High School Football
Local Star Wars
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Signing day is quickly approaching and several of Glynn County’s football players are looking for a college home.
These student athletes are taking official visits (visits paid for by the college football program) and unofficial visits (prospect pays for visit out of their own pocket).
Glynn County has been a major hotspot for college coaches this past week. There have been over 30 colleges visit the 3 high schools in Glynn County. Brunswick High, Frederica Academy, and Glynn Academy have seen some of the biggest names in their hallways this week.
The most notable being the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Kirby Smart. Glynn County is Dawg country and you could not log onto any social media platform and not see a picture with Kirby Smart with a Glynn County resident.
Coach Pender’s Pirates have seen a lot of traffic as of late. The Pirates have one the largest senior classes in the school’s history.
That senior class is loaded with talent. Jaylen Jackson is committed to Georgia Tech and Kam Futch is committed to West Georgia.
Several other prospects are being heavily recruited as well. Djay Whitfield is coming off his official visit from Albany State. Aubrey Williams recently visited Rice University and has interest from other schools as well. Sharrod Frazier has several division 1 offers as well. He should start traveling soon for his official visits.
Brunswick High also has several others who could potentially go play college football next year.
Tevin Small, Jalen King, Alonzo Brown, Rudy Nixon, Ty Hinson, and John Cano should all suit up for a college football team next year.
Warren McClendon will be one of the biggest recruits in South Georgia next year. He has several Power 5 conference offers and he is completely open to all schools at this point in his recruiting process.
Glynn Academy Coach Rocky Hidalgo has also had a lot of visitors. Last year Glynn was able to send Deejay Dallas and Zalonte Hillary to the University of Miami.
Dallas made an immediate impact with the Hurricanes. Miami coaches expect Hillary to make an even bigger impact next year upfront.
Coach Rocky still has a lot of talent on his team that college coaches are coming by to see. Randon Jernigan was highly recruited but decided to sign and play baseball at the University of Georgia.
Marvin Dallas is a long and athletic corner that college coaches love on the outside. He is receiving a lot of attention from several schools.
Dynamic running back, Caine Crews, is a stud running back that will be a major contributor for whatever school he decides to suit up for.
Hunter Hall might be the most underrated recruit in South Georgia. This four-year starter has all the tools that will make him a successful college linebacker. All he needs is a chance.
Frederica Academy has been busy as well. The Knights have 3 seniors who are being recruited to potentially play football in college.
Santana Clark received and offer from the prestigious Rhodes College. He will travel next weekend to Memphis to check out the campus.
Tyler Pierce has received some attention from D3 and NAIA schools.
John Mitchell Brock could possibly kick at the next level of he chooses. There are some D3 schools that are interested in his services.
Jashawn Sheffield and Jaylin Simpson are going into their last year at Frederica. Power 5 schools have been coming in packs to check on this duo.
The 2019 class also has another potential D1 player. Harry Veal has found his way on the radar of college coaches as well. Veal finished the season with 120+ tackles and this has not gone unnoticed by college coaches.
Another Mutiny In Darien
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When will it end for the MCA Buccaneers?
Head Coach Terel Toomer was let go/resigned as head coach for the program. The next coach the Bucs hire will be there 5th in seven years.
This firing/resignation feels more disgusting than the rest.
Toomer was brought in to give some stability to the program that was still in the wake of the controversial firing of former Head Coach, Robbie Robinson.
Let’s rewind things a bit. Robinson had just been fired for allegations of misappropriation of money and allegedly instructing a player to intentionally injure another player. By the way, we are over a year removed from those allegations and there is not any concrete evidence of either offense, but that is another story for another day.
MCA was coming off a state championship appearance when the decision was made to fire Coach Robinson after his second year back at MCA.
Coach Toomer, who had been the Defensive Coordinator, was hired to stabilize a program that was in peril. Some even wondered if the Bucs would even be able to field enough players to have a team last season.
This was the right hire, a guy that was familiar with the kids, the community, the system and the school.
Coach Toomer went to work. Toomer convinced kids to stay in the program and was able to hold on to several boosters.
MCA went 3-6 on the season, but with everything that happened no one was concerned about the record. Toomer had brought together a program in disarray and brought back some stability.
So, instead of thanking Coach Toomer, Principal Chris Wolski informed him that he would not be back as the football coach next season.
