Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets
Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets New Hive Leader
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After the resignation by Jared Zito as Head Coach at Southeast Bulloch, administration made the quick decision to name Defensive Coordinator Jason Anthony as Interim Head Coach.
Later Bulloch County announced that Anthony would be Head Coach at minimum through the 2026 football season.
Covering the Jackets for the last five years, I’ve been able to see firsthand the level of respect from the players, coaches, and community that Coach “Ant” has which has been incredible to see.
Anthony has been the defensive coordinator for Southeast Bulloch since 2021 leading the SEB Defense to new heights each season while also serving as the Head Coach for SEB Track and Field.
Having spent the past 18 years on the sidelines as an assistant coach, 16 of those as a defensive coordinator, Anthony is ready to take the next step and finally become Head Football Coach of his own program.
In multiple speaking engagements, Coach Ant has used the phrase “My Program, Our Team.” With the meaning that while he is in charge of the program and setting the standard of it, the team is not only his, but the player’s and the community’s as well.
Anytime you hear Coach Ant speak about this team, there’s one main focus that is abundantly clear…these kids. The players are the “why” behind every decision that Coach Ant and the staff makes.
Continuity on the staff has been high on Coach Ant’s list since taking over the SEB program. The majority of the coaching staff from the past year remains in place with Anthony Hammett, Donnie Carr, Jonathan Roddie will stay on as defensive staff members while Matt Smith stays on as tight ends coach.
Brandon Peterson will stay leading the offensive line and take over as offensive coordinator for the Jackets in 2026.
The other key piece staying in place is Randy Lee remaining as the Special Teams Coordinator and will move from Running Backs Coach to coaching the linebackers.
A couple of familiar faces return to the staff under Coach Anthony as former SEB standout and former receivers coach Rand Morgan returns to the staff in the same role. Brent Osborne also returns to the staff as the Director of Football Operations & Recruiting Coordinator.
There’s a new energy around the Southeast Bulloch Football program. Even though we’re still six months away from kickoff, there’s excitement around the program as they get introduced to Coach Anthony as the Head Coach.
The energy and passion that Ant brings to the program is unmistakable. The feeling of countless hours over the 18-year career building to become a head coach for Anthony is palpable when you feel the passion that Ant has for the program, his job, and his family.
While there are some that are still getting to know Coach Anthony, I can assure you that this is a homerun for Jackets Football. Obviously, everyone has seen the schematics that Ant brings to the table as one of the best defensive coordinators in the state, but there a whole new level that people are going to get introduced to…Jason Anthony as a leader.
Ant is an unquestioned leader and is an unbelievable molder of young men. A huge piece of the SEB Program is developing not only football players but developing young men to be exceptional human beings.
Personally, I can’t wait for the season to kick off to be able to begin the Jason Anthony Era of Jackets Football. There’s a new air around the Jackets program and the new breath seems to have new life into the program that will lead to even more success very soon.
King Bee Out At Southeast Bulloch
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Southeast Bulloch and the Bulloch County School system announced Monday that Jared Zito has been relieved of his duties as the Head Football Coach for Southeast Bulloch.
Zito finished his 5th season at the helm of the Jackets with an overall record of 31-24.
As of now, Zito will stay at Southeast Bulloch as a physical education teacher, but Defensive Coordinator Jason Anthony will serve as the Interim Head Coach to begin the off-season program.
Southeast Bulloch narrowly missed the GHSA State Playoffs in 2025 with a 5-5 record but made 2 appearances in the postseason in the 5 years under Zito.
In Zito’s first season in Brooklet, SEB finished 10-2 with the first playoff win for the program since 1973.
After 2 years of playing in the 4A Ranks, SEB returned to the 3A playoffs in 2024. The Jackets advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Stephenson to finish the season with a 10-3 mark.
Zito’s SEB tenure wraps up his 22nd year as a head coach where he holds a 112-123 overall record between time in both Georgia & Florida.
