of a true passing game bit them as they tried to work the ball down the field in a two minute drill.
This game was an aberration. Literally, nothing fell the Terror’s Way. The snap issue will be corrected quickly. You won’t see another receiver like Sam James until deep into the playoffs. And, the flag situation will even itself out.
There are also many positives that can be taken from this game. Number one? This defense is real. Guys like Sam James are going to get the benefit of the doubt with officials on 50/50 calls, but even with all of that you still only allow 12. That will get the job done 99% of the time.
All is not lost in the region, either. Currently the region sits like this:
Richmond Hill 2-0
Glynn Academy 2-1
Brunswick 2-1
Effingham 0-2
Bradwell 0-2
This thing is still way up for grabs. Glynn holds the tie breaker over Brunswick, and will be huge Pirate fans next week when Brunswick takes on Richmond Hill. If the Terrors beat Bradwell to close the season and Richmond Hill falls to Brunswick and Effingham, the Terrors will reclaim the region. If Brunswick wins out and Glynn falls to Bradwell, the Pirates will own the region. Still with me?
All of this will be decided in the next couple of weeks, and it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.
Knights Gallop Into Playoffs
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Frederica Knights got a much needed bye week this week before round 1 of the playoffs start next week.
Last week, the Knights lost their last region game of season against Edmund Burke. This could be a blessing in disguise for Brandon Derrick’s Knights.
There is no doubt that Frederica has one of the most talented teams in GISA. Sometimes it takes losing a game you are not expected to lose to bring out a team’s full potential.
The Knights have had a great week of practice while preparing for their first round matchup at home next Friday. They have prepared for two teams this week, but they will know their first round opponent some time on Saturday.
Their first round matchup will be against Tiftarea or Southland. The Knights got their first ever AAA win against Tiftarea 3 years ago.
Tiftarea is a strong and physical team that is led by a physical running back. Southland is also a well coached and physical team.
Regardless of who steps on the field, Frederica’s first round matchup will be a physical one. The Knights have been tested though. If you ask Coach Brandon Derrick he will tell you that he scheduled Parklane Academy and Wesleyan to prepare his team for this very moment.
Frederica will go into the playoffs with a 5-3 record. Looking back on the season, The Knights have still not played their best football yet.
Their 3 losses could have easily been wins. Early turnovers against Parklane Academy cost them there. The same can be said for the Wesleyan game. Their 3rd loss could be attributed to simply turning it “ON” a little too late. These losses should and will help keep the Knights motivated for the playoffs.
The offense of the Knights this season has been impressive at times. It has averaged over 300 yards a game this season. Over 200 of the yards have come on the ground.
Jaylin Simpson and Isaiah Jackson have helped lead the Knights in that category. Simpson has rushed for over 600 (passed for over 650) and Jackson has rushed for over 500.
Michael Tindle and the rest of the offensive line has done an amazing job helping lead the Knights rushing attack. They have done a great job under first year offensive line coach, Bill Stafford.
The Knights defense has played well this regular season too. Harry Veal has been the anchor for the defense. Veal leads the team with over 60 tackles on the season. I do not think there is a more physical linebacker than Veal in Southeast Georgia.
Deke Jernigan has also done a great job playing linebacker. He and Veal have been a difficult duo to manage for offenses, Cameron Gardner, Rett Thompson, Cole Hinson, Trace Dorminy, and Tyler Pierce have done a great job on the defensive front on the season.
After the rough start at Parklane, they really zoned in and helped make things difficult in the trenches.
The secondary also played well. Jaylin Simpson, JT Elliott, Avery Cobb, Jackson Wetzler, Isaiah Jackson, Santana Clark, Eric Tatum, and Jashawn Sheffield have done a great job making it difficult for team to hurt the Knights over the top.
Frederica’s defense has forced over 20 turnovers on the season. Defensive Coordinator, Ben Burkett, hopes to add to that total when the playoffs start.
October 27th is win or go home. There are no more guaranteed games.
The next time the senior Knights touch the field could be their last. Brandon Derrick told his team at the beginning of the season that the goal was to be standing at Mercer University on November 17th holding the state championship trophy. Now is the time to make that goal a reality.
Knights Need Help
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Knights traveled to Edmund Burke Academy to attempt to wrap up its second consecutive region championship.
Coming off of a tough and emotional win against Bulloch Academy last week, Frederica turned their focus to a determined EBA team. The Knights beat EBA 34-7 last year, but this is not the same EBA team from last year and Coach Derrick stressed that to his team throughout the week.
Frederica would start off slow this week just as they did last week against Bulloch.
Frederica’s offense saw their first two drives end in punts. John Mitchell Brock did an excellent job helping flip the field position for the Knights.
Early on, Frederica’s defense struggled with the option offense of Edmund Burke. It’s all about eye discipline and assignment football when facing an offense like this. Edmund Burke was able to find success early on running the ball.