That decision comes after Wolski had reportedly told Toomer “he did a great job coaching the team under the circumstances”.
I sent a text to Coach Toomer and asked if he had been relieved of his coaching duties. I was told “Correct, this new principal is not having me back, so its best that I resign. Nothing to do with wins or losses. It’s because we didn’t see eye to eye on some issues.”
I called Principal Wolski and left a message with my name and number for him to return my call, which he did and below is a dialogue of our conversation:
Wolski: Hello Mr. Bishop. This is Principal Wolski at MCA returning your call.
Jason: Good afternoon. I was calling in regards to the rumor that Coach Toomer had resigned. Any truth to that rumor?
Wolski: Not be crass, but who are you? Who are you with? I don’t want to give confirmation on anything to anyone I don’t know.
Jason: I am the owner of The Bishop Media Sports Network. I am the publisher of The Southern Sports Edition. I am the host of The Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch, which is the most popular sports show in this area. And my company is the company that put on the Terel Toomer Coach’s show this past season. I am very surprised that you don’t know who I am, as principal of your school since I worked so closely with your football program this past season.
Wolski: Ok. I apologize. But Coach Toomer has not as of yet turned in a resignation to me but I can tell you that he will not be coaching track this season.
Jason: Did you tell Coach Toomer you did want him back as the football coach next season?
Wolski: That is a personnel matter and I do not want to discuss personnel matters.
Jason: Ok. Do you expect Coach Toomer to be your coach next season then?
Wolski: Again, that is a personnel matter and I am not going to discuss personnel matters.
Jason: Ok. Thanks for your time.
Wolski: No problem. What station does your show air on?
Jason: 93.7 WBQO. Saturday mornings at 10am. You should tune in and take a listen, we had Coach Toomer on several times this past season and talked MCA Football a good bit.
Wolski: I will.
Glynn’s Deep Talent Pool
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Football in Glynn County has come to an end and a lot of seniors are wondering if they will ever suit up in a football uniform again.
Over the past few years, Glynn County has been the home of some of the top football prospects in the state of Georgia. Just last year, Glynn County had 4 recruits go on to play division 1 football.
Deejay Dallas and Zalonte Hillery both attended The University of Miami. Shawn Smith attended the University of Virginia and Denaja Gammage attended Mercer University. This year’s cycle will have even more Glynn County student athletes attend college to play football next year.
Brunswick High has one of the most talented group of seniors in Georgia. Coach Pender believes he could possibly have double digit players sign scholarships in the spring.
Jaylen Jackson is already committed to Cincinnati. He visited the campus this fall and fell in love with the staff and committed while on his visit.
Since his commitment, he has had several Power 5 conference schools show interest. His recruitment is one to keep an eye on.
Sharrod Frazier is another baller who is being recruited by a lot of top schools in the country. Frazier is set to visit Colorado State in January. If this visit goes well, we could see the BHS athlete move out west. We could also see Frazier end up somewhere closer like Georgia Southern.
Aubrey Williams is another defensive standout getting a lot of interest from colleges. Rice and Elon are recent schools who have offered Aubrey.
Kam Futch has also earned a chance to play football on Saturdays. Valdosta State and The University of West Georgia are two schools who are vying for his services.
There are also several of guys on the BHS roster who are going to play on Saturdays. DJ Whitfield, Telvin Smith, Alonzo Brown are a few names to keep an eye on as National Signing Day approaches.
Glynn Academy also has some 2018 prospects that will play past high school.
Randon Jernigan had a ton of offers to play college football but chose to go the baseball route. Jernigan will play baseball for the University of Georgia next year.
Marvin Dallas is a name that is on a lot of college boards as well. Marvin Dallas received an offer from Valdosta State earlier this week.
Dallas is a long defensive back. He has the measurables that a lot of colleges are looking for at that position.
A sleeper at Glynn Academy this year is Caine Crews. Crews had an amazing year rushing for the Terrors. He was a defensive player last year so he did not have much film running the rock, but this kid is good. Whatever team takes a chance on Crews will be getting a diamond in the rough.
Frederica Academy also has prospects that have been receiving some college attention. Santana Clark has played two great seasons at Frederica Academy. Earlier in the spring, Clark received his first offer from the University of Central Michigan. He has since received a lot of attention from some schools a little closer. Clark is a kid that can go and he will be someone who suits up on Saturdays.
