Vicious Jaguar
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Joshua (Josh) Allen is now a Jacksonville Jaguar.
The 2018 SEC Defensive Player of The year will now set up shop in the River City and wreak havoc on AFC South quarterbacks for the next decade.
Allen played his college football at the University of Kentucky and led Kentucky to its first 10-win season since 1977.
Here are Allen’s 2018 career highlights and awards to date:
2018 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Unanimous 2018 First Team All American
Chuck Bednarik Award 2018
Lott Trophy 2018
Nagurski Trophy 2018
First Team All SEC 2018
Allen is proof that recruiting rankings and stars don’t mean anything, as one highly thought of recruiting service had Allen rated as a two-star prospect coming out of high school in New Jersey.
Jacksonville didn’t think he would there at 7. They thought he would go at 3 or 4 or 5. I absolutely love this pick. Their identity is that defense. The Jags needed an edge rusher, and Allen fell to them and they took him.
Thank you to the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants for making this happen.
Allen was a star in the best football conference in the land, where he registered 17 sacks, 51 total pressures, and 28 hurries in 2018.
He finished his career with 31.5 sacks at UK and is the all-time sack leader there. Allen declared for the NFL draft after his junior season.
Allen is listed at 6’5 and 260 pounds, and is very quick. He is equipped to be one of those special speed edge rushers that keep opposing offensive coordinators up at night.
When it comes to pass coverage, he can drop into coverage with ease and is fluid in the hips, and moves like a safety. That will be a huge plus for a Jaguar defense that took a step back in 2018. Even with the addition of Nick Foles at QB this organization’s identity is defense. Now, with the addition of Allen, the Jaguar pass rush may get back to the standard it set during the 2017 season.
Allen runs a 4.6 40 Yard dash and looks to be another Pro Bowl caliber player on a talented defense. He is a high character young man that will come in, roll up his sleeves and go to work immediately. He is a Tom Coughlin type of player that eventually will take over leadership in that locker room.
I view this selection as a culture builder in Jacksonville. Allen is a winner and a producer and talks with his shoulder pads.
As I was watching the first round unfold, I could not believe Allen didn’t go to Raiders at 4 or the Giants at 6. And when the Giants went QB at 6 I said wow Josh Allen is going to be a Jaguar.
They say the NFL is an offensive league now, but do you remember the 13-3 Super Bowl contest that just concluded? The Patriots shut down the high-powered Rams offense and held them to 3 points.
Josh Allen was the absolute best pick the Jaguars could have made. The Jaguars got the biggest steal in the first round.
Draft Grade: A+
Coming Soon To Atlanta
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL draft is this week. I’m excited to see what my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons do with their picks. I’m going to try to see who they should select in the first round.
There are several needs for the Falcons. The offense was very good with Matt Ryan finishing the season third in passing yards. Julio Jones was first in receiving yards. The offensive line had trouble protecting the 150 million dollar man, though.
Ryan was sacked 42 times this past season, the eighth most in the NFL and the second most in a single season during his career. The quarterback was hit 113 times in all, the third most in the league, tied with Tampa Bay, and ranking ahead of just San Francisco (124) and Houston (136). The Saints allowed the fewest quarterback hits (53).
Ryan was hit 32 times in the month of November alone, an NFL high in that span.
Running back is also an issue because Tevin Coleman left for San Francisco as a free agent. Devonta Freeman was injured and only played in two games in 2018.
The defense has the most glaring needs and I expect that to be addressed with the early picks. Safeties Keanu Neal and Deion Jones were injured for the season and that played a factor in why the defense struggled.
Atlanta cut ties with Robert Alford and let slot corner Brian Poole leave in free agency. That means corner back is also a big need. They need help at every level on defense but defensive line might be the most pressing need.
The Falcons earned two compensatory picks after the NFL determined that the four players lost by the Falcons — defensive end Adrian Clayborn, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, and specialist Andre Roberts — were of greater value than the two free agents the team gained, right guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Logan Paulsen.
That’s good news because they have nine picks. The first is No. 14 and they should draft someone like Ed Oliver if he’s available. They may need to trade up into the top 10 to make that happen. Oliver is 6’2, 7/8 and 287 pounds. He isn’t considered tall for an interior lineman but I don’t think that matters.
Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in the league and he’s only 6’1.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (Florida) is someone that might be a good fit. He’s 6’5, 328 lbs. so he has very good size. In 2018 he was named Second Team All-SEC and he started in 12 of the 13 games at right tackle.