Frederica was finally able to move the ball on their 3rd drive. It started with a long pass from Jaylin Simpson to Jashawn Sheffield to the 4-yard line. Rett Thompson was able to punch it in from there.
A botched snap on the extra point attempt made the score 7-6, EBA. EBA would tack on one more score before the half. Their QB was able to break outside containment and make some nifty moves to score. At the half the score was 14-6, EBA.
The second half started off a little rocky for Frederica. The opening second half kickoff was a pooch kick that ended up in the hands of an EBA defender.
The Spartans scored on their next drive making the score 21-6. The Knights were able to tack on two more scores.
Jaylin Simpson connected with Jashawn Sheffield for a long touchdown, and then Jaylin Simpson scored the next touchdown but the Knights failed to convert the two point conversion.
Frederica got the ball back one more time with 4 seconds left in the game. Jaylin’s pass came up short and the Knights dropped their first region game of the season, 21-19.
Frederica will now play the waiting game for second consecutive year. Last year, the Knights needed Pinewood to help them win the region championship.
This year it will be the Trinity Christian Crusaders. If the Crusaders beat the Spartans, the Knights will be the region champs. If EBA wins, the Knights will be the number 2 seed going into the playoffs.
Frederica will have their work cut out for them in round 1. Their first-round matchup will not be like the first-round matchup of last year.
No matter the seeding, the Knights will face a pretty good opponent in the first round. Coach Derrick’s message to his team was a simple one. “Prepare each week like you’re the Alabama Crimson Tide. We are going to get everyone’s best shot.”
The Knights must take advantage of the bye week next week. The injured and the sick get a week to heal up. The Frederica will also have a week to work on the small things before their first-round matchup.
Frederica finished the regular season 5-3. Two of those losses coming against (out of conference) Parklane Academy and Wesleyan School. The Knights have been tested this year. Now it is time to see if those tests will pay off in the playoffs.
Pirates Report Card Against Glynn
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In the most anticipated City Championship game in years the Brunswick High Pirates dropped their 4th straight to the Glynn Academy Red Terrors 26-13.
The Pirates were whipped in every phase of the game. Brunswick came into the contest as the highest scoring team in their classification, and when the clock struck zero this senior class left as the first senior class since 1974 to not beat Glynn Academy in football during their high school career.
Pirate Report Card:
Special Teams: F. BHS had a punt blocked that set up the touchdown that put Glynn up 19-7.
Special Teams had been much improved in 2017 but in the biggest game of the year you can’t have kicks blocked and give a team like Glynn the ball on your 1 yard line. Maybe this grade is harsh, but the punt block was a major turning point in the game where you cannot afford any margin of error.
Defense: D. Who has the dang pitch man? Who has the pitch man? A question that was asked all night long by the Pirate nation.
Third down defense was not good as Glynn converted too many third down medium to long plays.
Coach Pender talked all week about the trick plays and Glynn used two to set up their first two TD’s. In the first half BHS struggled stopping the dive play. BHS struggled stopping the pitch man the entire game with Glynn’s read option.
The frustration also comes from the fact that Glynn only threw the ball maybe four times the entire game which means that they ran the ball right down the Pirates throat.
In a game where talent level is very similar for both teams it just means Glynn physically dominated BHS on the line of scrimmage. Who has the pitch man???
Offense: D. The highest scoring team in 6A football was held to 13 points. Nobody saw that coming.
The bright spots were Shaq Robinson, who sparked a TD drive right before the half to cut it to 12-7.
Alonzo Brown had another big game receiving. Jamarius Stevens was under pressure most of the night. Game plan was there but just not executed.
BHS dropped a wide open TD late in the game that could have been a huge. I’m not going to mention the kids name because I know he feels awful today. Give Glynn credit they kept everything in front of them and did not miss tackles. Very disappointed in the fact that this unit got shut down in this contest.
Coaching: C. I thought the game plan was solid and adjustments were made, but coaches can’t get on the field and make plays. When it came down to it Glynn players had the mental edge in the contest, which is why they control the series currently.
Overall: D. You can’t lay an egg in a game of this magnitude. Glynn continues to be the gold standard in this region and BHS just did not get it done last night. You can learn from this and get ready for a playoff run but these seniors will never have a chance to beat Glynn again in football.
The team fought hard and never gave up which is something the Pirate nation is proud of.
Up Next: Effingham. This game is a must win at home next Friday if BHS wants to host a playoff game.
Finally, as a former BHS football player it hurts to say Glynn flat out owns us in football, but got to give credit to GA for punching us right in the mouth for the fourth straight time.
Something that has not happened in over 40 years. When these seniors see their GA counterparts in the grocery store in 2047 they will understand and will think about this everyday of their lives.