Now the process to find the next head coach fall into the very capable hands of SEB Principal Dr. Julie Mizell and Athletic Director Mark Oliver.
While this process will unquestionably be scouring the state and country to search for the best leader of the program. That said, there are a couple of names that are already on staff that I’m sure will get some looks too.
Jason Anthony has been the defensive coordinator for Southeast Bulloch for the past five seasons and is remarkably respected among players and supporters.
I have said for years that “Ant” is one of the most underappreciated coaches in the country.
Anthony has been recognized multiple times by Parker Resources as one of the Defensive Coordinators of the year. I can’t overstate the impact that Anthony has on the players. The level of respect and love from players, from other coaches, and supporters/parents around the program is that which every coach across the country strives for.
The other name currently on staff that is likely to get looks is Offensive Line coach Brandon Peterson. “Pete” has been at Southeast Bulloch for nearly 15 years (spanning four previous head coaches).
Much like was mentioned about Anthony, Peterson has unbelievable respect among the team. While Peterson hasn’t been a head football coach in his career, he currently serves as the head baseball coach for Southeast Bulloch.
While the title was only O-Line coach, Peterson was integral in the offensive gameplan and was the right-hand man for Zito in the offensive execution.
Southeast Bulloch has so much potential, especially with the growing area and new school construction along the horizon, so it will be interesting to see how the process of finding the new Head Jacket unfolds.
On a personal note, I do want to say “Thank You” to Coach Zito. I’ve had the honor of being the “Voice of the Jackets” broadcasting SEB Football on radio for all 5 years he was in Brooklet.
He was exceptional with us, letting us feel like and be fully involved with the program to be able to better cover the team. I really appreciate everything he did to welcome our crew in and help us do our jobs.
Jackets Stung
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When word finally came down from the GHSA office that the 3A bracket didn’t include Southeast Bulloch, there were questions being asked and directed toward Thomaston (where the GHSA office is).
The fact that SEB was left out of the bracket wasn’t so much of a gripe, but who did get in was more the issue.
Beach High School out of Savannah received an at-large spot as the 29th seed in the 3A playoff bracket despite only playing 9 regular season games and being beat by the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets 48-8 just two days prior to the bracket coming out.
Southeast Bulloch finished the season 5-5 and 5-4 in Region 3 play after the 48-8 victory over Beach and ended up 5th in the Region (out of 10 teams). After falling to the Jackets, Beach finishes in 6th place behind SEB.
Beach only played 9 regular season games because their week 2 matchup with Savannah High was declared a no-contest after player ejections and coaches’ arguments broke out in the second quarter of the game in Savannah.
While Beach highly likely would have gone on to win that game against a Savannah team that finished 1-8, the game itself would have played a bigger factor than just a win for Beach.
The PSR (Post Season Ranking) metric that the GHSA uses to determine seeding for 3A and also is the only factor that is used to determine at-large bids is a formula that is 35% based on your win percentage, but is also 35% based on your opponents’ win percentage and 30% based on your opponents’ opponents’ win percentage.
The only comment made by the GHSA has been GHSA associate director Don Corr, who oversees the GHSA’s PSR Ratings and sets the playoff brackets, when he put out a generic statement of “The region followed their procedures to provide the GHSA office with their results, and the GHSA followed the PSR rules as approved by the GHSA state executive committee.”
In the current system, the top four seeds in each region make the playoff field, then at-large berths (due to having to pull the private schools out) are determined by the PSR ratings.
While this year, this flawed system negatively affects the team that I’m tied to with me being the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Jackets, I’ve said this system is incredibly flawed since it was introduced.
First off, teams in SEB’s region are at a disadvantage because they are in the only 10-team region in all of 3A, so teams only have one non-region game they have control of to increase the PSR ratings, and the way the recent history of the teams in the region has been, there’s only four or five teams that actually can help improve your PSR in region.
With the current region’s makeup, there are two regions that only have six teams in it (so two-thirds of the region make the postseason bracket), and two others that have seven teams.