Montez Sweat (Mississippi State) is a great edge rusher. Last season he had 50 tackles, 24 solo, 8.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. In 2017, he had 10.5 sacks. Sweat is 6’6 and 245 pounds, which is prototypical size.
Brian Burns (Florida State) is also a great edge rusher that might still be an option if Atlanta doesn’t trade up. Burns had 31 solo tackles, 10 sacks and 3 forced fumbles this past season. He also fits the mold of what a dominant pass rusher looks like, standing at 6’5, 235 pounds.
We cannot say for sure who is going to be picked until draft night but I’m really looking forward to see who is picked. I think the first pick has to be a defensive lineman.
Save The Dates
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s all about the presentation.
In the past, when a recruit signed with a school, or a player announced he or she was turning pro, at the most they would hold a conference at their respective school to mark the occasion.
Now, it’s all about the theatrics; Instagram posts, professionally done videos, etc.
That same hype has trickled down now to the release of the NFL Schedule.
Instead of quietly releasing the upcoming season schedule, it’s all about the creativity from each team’s marketing and social media departments. I know I might come across like a millennial version of Archie Bunker, yelling at those “darn kids”, but I actually love it.
And thankfully for those of us in this area, both Atlanta and Carolina were the two videos battling it out for the top spot.
If you’re grading on the overall creativity and consistency of the video I think you have to go with the Panthers. Their idea to present the matchups as if they were competing in an actual video game was nothing short of brilliant.
As someone who spent the better part of the ‘90s navigating through his teenage years, I appreciated their nods to games like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Goldeneye. The only thing that could’ve improved their overall presentation was somehow slipping in a score of 28-3 for either of their matchups against Atlanta.
Now, since I am a big Game of Thrones fan, and even though it has become a popular trend of late, I can give the Falcons props for their homage to one of the most popular shows of my generation.
While you can debate the originality of the idea, the video did provide possibly the best five seconds put on film this year. There is certainly no love lost between Carolina and Atlanta, but the one thing both fan bases can agree upon is their complete disdain for anything associate with the New Orleans Saints.
So, when the Falcons video included a ram knocking over a Saints player, followed by a ref running up to the knocked player and waving off any infraction I almost gave them a standing ovation, in my living room. That’s pettiness at its finest, and I’m all in.
There will be numerous touchdown celebrations, quarterback sack dances, and taunts throughout the season, but I don’t know if any of them will be as brutal as that takedown the Falcons just performed on the Saints.
I do think there was some room for improvement though. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like they missed a golden opportunity by not including a “Jameis Winston running out of Publix” set piece.
I admit I haven’t actively searched out New Orleans or Tampa Bay’s schedule release video, but I doubt it compares at all to these two.
Oh, and as for the actual schedule itself, would it really matter all much if not for these videos? I mean, most of the games are already predetermined and no matter how difficult or easy we perceive a schedule to be, it all changes once the season begins anyway.
One thing the NFL does better than any other league- the NBA isn’t too far behind- is they’ve turned their season into a year around event.
The release of their schedule is just one more thing we as fans now have to look forward to. I know I sound like Meathead, but I almost don’t care how my team does this season; it’s all about the announcement video now.
Fire Fighter
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There is such a thing as beating a dead horse – so head’s up: I am about to do it.
I am about to talk about relief pitching, and it will not be a positive column. You have been warned.
The Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Atlanta Braves, finishing up yet another series in which the Braves proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they desperately need help in their bullpen.
Reliever AJ Minter took a loss in the series, spoiling a great start by rookie, Max Fried. Both Minter and Chad Sobotka gave up 3 earned runs a piece in the loss.
That dumpster fire was followed up by an extra innings loss after Jesse Biddle couldn’t hold the tie game in the 10th inning.
Then Mike Soroka took a loss even though the young hurler gave up one run on six strikeouts and a walk in five innings, but Sobotka gave up another three (two earned) to let the game get away from the Braves.
I’m not sure this can be considered a silver lining, but in the first game of the doubleheader against the Indians, it was Julio Teheran who gave up the most runs in the Braves’ fourth straight loss (Wes Parsons did give up three as well; that bullpen will not be outdone!).
So back to that dead horse. Even though we haven’t brought him up in the SSE for a while: let’s talk about Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel is still sitting at home with a week and a half left until May. From what I’ve read, there’s an increasing chance that Kimbrel’s asking price has dropped from the reported six-year, $100 million-or-so to possibly even a much more palatable three-year contract.