Glynn County also has a very talented rising senior group. Three of those 2019 prospects have a combined for over 50 offers.
Frederica’s Jashawn Sheffield is rated the number 3 wide receiver in the country.
Jaylin Simpson of Frederica is rated the 20th best athlete in the country.
Brunswick High’s Warren MccClendon is rated the number 26 offensive tackle in the country.
All three players are really special and highly recruited. There is also a good possibility that all three players end up playing at the same school in college. It is going to be fun watching their recruitments take place over the next year.
The Human Tackling Machine
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After leading his team to a 41-13 career record, which by the way is the winningest senior class in Glynn Academy history, “The Human Tackling Machine” Hunter Hall only has three offers to play college football. Are you kidding me college recruiters?
#44 is the most productive defensive player that I can remember in Glynn County history. At 6’0 and 205 lbs. This kid can just flat out play.
Hall was a four year starter for the Red Terrors, who just completed another deep run in the State Playoffs and pretty much did anything Coach Rocky Hidalgo asked him to do during his football days on Mansfield Street.
Hall holds offers from West Georgia, Cumberland, and Faulkner University. If West Georgia has offered where are the Valdosta State, Mercer, Kennesaw, and Georgia Southern offers?
The kid has a 3.6 GPA and has scored 26 on the ACT so he is going to graduate in four years from any University that offers him a scholarship.
Mr. Hall finished his career with 406 tackles at Glynn Academy. Those are insane numbers and he split time on offense as senior. He runs in the 4.6 range so where are the offers?
I’m pretty sure college football programs need kids with a nose for the football. I talked to a BHS football player recently that said “when we played Glynn it seemed like Hunter made every tackle” and that folks is pretty high praise coming from a bitter cross town rival.
What do college football recruiters look for? Here go my thoughts:
Athletic Ability: Hall is a pretty good athlete. Not only did he put up mind boggling defensive numbers he also played running back on a football team that made the final eight in its classification for four straight years. Hall also is a starter for the baseball region champion Terrors.
Mental and Physical Toughness: Every college coach in the country wants a roster full of players who are mentally and physically tough. They want focused, aggressive competitors.
College coaches’ notice attributes like effort, fearlessness, and confidence. This category has a picture of Hunter Hall beside it in the dictionary, or it should based upon what we have seen in Glynn County over the past 4 seasons.
Academics: There are many reasons why coaches value academics so much in the college recruiting process:
First, students with good grades and high standardized test scores often qualify for academic scholarships and in-state tuition, potentially saving the athletic department scholarship money.
Second, a good GPA and SAT/ACT score indicates to coaches that a student will most likely achieve the minimum college GPA needed to maintain athletic eligibility.
Third, good grades and test scores are an indication of a student’s work ethic and achievement standards for all areas of their lives. Hunter Hall is an excellent student athlete.
Coachability: Being coachable also means having a strong work ethic. Players that work hard in practice generally are more successful in games.
What do you think Rocky Hidalgo would say about Hunter Hall in this area? Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
Character: College coaches want kids that will represent their school always in a positive light. Hall comes from a good family and is a yes sir, no sir kid who does not get into trouble.
What more do you need college football recruiters? Hunter Hall is a kid that you need to have a winning football program. What are you waiting on recruiters?
The Human Tackling Machine is looking for a home for the next four years. Don’t miss out.
Terrors Season Ends
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This one hurts. That’s ok, it’s supposed to. When a senior class means as much as this one has to this community, a loss like Friday night’s is going to sting for a long time.
Glynn Academy fell to Lee County, 42-38, in a game in which the Terrors held leads of 31-6 and 38-21.
Glynn dominated the first half, busting big plays consistently and leaving the home Lee crowd stunned and the traveling Terror Nation at a fever pitch.
The domination reached its pinnacle when Glynn had Lee backed up at their 15 on 3rd down, trailing the Terrors 24-6. Hunter Hall intercepted Jase Orndoff’s pass and set up the Terrors inside Lee’s 10. Caine Crews punched it in for his third touchdown of the first half and the blowout was on.
Give Lee credit, you don’t get to 12-1 without being a very good team. Down 31-6, the Trojans flew down the field in three plays and tossed a touchdown to end the first half down 31-14.