Aside from that issue, the PSR is an extremely complicated but lazy answer for the GHSA. While the current PSR counts road games more than home games (1.1 to 0.9 in the formula), there is no differentiation between non-region games against a higher classification team. In SEB’s case, they opened the season with the lone non-region match-up against the 5A Statesboro squad, but if you just looked at the PSR formula, it would look like any other game on the schedule.
While the system itself is flawed, the execution and transparency by the GHSA leaves a lot to be desired and caused confusion at the end of the season.
Throughout the regular season on the GHSA website, fans can go online and see the PSR ratings and how each team got to their PSR number, but for some reason, the GHSA took the Football PSR page down Thursday evening before the final games of the regular season, and still remains hidden.
In SEB’s case, the week began with thinking there was no chance at an at large, but as the week went on, a member of the SEB community dove into the numbers and discovered there was a path just to be denied and no explanation of the PSR numbers.
At the end of the day, yes, if SEB wins another game or two, they’re in the top four of the region, and it’s a moot point…..in Brooklet at least, but the scary part is that beginning in 2026, the GHSA has approved to go to the PSR for all classifications (oh yeah, PSR only comes into play for 3A and lower….) and region finishes won’t matter.
Beginning next year, the region champions will get an automatic berth, then everyone will be seeded, and all other at-large berths will come from the same PSR that has failed them this year.
The Long-Snapping Way
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When you think about impacts on a football team, specialists aren’t usually at the top of the list.
One position that gets even less love and really goes un-noticed until something goes wrong is the long snapper.
However, the Southeast Bulloch long snapper is absolutely drawing attention not only from the Brooklet community, but from college recruiters in a positive light.
Talon Stokes is a couple of games into his senior year for SEB, but the path has been far different than what he envisioned when he began the journey as a Jacket.
Stokes began his high school career as a tight end and a pole vaulter for the track team, but the path to starting quicky changed. After being buried on the depth chart as a tight end it sparked a conversation with Southeast Bulloch Special Teams Coordinator Randy Lee.
“In ninth grade, Talon, a wiry 5’6”, 140-pound kid, walked into my office dreaming of making an impact on the football team. The varsity field seemed a distant goal for him, but I saw his fire,” said Lee. “Our long snapper was graduating, and I told Talon that role could be his if he worked for it. Never having snapped a ball before, the odds were steep, but Talon didn’t flinch.”
Stokes dove in headfirst. He began working with a snapping coach, going to camps and doing everything possible to learn the niche craft. Which paid off.
“By June, he wasn’t just filling a role; he was dominating it,” explained Coach Lee. “In my 17 years of coaching, Talon’s become the best long snapper I’ve ever seen.”
From what started as an idea to get on the field, it turned into a passion for Talon. Putting in countless hours and hundreds of snaps outside of SEB practice each week and working with one of the premier snapping instructors in the country in Rubio Long Snapping, Talon has turned SEB special teams into a coach’s dream of not having to worry about the snap.
“Unnoticed by the stands but invaluable to our staff, he grinds daily, perfecting his times and lace placement on PATs and field goals,” said Lee.
That dedication over the past four years has not only garnered attention from the coaching staff for SEB, but also college coaches across the country. This past summer, Talon and his mom, Shelley, went on a 10-day journey to specialist’s camps all over the country.
It began in Morgantown, WV to impress the Mountaineer coaches. Then they made the drive to Starkville, Mississippi where Talon ended up winning the Mississippi State camp for both punt snapping and Field Goal snapping in SEC country.
The excursion ended up in Jonesboro, Arkansas in the shadows of the water feature in the endzone at Arkansas State. Couple that success with visits also to Coastal Carolina, Wofford, and countless other schools, Talon is a known commodity in the college world.
Talon is the epitome of a “team guy.” Always upbeat and a smile on his face at practice but took a need of a team and turned it into a mission.