Interesting note, Kimbrel’s agent is the same guy who represents Ozzie Albies, which is bonkers when you think about it: one guy is sitting at home because he’s asking for too much, the other guy took roughly 1/10th of his value for the next decade.
But let’s throw money out of the equation for now and pretend that the Braves and Kimbrel could reach a deal that would satisfy both the flame-throwing righty as well as Liberty Media.
Would Kimbrel really be the savior of the season if the Braves actually inked him to a return deal? Well, no. Despite being one of the greatest closers of all time even this early into his career, he’s still just one guy.
He can replace Arodys Vizcaino at the back end of the bullpen (Vizcaino, possibly the most reliable piece on the relief staff, is out for the season), but he can’t set up for himself, or do damage control for three innings in the middle of a game. He’s a great pitcher, but he’s not five great pitchers.
The starting rotation, which has been very good, isn’t going to provide eight innings every night, either.
Unfortunately, that’s the only situation in which signing Craig Kimbrel solves all of the Braves’ problems. That being said, it also would be a good start. The best bullpens are built from the 9th inning on down, and a reunion with Kimbrel would certainly be a step in the right direction.
Coaching Carousel
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There have been many high school football head coach openings in South Georgia this offseason. The biggest opening was at national high school power Colquitt County.
On March 14, 2019, Rush Propst was relieved of his duties as the high school’s head football coach in a unanimous vote by the Colquitt County Board of Education.
His dismissal followed an investigation that determined he had violated the Code of Ethics for Educators for legal compliance, conduct with students, honesty, and public funds and property; including giving pills to students “on more than one occasion” and owing nearly $450,000 in delinquent federal and state taxes.
The Colquitt job became a hot topic around the state, and rumors swirled in Glynn County for a few weeks as Colquitt showed some interest in Glynn Academy head coach Rocky Hidalgo. Hidalgo ended the speculation by announcing he had no intentions of leaving Glynn Academy.
After an extensive search, The Colquitt County Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Jones County head coach Justin Rogers.
Rogers, in five seasons at Jones County, has become the most successful coach in school history with a record of 45-15. He’s not had a single losing season at the school; his teams have gone 10-3, 9-2, 7-5, 11-2 and 8-3.
In the post-season, the Greyhounds have gone 5-5 under his leadership. Rogers will inherit a talent rich program and will move into a community that is as rabid for high school football as you will ever find. Expect Rogers to keep that program near or at the top of its classification. Great hire by the Packers.
Over at Ware County, Jason Strickland has been named the head coach for the Ware County Gators, after leading Pierce County for two years and leading the Bears to the third round of the state playoffs in 2018.
Strickland was the offensive coordinator for some great Charlton County teams, then he took the Lamar County job in 2008 and took that program from 1 win in 2008 to a 12-1 season in 2011. He took over at Fitzgerald in 2012 and led that program to back to back State title game appearances in 2015 and 2016.
Strickland took over at Pierce County in 2017 and in 2018 led the Bears to a 13-1 record, which is the best in school history.
He has been a head coach for 11 seasons and compiled a 99-39-1 career record. Strickland coached teams have won 10 or more games in 6 of 11 seasons he has been a head coach.
Strickland inherits a talented roster and he should be able to come in and contend for a state title immediately. Jason Strickland is the 15th Head Football Coach in Ware County history.
Pierce County, with the departure of Strickland, hired Ryan Herring as the new head football coach. Herring was head coach at Oxford, Alabama where his teams made multiple playoff appearances.
Herring coached five-star UGA signee Clay Webb, who was rated as one of the top offensive linemen in the nation during the 2109 recruiting cycle.
Look for Herring to continue the winning ways at Pierce County and build his winning brand of football in Blackshear.
And finally, this week Tony Glazer resigned as head coach at McIntosh County Academy.
The McIntosh County School Board chose Bradley Warren to replace him.
Let Spring Football begin!
Lights, Camera, Action
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At some point there will be a major motion picture about Tiger Woods.
All the plot points are there- a child prodigy with an overbearing father who becomes one of the most, if not the most, famous athlete in world; an earth-shattering fall from grace due to injuries (both emotional and physical, many self-inflicted), followed by a miraculous return back to the top of his profession.
It’s going to happen, it’s just a question as to who will inevitably garner an Oscar nomination for playing the role.