Lee received the ball to start the second half and scored bringing the score to within 10, but Glynn answered with a long drive of their own, putting the Terrors up 38-21 going into the 4th.
That’s when the wheels fell off for Glynn. The Terror’s gave up 21 straight points off of fumbles on three consecutive drives. With Lee up 42-38, the Terror’s had a hundred and eighty seconds left on the clock to get into the endzone, and avoid the collapse.
First and second down were stuffed, and Jernigan had to exit the game for third. Back up Sam Wagner entered the game, and was subsequently sacked and injured on third down.
That left a 4th and 10 for Glynn to continue their season. Credit this team for not giving up. A banged up Jernigan rolled right, bringing the whole defense with him and threw a strike to a wide open Andrew Delaney streaking down the left side of the field on a delay route.
The long play quieted the home crowd, and set up Glynn at the Lee 15 with 90 seconds left on the clock. The Terrors controlled their own destiny. Get into the endzone and advance. Randon Jernigan busted up the left side for a gain of 8, setting up Glynn with 2nd and 2 from the 7.
And that’s when the Terrors lost a fumble for the fourth straight possession. Jernigan and Crews fumbled the ball at the mesh point of their read option, and Lee recovered to seal the game.
In a game in which Caine Crews rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, all he will remember are the fumbles.
Randon Jernigan, who lead this powerful option attack, will be kicking himself for not pulling the ball on the last play.
Hunter Hall, with a huge interception in the first half and countless tackles, will only wonder what he could’ve done.
What we will remember is them. The seniors who were the first class to spend all four years under Coach Hidalgo. The guys who have been the building blocks for what is now the premier high school football program in South East Georgia.
It has been an absolute joy to watch these guys play football for the Red and White, and that’s why this hurts so much.
The somber realization that it’s over. When spring practice kicks off names like Dallas, Hall, Jernigan, Crews, Fulton, McClellan, Delaney, and Podlesny will all be headed off to college.
What won’t be gone is what they’ve built under Rocky Hidalgo. This program is here to stay, and it’s these seniors we have to thank for it
Terrors Trample Harrison
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’m going to ask everyone to do me a favor. I know, you’re still full from Thanksgiving and tired from Friday Night’s game, but hang with me.
I want everyone to think way back to the beginning of the school year. All the way back to week one, when Josh Anderson went viral for doing the worm from his tackle position (It actually worked). Glynn fell to Benedictine that day 31-8. The Terrors looked like a team that had lost it’s 5-Star Quarterback and Benedictine looked like it’s State Champion self.
Fast forward to Friday night, the day after Thanksgiving. Both of those teams had advanced to the Elite Eight in their respective divisions. One advanced to the Final 4, can you guess which?
Glynn Academy demolished Harrison 31-7, advancing to the Final 4 for the second time in 3 years. Behind one of the top defenses in the state and a devastating option attack, Glynn has an absolutely real chance to bring a title to the Golden Isles.
So why the trip down memory lane? Well, Glynn did not look like a contender in week one, but the old adage is that a season is a “marathon not a sprint”.
The Terrors started the year hurt, young, and starting a ton of guys at new spots. Since that time they’ve gotten stronger, in what Coach Hidalgo calls the greatest in season growth in weight room strength he’s ever seen.
They’ve become much more comfortable at their positions. At this time last year Randon Jernigan was a slot receiver and Caine Crews was in the secondary. Instead, Jernigan led a clean option attack, while Crews led the backfield with 30 carries for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns against Harrison.
The final few weeks of this season, this team has found itself. It may not be as flashy as last year, but it’s better.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a team that can move the ball on this defense consistently. Names like Marlon Taylor, Hunter Hall, and Marvin Dallas would all be 3 or 4 stars in North Georgia, but still put on their hard hats and lay the wood to opponents week in and week out.
Harrison High School was just the latest to run into the buzzsaw that has begun spinning in Brunswick.
Sure, the Hoyas were without the best player in the Country in Justin Fields, but I doubt it would’ve made a huge difference on Friday night.
See, you actually need the football to be successful as a quarterback and Glynn put a stranglehold on the time of possession with drives lasting 15, 7, 10, and 8 plays respectively.
The Hoyas started the 4th quarter with a 3 and Out and didn’t see the ball until their were five minutes left on the game clock. Harrison simply couldn’t get the Terrors off the field.