As a freshman going to Coach Lee and asking how he can get on the field, then dedicating himself to be the best long snapper he could be for SEB (which was a foreign concept at the time), now as a 4-star Rubio long snapper is an impressive journey over a relatively short period of time. It’s something that’s not lost in the Brooklet community.
“They say if you work hard, all things are possible—Talon’s living proof,” said Coach Lee. There aren’t many in the country who can touch him or out snap him. I’m glad he is a SEB Jacket, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
That future undoubtedly will be snapping at a high level in college football and it’s just a matter of where.
Battle Of The Boro
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2025 High School Football season kicks off with a bang across Bulloch County.
Not only does Bulloch Academy and Portal High clash in the Erk Russell Classic on August 16th, but the night before what’s been tabbed as the “Battle of Bulloch” gets the 6th all-time meeting between the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets and the Statesboro Blue Devils.
This is a series history that’s an interesting one in the sense of two schools separated by only eight miles, but the two have only faced each other five times previously and all coming since 2004.
The Jackets and Blue Devils clashed back-to-back years in 2004 and 2005 that saw SHS (who was ranked #2 in the state both years) dominate to a combined score of 57-0 over Southeast Bulloch.
The two wouldn’t meet again for 17 years when SEB’s Jared Zito and Statesboro’s Jeff Kaiser pitted the foes together in 2022.
The two programs have played each of the past four years now (including the 2025 matchup) since 2022 with the first two of the renewed rivalry coming as part of the Erk Russell Classic at Allen E. Paulson Stadium on campus at Georgia Southern.
Both of the matchups at the “Prettiest Little Stadium in America” went the way of the Blue Devils but in vastly different ways.
2022 was ALL SHS in every sense. The final score ended 55-14 and Statesboro dominated from the word go. The 2023 rendition was a much tighter affair Statesboro still pulled out the victory at Paulson, but it took a defensive stand by Statesboro on an eight-minute drive for SEB to secure the 12-7 win for the Blue Devils.
In 2024, Statesboro and SEB decided to move away from the Erk Russell Classic to have the series back to campus sites.
It started last year at Fred Shaver Field in Brooklet to open the 2024 season. After a Chris Jones scoop and score two plays into the game to give the Jackets a 7-0 lead in front of a capacity crowd in Brooklet, SEB would mount a 23-6 lead after rushing scores by Colby Smith and Jayden Murphy.
Statesboro battled back to cut it to 23-18 after a Ty Chambers rushing score. Three first downs later, Southeast Bulloch secured the first win in the series by a final of 23-18.
Despite the discrepancy in level that the programs play at (SEB a 3A program, SHS a 5A), both coaches have been adamite that this series is important to not only the teams, but the community.
Going into last season, Coach Zito from SEB talked in the preseason about needing to “make this series a rivalry, but we have to win to do that.” After the win for the Jackets, it feels like SEB has done just that.
While I love the Erk Russell Classic and the impact it has, I love that this series is back on campus sites. Last season at Fred Shaver Field was one of the most electric atmospheres I’ve seen in that stadium in the 5 years I’ve been calling games for the Jackets (rivaled only by maybe the home playoff game in 2021).
This season, I can only expect the same fantastic atmosphere at historic Womack Field in mid-August.
This rivalry doesn’t have the number of games, but the last two seasons have been incredible matchups, and with the programs both having skyrocketing trajectories it adds another layer.
Both of these programs are led by incredible coaches that are elevating the young men on and off the field.
When the lights get flicked on, and boot meets ball in the Boro, the Battle of Bulloch clashes again in what had built to a fantastic rivalry in Southeast Georgia.
Brooklet Buzz
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
2024 saw Southeast Bulloch return to the GHSA State Playoffs and make the quarterfinals for the first time since the 1973 State Championship season.
While the Jackets saw graduation time come for some key contributors, the core is still intact in Brooklet to be able to not only replicate last season but add on to as well.