Whether you root for Tiger or against him- and the lists on both sides are long and justified- when you consider what has transpired over the past 10-15 years it’s hard to argue there has been a more impressive feat in sports history than him winning the Masters. And if there is, it has to be a pretty short list, right?
The fact his first major championship victory took place in Augusta, at arguably the most renowned golf course in the country, just makes the whole event that much more delectable.
I’m sure he would’ve taken a win at any of the four majors, but there’s something about him accomplishing it at the Masters that makes it that much more satisfying.
Over the last few years, whenever Tiger has produced rounds that flashed glimpses of his old self, we’ve been bombarded with “Tiger’s back” articles and talking points.
With this win I imagine those will only increase over the following weeks. If he is truly back and winds up winning a few more tournaments over the course of the season, I’ll be interested to see how he is embraced.
To me, one of the best parts to come out of all this, and something I believe is being overlooked, is that there is a completely new generation of golf fans who were able to witness it.
How many times growing up did you see an athlete towards the end of his or her career and wish you could have seen them in their prime? I’m not saying Tiger is in his prime, but what he pulled off would be comparable to Michael Jordan leading the Wizards to NBA championship during his return.
Like Nicklaus in ‘86, this will become a “Where were you?” moment.
I am currently on the cusp of turning 39. I eat healthy, workout three to four times and week, and all things considered am in very good shape for someone my age. My knees also routinely pop when I stand up, I wake up multiple times during the night, and seem to have acquired a love/hate relationship with dairy.
I mention this because not only is winning the Masters an impressive achievement, but to be the second oldest ever to do it at 43 makes it all the more incredible.
There’s a line in “The Dark Knight” when Harvey Dent (Two Face) says “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Now I’m not sure Tiger Woods has ever been close to dying as the hero, but he sure knows what it’s like to go from hero to villain….and now possibly back to hero.
I have no idea if Tiger’s Masters win is the beginning of his redemption story, or merely the closing highlight at the end of a remarkable career. Either way, it’s a story made for Hollywood and we’re all lucky to have been able to witness it.
Pouncing Tiger
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Tiger Woods won the 2005 Masters tournament, it was hard to imagine there would ever be a time when he wasn’t in contention at Augusta.
That win was Wood’s ninth major victory and began a stretch of four victories in a stretch of eight majors contested.
But, for the past decade, it was easy to wonder if he’d ever be in contention again as personal and physical problems kept Woods off the course far too often and rendered him ineffective in most majors where he was able to participate.
Everything came full-circle on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National.
Woods trailed for the first 12 holes, but as the top of the leaderboard swelled and the drama heightened, Woods – as he has done so many times before – was the only one who could stare down the pressure.
Tiger was the only player in the final group to avoid the infamous waters of Rae’s Creek on No. 12. He made birdies on each of the par 5s on the second nine, the second of which gave him the outright lead for the first time in the tournament.
And then, with several players still in contention and attempting a late charge, Tiger flipped the switch on his own personal time machine, briefly turning into the nearly unstoppable force from years ago. Woods’ tee shot on No. 16 judged the large slope in the green perfectly and nearly grazed the hole to set up an easy birdie and a two-stroke lead.
On No. 17, commentators speculated about Woods’ choice to hit driver instead of a safer tee shot with a 3-wood, but the second-guessing had barely gone out over the airwaves before Tiger unleashed one of his biggest drives of the day and stalked it down the fairway, wearing a stoic and determined gaze the whole way.
Up at the 18th green, thousands of patrons had heard cheers from farther down the course and they turned their eyes to the scoreboard. With no one able to birdie No. 18 to put the pressure on Woods, the updated scoreboard showing a two-stroke lead unleashed a roar that was the loudest of the week, the volume and emotion of it capable of being produced only by Tiger Woods.
There was still some work to do and Woods made bogey on No. 18, but the tournament was all but sealed when he chipped safely onto the green and just barely missed a par putt before tapping in for his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship.
Speaking in an interview less than an hour after clinching his win, Woods said it still hadn’t sunk in. But for the thousands surrounding the 18th green and likely millions more watching on television and reacting on social media, the gravity of the moment was immediate and cathartic.
Press members who have covered Woods throughout his career were hopeful for him throughout the week and were openly cheering his clutch shots down the final stretch. Fellow golfers – both young and old – stuck around the 18th green to bear personal witness to Woods’ return to the top.
And then there was Woods’ family.