Harrison also added a new wrinkle in how to attempt to stop Glynn, when they decided to just not cover Glynn’s receivers. Glynn was able to connect on one deep pass, and should’ve had another walk-in touchdown.
If these Terrors are to continue on to the Mercedes Benz Stadium, they must clear one final hurdle and it’s their biggest one to date.
For the first time in the playoffs, Glynn must pack up and hit the road as they head over to Lee County High School for their Final 4 matchup.
The Trojans are a very good football team, sitting at 12-1 on the season. Though their one loss did come against a Valdosta team that Glynn dominated to start the playoffs. To be fair, Lee beat Richmond Hill, but we aren’t going to talk about the Richmond Hill game.
So, the road to the Benz is very simple: beat Lee and you’re there. The Terrors are ready, are you?
Gold Standard For Red Terrors
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy has been educating students in Glynn County since 1788. Glynn Academy has been playing football since 1913, but history is being made currently with this current batch of Red Terror seniors.
This senior class led by Hunter Hall, Randon Jernigan, Andrew Delaney, Tyler Grant, and the rest of this fabulous class has compiled a 40-12 record on the football field. This makes this senior group the most successful senior class in the proud 105 year history of Red Terror football.
This program with four straight elite eight appearances in the second highest classification in the GHSA makes it the gold standard in coastal Georgia for public schools.
It all starts at the top with Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo, who is a master motivator and just doesn’t get caught up in the hype. He coaches up his kids to play fast and with confidence.
Hidalgo’s confidence in his kids reminds me a lot of Steve Spurrier in his Florida days. From day one walking in the door in 2014 at GA the plan has not changed and that is:
Win the City championship, which the Red Terrors have done every year he has been here.
Win the Region Championship, which the Red Terrors have done in 2015-2017.
Win the State Championship, which the program was State runner up in 2015. That goal is still in play for 2017.
Someone asked me recently what is the difference between the local high schools? All three are very talented on the football field and my answer was the following:
Brunswick and Frederica Academy hope to win when they play teams of equal or better talent and Glynn Academy knows and expects to win in the same situation. Guess who is still playing on Thanksgiving?
Glynn plays a very talented Lee County team this Friday on the road, but I can guarantee you this Glynn expects to beat the Trojans.
The Red Terrors have some quality players. Hunter Hall is the most productive linebacker I have ever seen in person roam the football field in Glynn County in my lifetime. The kid is just a great football player and I know he has an offer from West Georgia, and at 6’0 195 for the life of me I just can’t understand why he doesn’t have 40 offers to play college football. This kid is an awesome football player.
Outside of Darius Slay of the Detroit Lions I have never seen a faster or better overall athlete than Randon Jernigan in my lifetime in Glynn County. The kid is a special once in a generation athlete. The 87-yard TD run against Valdosta in the first round is a treat to watch.
I saw the great Valdosta teams of the 1980’s in person as a student at Valdosta State College and my old college friends who still reside in the Valdosta area tell me they have never seen anyone run away from their Cats like Jernigan did on that TD run.
They love their football in Valdosta. In case you live outside of Glynn County, Jernigan signed a baseball scholarship to play for the University of Georgia recently. He will suit up for the Dawgs then will play professional baseball when his time at UGA is complete.
This is a special group of seniors on this Glynn football team. They just keep winning and winning and deep runs in the State playoffs is now part of the culture at Glynn Academy.
I encourage Glynn County to go out and watch this record breaking group this Friday night at Glynn County stadium.
Before the season many pundits said this would be a rebuilding year at GA. I guess rebuilding now is defined as Final Four appearances. I usually wear blue and gold on Friday nights. I’ll be wearing Red and White this Friday.
Go Terrors! Bring home a State Football Championship.
Look Back At Knights’ Crusade
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Knights season ended in the semi-finals in heartbreaking fashion.
Many are wondering what is next for the Frederica Academy Knights in the 2017-2018 season?
There will be high expectations for the Frederica again next season. At the last Southern Sports Edition Coaches Show, Brandon Derrick quoted Ric Flair, “If you want to be the man you have to beat the man.” Then he decided to add his own ending, “And we are the man!.”
Coach Derrick is fired up already for next season, and he expects to win it all next season.
The Knights will have to replace some talented seniors who finished their final season last week. FA will lose 3 offensive linemen, 1 wide receiver, 1 fullback/tightend, 1 defensive lineman, and 2 outside linebackers.