The ground game dominated for the Jackets as SEB racked up nearly 250 rushing yards per game and had two of the top five rushers in Region 3 of the 3A classification.
While Jayden Murphy finished the year fourth in the circuit with 752 yards on the ground last season, Colby Smith had a breakout season.
Smith scampered for 1,619 yards on the ground to lead the region and also was atop Region 3 with 22 total touchdowns. Smith became the first 1,000-yard rusher for SEB since Chase Walker in 2017.
The Brooklet native senior has contributed in virtually every way he can in his SEB career. As a freshman and sophomore in 2022 & 2023, Smith was a stalwart on the defensive side of the ball as a safety, linebacker and at the “Jacket” position.
Because of injuries at the end of the 2023 season, Smith was thrust into action at quarterback (had been the back-up QB all season) for the final three games of the year.
Last season, in addition to having a historic season out of the backfield, Smith also served as the kick returner and also punted twice on the year. This year, I’d expect more of the same for Smith as a Swiss-Army knife for the Jackets.
Southeast Bulloch will have a new signal-caller at quarterback this season with Rhett Morgan deciding to forego his senior season on the football field to focus on the baseball side.
The leading candidates for the job are Aaden Peterson and Colton Zito.
Peterson, the son of legendary Georgia Southern quarterback Adrian Peterson, stepped up as a cornerback last year for the Jackets but has unquestionable athletic ability to be able to run the offense.
Colton Zito, the son of Jackets Head Coach Jared Zito, has grown up with and has football in his blood.
In addition to the two headed monster at running back with Smith and Murphy, SEB returns a strong nucleus of talent on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, the biggest hit from graduation was on the offensive line but do return the recent Georgia Tech commit in Bear Fretwell along with Kam Miller and Daniel Shuman.
Defensively, linebacker Brant Horst (who will also see time as a tight end) was the second leading tackler and racked up 4 sacks and 7.5 TFL. Jason Anthony’s defense will also return names like Chase Douglas, Tyrone McGee and Stevie Padgett who made impressive impacts in 2024 and look to take the next step in 2025.
In 2024, the Jackets knocked off Heritage after the long trip to Ringgold in the first round of the playoffs. Then they blanked the number two team in the GHSA power ranked team in the state in Harlem in round two before reaching Stephenson in the quarterfinals to finish the year 10-3.
After the second 10-win season in the first four years under Head Coach Jared Zito, the Jackets look to recreate some of the magic of 2024 while continuing to build and return SEB to their march to a third state championship in program history.
Pro Bowl Sting
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL world flocked to Orlando last weekend to watch the game’s best in the 2025 Pro Bowl Games. The “game’s best” applies in a couple of different scenarios.
The obvious is that of Jared Goff, Fred Warner and Bijan Robinson, some of the best in the NFL, but also applies to the names Jaci Kitchings and Jadyn Williams.
Jaci and Jadyn are two seniors that wrapped up their careers at Southeast Bulloch with the school’s fourth consecutive state championship back in December but represented the NFC squad in the first NFL Girls Flag All-Star Game.
The inaugural event put on by the NFL saw thirty high school girls from all over the country (even two from Alaska) which included the two SEB Yellow Jackets competing in a flag football All-Star game to kick off the festivities on Sunday at the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games.
The NFL rolled out the red carpet for the Girls Flag Football All-Star Game participants including Kitchings and Williams.
The two Jacket players were flown down to Orlando on Friday before the Sunday afternoon game and not only got gear for the event, but the opportunity to take in some of the local attractions in Orlando and events with the NFL Pro Bowl players.
“They have had the best experience,” said SEB Head Flag Football Coach Marci Cochran. “What a great event by the NFL and I’m super excited they both got to participate.”
Jaci and Jadyn found out that they were named to the thirty-girl roster just before the semifinals of the GHSA state tournament and were ecstatic to get the news but had unfinished business to take care of.
They would find themselves in familiar ground on the stage in Atlanta after an overtime thriller having won their fourth consecutive state championship and capping off an 82-1 record in their SEB careers.