Tiger and his father famously embraced after his first Masters victory in 1997. Woods also had one of his most public showings of emotion in 2006 after the death of his father when he discussed not having him there at the end of his Open Championship victory.
The full scope of the major drought came when a new family member made an appearance behind the 18th green. Woods’ son, Charlie, raced into Tiger’s arms for a celebratory hug. Charlie was born in 2009, eight months after Tiger’s 2008 U.S. Open victory – his final major win until Sunday.
“I’m so happy that my kids could be here to see me win and to celebrate,” Woods said. “For a few years (while battling health issues), all they saw was that golf caused me pain. Today, they get to see how happy I am to play this game that I love.”
March Madness Roller Coaster
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2019 Men’s NCAA Tournament is one of the most surprising in as long as I can remember.
Duke looked like a lock to win it all when the season began. After Zion Williamson was injured in February, the team struggled. Once he returned for the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils were back on track.
Other than the first round, Duke struggled in the tournament. They barely beat UCF and Virginia Tech. Then they lost to Michigan State in the Elite 8.
North Carolina is another No. 1 seed from the ACC that was expected to reach the Final 4. They only advanced to the Sweet 16 and lost 97-80 to Auburn.
The Tigers were the lowest seed (No. 5) to reach the Final 4. They are known as a football school that typically has a poor basketball team. They beat a few blue blood programs in the tournament like Kansas, UNC and Kentucky.
No. 3 seed Texas Tech had a great season. They won the Big 12 regular season title. Kansas had a streak of 14 consecutive Big 12 titles that the Red Raiders snapped. Texas Tech ranked third nationally in scoring defense, only allowing an average of 58.8 points per game.
They beat a very good No. 2 Michigan State in the Final 4 to advance to the national championship game. Virginia had also never won a national title before. It was the first title game where both teams had not won before since 1979.
Virginia has to be the most resilient team I have ever seen. Last season they were the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 — the one thing that had never happened in a tournament where anything can. They did not just lose; they were blown out by 20 points against University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). That was an embarrassing loss that the Cavaliers tried to overcome all season.
Going into the tournament, I did not have any faith at all in Virginia because of that. It looked like they were going to do the same thing this year. In the first round against No. 16 Gardner-Webb, they were down by 14 points in the first half. The Cavs cut the deficit to 6 points at halftime.
It looked like history was going to repeat itself. UVA did not panic and they came out in the second half and outscored the Runnin’ Bulldogs 41-20. They are led by their defense which was the best in college basketball, only allowing 55.5 ppg.
The road to the championship was difficult. They beat No.3 Purdue in the Elite 8 in overtime 80-75. They beat Auburn in the Final 4 63-62.
Sophomore guard De’Andre Hunter helped lead them this season. He averages 15 ppg, 5 rpg and he shoots 52% from the field. In the championship game, he scored 27 points and had 9 rebounds. The Cavaliers won in overtime 85-77.
“Surreal,” Hunter called it. “It’s a goal we started out with at the beginning of the season. We knew we were going to bounce back from last year. We achieved our dreams.”
They went from the lowest point last season to the pinnacle one year later.
“I told them, I just want a chance at a title fight one day,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “That’s all I want. … You’re never alone in the hills and the valleys we faced in the last year.”
This might have been the best season of college basketball in history with all of the upsets and storylines.
Coach Em Up
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At the end of every season, regardless of the sport or the level of competition, there is turnover within the coaching ranks.
While a school like UCLA, who fired Steve Alford over three months ago, is still searching for his replacement, SEC schools have been hiring coaches as if they were contestants on “Supermarket Sweep.” In the span of basically two weeks, they filled their four vacant positions.
Alabama: Nate Oats. I don’t follow the inner workings of the Alabama basketball program, so unless there was some sort of internal dysfunction taking place, I was a bit surprised to see them let Avery Johnson go.
Putting my initial reaction aside, I think the Oats hiring has been the best hire, up to this point. The two time MAC Coach of the Year exceeded expectations at Buffalo and has already made an impact in Tuscaloosa, convincing John Petty to take his name out of the transfer portal and stay at Alabama.
His biggest task though is being just as persuasive with All-SEC player, Kira Lewis, whose name is still in the portal. If he can convince Lewis to return, Oats’ inaugural season with the Crimson Tide could be a very successful one.