Each of these seniors played a vital role in Frederica’s success this last season. With that being said, the Knights will return some very talented players and return 2 who missed the entire season due to injury.
The Knights’ offense will be just as explosive, if not more, than last season.
Rising seniors Jashawn Sheffield, Isaiah Jackson, and Jaylin Simpson hope to put up more numbers than they did this past season.
Jaylin Simpson was able to rush for over 800 yards and threw for over 800 and Isaiah Jackson rushed for over 600.
These two put up these astonishing numbers while missing 2 games due to the hurricane evacuations.
Jashawn Sheffield will also be ready to put up more numbers than he did last year. He missed 4 games this season due to injury and the hurricane.
He was able to lead the team and catches and receiving yards. Avery Cobb also hopes to make an impact in the Knights offense. Frederica used the tight end position a lot this year.
Trace Dorminy will return for his senior season and hope to make a difference catching and blocking from the tight end position.
The offensive line was led by rising senior senior Michael Tindle. Tindle dominated the entire season. He will have help front from rising senior Mason Neubauer and junior standout Josh Elliot.
FA will also have Gaven Williams and Patrick Brunson back in the fold.
The quarterback position will have several different packages. Opposing coaches will have their hands full when it comes to game planning against the Knights offense.
Having Patrick Brunson on the field will make the Knights offense better. Patrick is explosive and a threat to score at anytime.
Frederica’s defense will look to start where they left off this season. Everything seemed to be clicking for Ben Burkett’s defense at the end of the season.
Led by Harry Veal, the Knights defense will have a pretty good unit next year. Veal and Deke Jernigan will lead the Knights linebacker group.
FA will have the most talented linebacker group in GISA.
Upfront, Cameron Gardner and Cole Hinson will look to dominate in their senior seasons.
The Knights’ secondary hopes to have a major spark with the return rising senior safety, Patrick Brunson.
Brunson is one of the most talented safeties in South Georgia.
Jaylin Simpson, Jashawn Sheffield, JT Elliott, Isaiah Jackson, and Avery Cobb hope to hinder opposing offenses from beating the Knights through the air.
The Knights have one goal next year, and that is a state championship. FA will have a challenging schedule once again, but Coach Derrick believes his team can handle it and be successful.
This time next year, Brandon Derrick and his Knights expect to be in Mercer hoisting the GISA State Championship Trophy. They expect to be “The Man!”
Glynn Survives And Advances
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When the final eight teams in AAAAA football take the field next week, the day after Thanksgiving, the Glynn Academy Red Terrors will be among them.
The Terrors knocked off Heritage 34-26 in a game that shouldn’t have been that close.
Glynn came into this one knowing that Heritage liked to sling the ball around and the Patriots didn’t disappoint.
Quarterback Caleb Pruitt entered the playoffs with over 3,500 yards through the air for the season and did his best to carve up Glynn in this one.
Par for the course, Pruitt completed about 50% of his passes, but a couple of breakdowns on defense cost Glynn on some big plays.
After pinning the Patriots on the 1, Glynn was burned on a 99-yard touchdown when Pruitt connected with senior wideout Jordan Young on a post. Young broke the tackle of Marvin Dallas and romped down the field for the score.
Later in the game, Pruitt was able to connect with a wide open Devron Harper who hauled the touchdown in Odell Beckham Jr. style (Fitting being that both Harper and Beckham Jr wear number 13).
Besides those two huge plays, the defense only gave up one true scoring drive. The Terrors secondary did a great job of sticking with their men in man coverage and the coaching staff made a great adjustment in the second half going to Cover 2.
The defense was able to get home a few times, including a strip sack. It was a very solid performance by the unit that this team feeds on for its’ energy.
The other touchdown for Heritage came after a fumbled snap was recovered by the Patriots in the endzone.
Speaking of bad snaps, this has become a consistent theme for the Red Terrors. Two bad snaps got past Jernigan, one for a touchdown and the other Jernigan was able to corral, but it knocked Glynn back 15 yards.
Glynn flirted with disaster a few times in this one, including a muffed punt that Caine Crews was able to recover and a Glynn Player inexplicably picking up an onside kick surrounded by ten Patriots after it had only traveled a single yard. There was definitely some head scratching going on down on the sideline.