Southeast Bulloch Flag Football burst on the scene in 2021 when the program began (when Kitchings and Williams were freshmen) and have won the state championship each of the first four years of the program’s existence and winning 82 out of 83 games played in program history. The lone loss in program history came this year against the private school sector in Calvary Day out of Savannah.
I got to catch up with SEB Head Coach Marci Cochran as she watched Jadyn and Jaci play in the All-Star game in Orlando and looking back on the last four years she said “After starting four years ago and lost our first game this year which was devastating but in the long run it helped us win another state title. Four in a row which is more than any other team in the state of Georgia. We’re super excited about the growth of our program and adding a middle school program last year which helped us too.”
Coach Cochran has seen every snap that both Jadyn and Jaci have taken in their flag football careers and have become not only trendsetters on the national level at the Pro Bowl Games but also helped set the fantastic foundation of the SEB program.
“They’re the first seniors that have completed all four years, so they’re very special to us and we hate to be losing them,” Cochran said holding back tears. “Jaci has grown so much. Her development and dedication are awesome. Jadyn was always a really good player, but to watch her learn the game and understand the game is fun and to watch both of them grow from freshmen to seniors is really impressive.”
The NFL has made a concerted effort from the NFL League Office all the way down to the different teams investing in the sport of flag football at all levels, but especially at the high school level.
“For the sport as a whole, the Falcons itself sponsor a team in Alabama and there’s a couple other states that they’re starting to dive into to be able to start flag football there,” said Cochran. “Just the money and support they give for all these schools to be able to provide a flag football program without it having to come out of their own pocket is huge. It’s expensive to start a new sport, so their involvement in flag football has been awesome.”
While Kitchings and Williams will get to do it one more time as SEB heads to Canton, Ohio for the National Flag Football High School Tournament, the experience at the NFL Pro Bowl Games really put a nice bow on a historic career for these two and would have been hard to believe a couple years ago said Coach Cochran.
“To see them get to play down here (in Orlando) and see this opportunity. To be in this stadium, to have the game broadcasted on ESPN even with the Goodyear Blimp. Who would have ever thought that four years ago? So, it’s really special to be down here with them.”
Becoming A Legend
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The air on Friday nights gets a little cooler…time change makes the sun set a little earlier; it must mean it’s time for postseason football in South Georgia.
Although the GISA has gotten a jump on the postseason party a few weeks prior to the GHSA, Southeast Bulloch Football is poised to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Although there’s a ton of factors in the success for the Jackets in 2024, there’s one that seems we have said over the airwaves repeatedly and has racked up a historic season in Brooklet…Colby Smith.
On the first weekend in November, Colby Smith eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season becoming the first Jacket in seven years to run for more than 1K in a year.
With a 36 yard second quarter rush against Beach, the junior running back became the first SEB rusher since Chase Walker in 2017 to reach the 1,000-yard echelon, which lends itself to pretty good company.
Chase Walker is one of the most decorated players to come through Brooklet with a stellar high school career from 2014-2017 playing under three head coaches in his four-year span of Pat Collins, Steve Pennington, and Barrett Davis.
Walker not only surpassed 1,000 rushing yards as a senior in 2017 but did it in all four years as a Yellow Jacket and racked up 6,100 career yards on the ground with 28 career 100-yard rushing games.
Walker also found the endzone 91 times for rushing touchdowns, which still ranks top 15 on the all-time state of Georgia record book. To put it in perspective, Herschel Walker (regarded as one of the best players out of the state) sits 3 spots behind Walker on the all-time career rushing touchdowns list with 86.
Colby Smith has been a massive impact for Southeast Bulloch on both sides of the ball virtually his entire career. He will wrap the 2024 regular season with his 27th game played and 25th career game started.
Smith was thrust on the scene as a freshman in 2022 and started the back half of the season as a linebacker for the Jackets.
