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.