Offensively, Glynn completely overpowered Heritage in this one. The Patriots simply had no answer for the triple option.
Whenever they did try to leverage defenders on the outside, Jernigan and Crews gashed them up the gut. Both Grant brothers were able to consistently find the corner as it seems like Glynn’s three headed monster at running back is finally back to 100%.
A lot of mistakes, but more good plays proved enough for Glynn to get a win in this one. That won’t be the case as Glynn advances in these playoffs. This is the Terrors fourth straight trip to the elite 8 and they get this one a home.
Glynn will host Harrison (Kennesaw) High School next Friday night at Glynn County Stadium. If that school sounds familiar to some of you Dawgs fans, that’s the school of UGA commit and number 1 prospect in the country Justin Fields.
Fields has been out the past few weeks after a nasty break to the index finger on his throwing hand, but the rumbles have started to hint at a return this coming Friday.
Whichever way it falls and whoever plays, this Glynn team holds their fate in their hands. If Glynn can put together an offensive performance like they have the past three weeks and eliminate the mistakes, they’ll be a very tough team to beat.
Expect an absolute war in Glynn County Stadium a week from now. Can’t wait.
BHS 2018 Season Recap
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Year one of the Sean Pender era at Brunswick High is in the books, and it marks a turnaround in a program that has been down for the last two football seasons.
BHS finished the season with a heartbreaking 24-21 loss to Northside Warner Robins, but the 7-3 final record almost matches the combined 8 wins in the previous two football seasons.
Pender who took over in February got Brunswick back in the state playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Season Grades:Offense: B+. This unit did a complete 360 in 2017. Here is the proof.
In region games the Pirates averaged 45. 5 points per game compared to 20.5 points per game in 2016.
The region record improved to 3-1 instead of 1-3 and missing the playoffs.
Pender is a QB guru and Jamarius Stevens had a record breaking year in offensive production with over 3000 yards in total offense and accounted for 38 TD’s.
Alonzo Brown and DJ Whitfield had all region years at WR. Brown, who was not used at all in 2016, set a school record for single season receiving yards, and Whitfield accumulated almost as much finishing the season with third most receiving yards in a single season in Pirate history.
The offensive line was the backbone of the football team led by seniors Ty Hinson and John Cano. Shaq Robinson had a great year at RB.
This unit scored over 40 points in seven out of ten games, 50 points twice, and 60 points twice in 2017.
Defense: B-. This unit was undersized up front but battled hard all season and held Northside to 213 total yards in the playoffs.
Kam Futch was the leader and captain of this unit and displayed those qualities in 2017.
Jaylen Jackson was the best all-around player in the region playing both ways and Jagaryon Marcus and Tevin Small were the unsung heroes of the defensive unit doing whatever they were asked to do on defense.
Special Teams: B. Dalton Thrift developed into a good kicker for BHS. Jaylen Jackson was dangerous in the return game, and Jagaryon Marcus led special teams in tackles. Huge turnaround for this unit in 2017.
Coaching: A. Pender turned this thing in one year and the three losses were to teams that are in the final 16 of the 6A playoffs currently. This team could easily have been 9-1 right and had played Tucker in the second round.
Overall: B+. The 7-3 record in the first year with a new head coach is the second best in the 50 year football history. Only the 2008 Pirates with NFL players Darius Slay and Justin Coleman finished with a better mark of 9-3 in Victor Floyd’s first season.
In conclusion, this sportswriter eats, drinks, and sleeps BHS football and I want to offer a sincere thank you to this senior class and to Coach Sean Pender and his staff.
Seniors, you turned this thing around in one season and you leave BHS as Co-Region Champions. This 2017 football team will always have a special place in my heart due to the fact that you kept working and fighting when most counted you out.
Ty Hinson, John Cano, Kam Futch, Jamarius Stevens, Ben McCloud, Shaq Robinson, Jaylen Jackson, Alonzo Brown, Tevin Small, Sean Ward, and the rest of this class thank you from a grateful Pirate nation for the hard work and dedication. You leave this football program on solid ground for the future and you leave the program better than you inherited it. You will be missed.
Sean Pender thank you for taking this job. You will lead BHS to great things as a football program.
The 2017 Pirates will be looked back on as the team that got BHS back on track.
Pirate Pride is a way of life and this football team showed that in 2017.