Over the last four years, Smith has seen considerable action at linebacker, safety, nickel, running back and was the backup quarterback last season and was thrown in the fire after Will Nelson’s injury.
“He’s just a hard-nosed kid,” said SEB Head Coach Jared Zito. “He physical and he’s super smart, but what gets overlooked is his athleticism and the kind of athlete he is. He’s got incredible balance, great vision, tremendous feet and is MUCH faster than people think.”
Smith has the old school football player feeling around him, and a lot of that comes from his family.
His family is one that loves the Jackets and is the picture of what a football family is.
There is not a game or event that goes by that doesn’t have his dad Cameron (who is part of the chain crew on the sidelines for the home games), his mom, Christy, and sister Courtney.
It goes beyond that too. Colby’s cousins Matt Bowen played, and Jason Bowen plays for the Jackets on the field with his Uncle Mark Bowen in the booth as an analyst on SEB’s radio broadcast on 106.5, the Boro and Aunt Christy Bowen who serves with the SEB Athletic Booster Club as the treasurer.
If that group isn’t enough, the icons of the squad that show up no matter where or the weather are his grandparents Larry and Charlotte Bowen, and when you hear someone yelling and cheering above everyone else…. it’s probably Mr. Larry.
It’s been a blast this year for me to get a front row seat to watch a historic season that Colby Smith has been putting up on the field, but the real root of high school football is the people that you get to spend each Friday night with, and it’s an absolute honor to get to see the person that Colby is and has around him.
Making The Grade?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Hard to believe already but the regular season for high school football in Georgia is at the halfway point of the year.
Today we’ll take a look at the report card for the four Bulloch County high school football teams; Southeast Bulloch, Statesboro, Bulloch Academy, and Portal.
Southeast Bulloch (4-1; 3-1 Reg3-3A) | A-
Southeast Bulloch has been off to a great start to the season with the only blemish on the card being the road loss at Calvary Day School.
The Jackets offense has been steadily growing despite a couple of injuries and culminated three 100 yard rushing performances so far.
Jacket Country saw Jayden Murphy rush for 160 yards and two scores against the Atom Smashers and Colby Smith following up with 130 yards and a score in the contest against Johnson. Smith followed the Johnson game up with 124 rushing yards against Windsor Forest last weekend.
Sophomore Quarterback Rhett Morgan is growing up before Head Coach Jared Zito’s eyes with two passing scores on the year and 5 explosive plays the past two weeks thru the air.
The Jackets defense led by Senior Kyle O’Brien, and Sophomore Brant Horst at the linebacker spots have held their own only allowing just over 100 rushing yards per game on the year and forcing 12 turnovers in the first five games.
Statesboro (2-3; 1-2 Reg1-5A) | C+
Second year Head Coach Matt Dobson has had a tough go at through the first half of the year.
After falling to cross town rival SEB in the opener, the Blue Devils picked up their first victory against Veterans 21-10 in week 2.
SHS then dropped their first two region matchups against Greenbrier and Glynn Academy but picked up their first region win against Bradwell Institute last week 41-36.
Quarterback Beckham Jarrard has taken the boro by storm in his freshman season already with over 800 passing yards and completing 62% of his passes with Keon Childers the favorite target racking up 298 receiving yards and two scores.
Statesboro has a tough road ahead down the back stretch but look to build off an impressive game against Bradwell Institute.
Bulloch Academy (6-0) | A+
The Gators have come out hot as ever in 2024 ranking #1 in the GIAA rankings after the 6-0 start.
Head Coach Aaron Phillips builds off the state semifinal appearance last season with a march to continue the winning ways in 2024.
Shamar Jenkins has been a huge boost for the Gators on the offensive side both at running back and receiver while the BA Defense has been the huge linchpin for the Gators success.
BA looks poised to enter region play then take a march deep into the GIAA state playoffs that culminate at the end of November at Allen E. Paulson Stadium for the GIAA State Championships.
