By: Teddy Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

It doesn’t get any better than this!

The City Championship will be on the line this Friday night as the Brunswick High Pirates and the Glynn Academy Red Terrors clash Between the Bricks at Glynn County Stadium.

Most of these young men have been playing with and/or against each other since they were in rec ball, so the winning team will get bragging rights for the next twelve months.

Oh, and don’t forget the playoffs looming large in about a month. The Georgia High School Association will be switching to a power rankings formula to determine playoff seedings, so just finishing in the top four of the region no longer guarantees a team a playoff berth.

Ultimately, the BHS-GA game could have a huge impact on November football.

Coach Byron Slack’s Pirates are currently 2-1 in the region, 3-3 overall, while Coach Rocky Hidalgo’s Red Terrors are 1-2 in the region and 2-4 overall.

Doctor Slack’s Pirates opened the season with three non-region games, losing to Camden County and Grayson, while whupping the Groves Rebels.

In Region 1-6A play so far, BHS has defeated Grovetown and Greenbrier, but then lost to Bradwell Institute.

Glynn’s non-region schedule included losses to Calvary Day and Camden before beating Savannah Christian.

In region contests, the Terrors have a win over Lakeside-Evans, but have losses to Bradwell and Effingham County.

When Brunswick High and Glynn Academy meet on the gridiron, however, records don’t always mean anything. Both Coaches will be pulling out all the stops to try to secure a win. It would not be a surprise to see five or six trick plays in this game.

Both teams have shown they can score points, (BHS over 40 per game, GA over 32), so we may be talking about a shootout at Glynn County Stadium.

The Pirates will need to stop GA’s flexbone offense, led by Max Noonan and Caiden Robinson.

Glynn’s defense has been susceptible to downfield passing, so look for Brunswick quarterback Keygan Walker to take some shots downfield to receivers Waseem Murray and Israel Henry.

The Pirates running game will also be a big factor Friday night. Nigel Gardner is coming off a 363 yard rushing game—a single game school record—against Bradwell, but Glynn’s defense must also contend with another running back in Josiah Gibbons, averaging over eleven yards per carry.

The BHS-GA series dates back to 1968, the year Brunswick High first opened its doors and only had sophomores on its football team. The 1970 squad was the first Pirates team with seniors.

Glynn dominated the early years, but since then, the series has been somewhat streaky.  Brunswick currently holds the series lead, winning 42 games to 38 for Glynn. There have been two ties.

If a team wins three years in a row, the City Championship trophy is retired to that school’s trophy case. The Pirates have won the last two years, so with a win Friday night, will retire the current trophy.

After the City Championship game against Glynn, BHS will host South Effingham and Effingham before its regular-season finale at Lakeside-Evans.

Glynn Academy will travel to Greenbrier and South Effingham and then close its regular season at home against Grovetown.

If there is a tie at the top of the standings after region play is completed, the fewest points allowed will determine the top seed, so defensive stops and turnovers will be another key to the City Championship game.

Kickoff is set for 7:30. Brunswick High! Glynn Academy! It doesn’t get any better than this!