By: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Disbelief. That is what I felt as I watched the time tick down to 0:00 on Monday night at Olvey Field in Hinesville.

I had just watched the Brunswick High Pirates fall to the Bradwell Institute Tigers for the first time since 2004, 21-18.

Why that is so shocking is that the Pirates were supposed to be state title contenders this season and Bradwell has struggled to be competitive against top tier teams for over 20 years.

The Pirates losing to the Tigers is the equilavent of Georgia losing to Vanderbilt. The only difference is everyone knew UGA may not have a good year and was rebuilding. That is not the case with Brunswick High.

The Pirates came into the season with one of the most talented rosters in the state, which included nine division one commits, yes NINE. That is the second most in the state.

For the most part Brunswick has shined on defense, but the offense and special teams have been another story. The season is almost over and the Pirates still have not found a reliable kicker, even after holding open tryouts halfway through the season.

The offense has been awful. Jamarius Stevens transferred in from Glynn Academy to fill the void at QB left by the transfer of Randon Jernigan late last year. Stevens has a big arm and bright future. Brandon McMaster transferred in from Camden to give the Pirates a huge weapon at RB and the Pirates already had Shawn Smith at receiver to threaten the deep ball.

It was a 3-headed monster and was supposed to be a nightmare for defensive coordinators to prepare for.

That hasn’t happened. Stevens is barely averaging a 100 yards a game in the air. McMaster has not been as effective as most Pirate fans thought either, with 2 games to go McMaster only has around 600 yards rushing. I think it is fair to say most thought the Brunswick RB would have over 1,000. Shawn Smith only has one TD catch on the season and is averaging less than nine yards a catch. Those are not the numbers anyone expected from Smith either.

So, what’s the issue? Why are so many talented kids not where they should be on this football team? It’s not like they just forgot how to play. Some say the coaching hasn’t been very good. Others say there is no desire or heart on this team. Another reason I have heard is that the team has yet to figure out how to play as a team instead of as individuals.

It could be all of those are true. This is what I have seen. In 2014 the Pirates made the playoffs and were far better than they are now.

In 2015 and 2016 Brunswick has lost to Bradwell and Statesboro, both teams who are in re-building mode. The Pirates are 0-2 against Glynn, 0-2 against Coffee, 0-2 against Camden. They suffered a blowout loss at the hands of Ware last season, hell, they are even 0-2 against Effingham….EFFINGHAM! Are you kidding me?

The most awful thing is this team, on paper, may be the most talented in the state. It is a shame the kids on this football team have had to endure what they have had to endure the last two seasons. A 3-7 campaign in 2015 and no chance at a winning season in 2016.