Texas A&M: Buzz Williams. The former Hokies coach is certainly an upgrade from Billy Kennedy. In his eleven years at Marquette and Virginia Tech, Williams’ teams only twice failed to win 20 games, and only missed out on the NCAA Tournament three times.
It may take a year or two for that success to transfer to the Aggies, but there’s nothing in his past to make you think it won’t ultimately happen.
He doesn’t always have the best demeanor with fans and the media, and while that has absolutely nothing to do with his team’s on the court performances, it should make for some interesting columns in College Station.
Vanderbilt: Jerry Stackhouse. This was an interesting hire just because Stackhouse hasn’t been a name thrown around in the college circles that much, but I have to give Vanderbilt credit for thinking outside the box.
Stackhouse has minimal head coaching experience- he had a short stint in the D-League where he did win Coach of the Year in 2017- and I have no idea how he’ll do on the recruiting trail.
He does have a very good reputation on the NBA level though, and obviously did a good job developing his players in the D-League; hence the COY award.
Personally, I’ve always liked Stackhouse- as much as a Duke fan can like a Carolina player- so I hope he’s able to succeed.
Arkansas: Eric Musselman. Musselman’s a decent coach, but besides Nevada’s Elite 8 run in the tourney last year, I’m not sure there’s anything in his coaching past that makes you think he’s going to be the answer.
I guess when you haven’t made the Sweet Sixteen since 1996 you’re kind of forced to take whomever you can get. I’m not wishing for the guy to fail, but if you were to ask me which of these four will be the first to go, my money would be on Musselman.
The level of play within the SEC has drastically improved over the past few years, so all four coaches have their work cut out for them.
The question now is “Will they make the grade, or will they be forced back on the shelf, waiting for the next coaching cart to swing by and pick them up?”
Terror Town
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start off by making this statement. Glynn Academy football has never been better than it is currently.
The program is riding high and is the elite football program in Region 2-AAAAAA. Why is it elite? Here is your answer Rocky Hidalgo.
Since Coach Rock arrived in 2014, Glynn has won 49 football games in five seasons. That averages out to almost 10 wins per season.
When you want to establish a program you have to make a statement in your community and the easiest way to make a statement is to beat your number one rival.
Prior to Hidalgo’s arrival at Glynn the Red Terrors had lost six of its last seven games to Brunswick High School and the Pirates had controlled the City Championship series for two decades. Hidalgo is 5-0 against Glynn Academy’s number one rival, and Glynn firmly controls the series.
Prior to 2014, Glynn Academy had not won a region football championship since 1972. In 2015, Hidalgo led the Red Terrors to the region title. The first in 43 years and a berth in the State Championship game. That had not happened in Glynn County since 1999 when BHS advanced to the title game.
Hidalgo has led Glynn Academy to 4 straight region championships. That is an amazing accomplishment and Glynn will be the favorite in 2019 to capture a fifth straight region title.
Coach Rock has turned Glynn into a state brand since 2014. In that timeframe the Red Terrors have won 12 state playoff games and made it into the third round in four of his five seasons.
Translation is Hidalgo has made Glynn very well respected around the state of Georgia, which is very hard when the power structure and population center is based in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
What is the recipe for Hidalgo’s success at Glynn?
- The man can motivate kids. He makes kids believe in him and his system by being consistent but demanding. The Glynn kids know he will go to bat for them and they respond and give him their best effort.
- Hidalgo can develop talent. He gets every ounce of talent out of his program, and his teams put the word team first and it shows on Friday nights.
- The man can find and develop coaches. Glynn has the best coaching staff around because Hidalgo can locate them and he lets them coach. Kind of like a CEO approach.
The great football coaches today have to be able to delegate and hold their assistants accountable and none in these parts are better at that than Hidalgo.
When you are very successful bigger programs come calling. To ensure against that systems have to be set up to keep Glynn County coaches in the county.
The County of Glynn needs to get on a level playing field when it comes to coaches supplements. Did you know that AAA program Pierce County and AAAAA Ware County have a higher football head coach supplement than both AAAAAA high schools in Glynn County? That is disgraceful.
We have great head coaches in Glynn County and we need to have incentives in place to keep them in place.
Back to Coach Hidalgo the big dogs are knocking on his door and I would hate to see him leave one day.
It’s time to lock down the greatest head football coach in Glynn Academy history, and a man who is a valuable asset to our community.
He has put Glynn Academy in the spotlight in the State of Georgia, not only because he wins football games, but more importantly because he develops young men.