Portal (2-3; 1-2 Reg 3-1Ad2) | C
The Portal Panthers continue to find the new identity after losing a number of players from a year ago to graduation and are now playing on Saturdays.
A couple of those that have stepped up is senior running back Jaylon Strickland and Brian McQueen.
Strickland recorded his first 100+ rushing yard game in the victory over Byran County last week and has racked up 360 on the year with 2 scores.
McQueen who has made the shift from quarterback to receiver is accountable for five touchdowns on the year (2 rushing, 2 receiving, 1 passing).
Portal seems to be rounding into shape and looking to get back to the success they’ve shown in the past few years.
Chasing Perfection
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The “buzz” (pun intended) around Brooklet is palpable heading into the 2024 season.
Although the 4-6 finish in 2023 for the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets wasn’t the wins and losses numbers that Jackets Country was hoping for, SEB was in the running for a playoff spot until the final horn of the season in arguably the most difficult region in the GHSA.
Entering 2024, SEB seems poised to make a huge jump in the win column and looks to hold Head Coach Jared Zito’s 2024 slogan true and be “Chasing Perfection.”
GHSA reclassification and restructuring greatly impacts the Jackets schedule in a few different ways.
First off, SEB won’t be running through the gauntlet of the former region 3 in the 4A ranks. Reclassified to 3A, SEB enters region 3 with high hopes in 2024.
The other significant impact of the state restructuring is the sheer size of the new region. Region 3 consists of ten teams and with that Southeast Bulloch’s schedule will feature nine region contests and only non-region affair.
Although there is only one non-region contest on the regular season schedule for SEB, it’s a big one! The Jackets will host nearby rival Statesboro at Fred Shaver field to kick off the season on August 16th.
The two rekindled the rivalry back in 2022 after not playing for just shy of 20 years. After the past two years took place as part of the Erk Russell Classic at Allen E. Paulson Stadium, this year’s matchup will head back to campus in Brooklet.
The past two years have gone the Blue Devil’s way with 2022 meeting going sideways to the tune of 55-14 Statesboro. That said, SEB was a late fumble away from upsetting the 5A Blue Devils while driving inside of two minutes left in the game, but fell 12-7
After starting the season 4-2 in 2023, SEB fell in their final four games last season, but learned a lot about what the future holds.
The most notable lesson learned is what the quarterback position looks like (hopefully) for the next couple of years. Former quarterback Will Nelson missed the final two games of the regular season with an injury and allowed the Jacket faithful to see then freshman Rhett Morgan.
Morgan split time with Colby Smith as signal caller against Wayne County then started his first varsity game against Burke in the finale.
Between the two, Morgan rushed for over 100 yards combined, which doesn’t jump off the page, but the way he commanded the offense as a freshman was impressive. All indications coming from Brooklet say that Morgan has physically made huge jumps and look to have a big year as a sophomore for the blue and gold.
The past couple of years, many folks around the SEB football program have said that the 2024 season will be one to watch.
A huge core of Jackets will hit their senior years in 2024 led by linebacker Kyle O’Brien who finished 2023 with 98 tackles and 6 TFLs.
A few other names that will be playing their final season in Brooklet are wide receiver Easton Phillips, tight end/defensive lineman Forest Fretwell along with linemen Jotavion Gaines, Deacon Craig, and Michael Dixon.
Through spring football and summer workouts a number of players have made a huge jump and are expected to make an impact in 2024.
Tyrone McGee is a junior wide receiver standing 6’2” and just shy of 200 pounds and has burst onto the scene. While a couple of receivers have looked good, the success of SEB looks to stay in the backfield as Jayden Murphy, Colby Smith, Quentin Reed, Chase Douglas, and Rhett Morgan seem to be the names to look for running the football in 2024.
The last few years, you have seen flashes from the Jackets, but 2024 seems to be the season that SEB puts those flashes and pieces together. Less than a month away from kickoff and the Brooklet community can’t wait to get back into Fred Shaver Field and “Chase Perfection”!