Only thing left to say is GATA! Outstanding job Glynn Academy.
Still a lot to play for Pirates. BHS will not lose another game in the regular season.
Terrors Sink Pirates
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s nothing quite like high school football. In a town with just two teams, everyone must choose a side.
From downtown Brunswick coffee shops, to the golf courses on Jekyll, City Championship smack talk reached a fever-pitch this week. Brunswick finally has a team their fans and alumni can be proud of, putting up a over 40 points a game and doing it in style.
On the other side, Glynn Academy entered this week as the pseudo undercard (an undercard that had won the past three matchups, but an undercard nonetheless.).
The Terrors started the year 1-2, and the offense seemed to be missing a little too much after the departure of Deejay Dallas. Sure, they’d won a couple to get to 3-2, but have you seen Brunswick’s offense?
All that hype led to an atmosphere on Friday night that can only be described as Bowl Game -esque. Because Glynn and Brunswick share a stadium, the teams rotate home and away sides of the field every year. This year the home side fell to Glynn, with Terror nation packing the stadium side under the press box, while Brunswick’s faithful equally filled up the “away” side.
White and red smoked mixed in the South Georgia night while both teams exploded onto the field. The stage was set, now could this game live up to the hype?
For Glynn it did and then some. After deferring until the second half, Glynn’s defense took the field to test their metal against an offense that hadn’t been held under 43 points since week one.
Glynn answered the challenge. Hunter Hall stuffed Brunswick on a fourth and short deep in Glynn’s territory, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Glynn consistently got Brunswick Quarterback Jamarius Stevens off his spot, never allowing him to settle in and throw.
Brunswick was able to gash Glynn up the middle on their lone scoring drive of the first half, but couldn’t consistently establish any ground game.
Offensively, Coach Hidalgo doesn’t hide what he wants to do. He wants his running backs to hit you in the mouth all night, try to stop them.
Senior Caine Crews has taken that philosophy to heart, rushing for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hidalgo also unleashed his “Riverboat Gambler” side, with a throwback to Randon Jernigan that set up Glynn’s first score, and a reverse to back-up QB Sam Wagoner who pulled up and fired a strike to a wide open Jernigan streaking down the sideline for another touchdown.
With Glynn’s running game in full gear and Brunswick’s offense stuck in reverse, this game seemed to be headed to a blowout. Credit Brunswick for not backing down.
The Pirates put a touchdown on the board before the half to put the score at 12-7 headed into the break. The game hung in the balance deep into the third until Patrick Fulton came untouched on a Brunswick punt, blocking it and recovering it deep in Pirates territory.
Crews punched it in a few plays later, and that was that. Both teams would score once more, with Glynn emerging victorious 26-13.
Hidalgo has stated throughout the year that this region still runs through Glynn Academy. No matter how down they may seem, nothing will be given to you. You’ll have to pry this region from Glynn’s hands. Good luck.
This team has improved every week. If they can continue this formula of smash mouth running and smothering defense, another deep playoff run is in the cards. To the rest of Georgia… you’ve been warned.
Frederica Outduels Bulloch Academy
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Knights have had this game circled for a while.
If you think back to last year, this is the team who gave the Knights their only region loss. This loss came on a Wednesday night while they were preparing to evacuate St. Simons Island because of Hurricane Matthew.
Pirates Sink Bradwell
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Brunswick High Pirates arrived at Glynn County Stadium Friday night with high hopes on Homecoming and waiting on them at the 50 for the coin flip were the undefeated Bradwell Tigers.
Bradwell came in to the contest with a 6-0 record, feeling pretty good about themselves.
In fact, the Tigers were confident they were going come in and ruin the Pirates season much like they did in 2016 with a 21-18 win over BHS. That loss kept the Pirates out of the playoffs.
Terrors Throttle Effingham
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Good football teams seem to take on the identity of their coach.
Alabama is a “trust the process” machine that will cut you out if you don’t fit, just like their coach Nick Saban.
Georgia Tech carries a huge chip on their shoulder, to go along with a huge inferiority complex mostly perpetuated by head man Paul Johnson. The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are no exception.
Knights Lance Pinewood
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Knights traveled to Bellville, Ga to take on the Pinewood Patriots.
This is traditionally a huge game between the two teams. Last year’s Frederica won the matchup 30-17. Two years ago, Pinewood came away with the victory with a score of 41-6.
This was one of Brandon Derricks worst losses at Frederica. Coach Derrick challenged his team before the game by telling that he had never won on this field and that this game would be a statement game for GISA.
Glynn Exterminates Wayne
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When the Terrors took the field Friday night in Jesup, it had been four weeks to the day since they walked off the field after being trounced by Tift County.
In those 28 days lie a hurricane whose effects are still felt around the county, irreparable damage done to families, 16 grueling hot practices, and a lot of determination.
