By: Christian Goeckel

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Glynn Academy Red Terrors have been just that to the rest of Georgia high school football since the arrival of head coach Rocky Hidalgo.

Under Hidalgo the Terrors have amassed a record of 32-9 (78%) including a playoff record of 8-3 (72%). Making the quarterfinals in each of their first three seasons, including a state championship appearance in 2015, Glynn has established itself as a perennial power in the state.

To continue that success will mean replacing a ton of experience lost to the next level. Led by star quarterback Deejay Dallas signing with Miami, Glynn Academy signed 14 players to football scholarships this past year.

Glynn will have to replace a ton of production, but there is another side of this to look at. This will be the first senior class that will have been under Hidalgo since their freshman year. The same offseason schedule, weight training, and playbooks for four years is something that cannot be understated.

One of the rising seniors leading the charge will be Randon Jernigan. Jernigan has been the one tapped to fill the shoes of Deejay Dallas. After posting a thousand yards on the ground as a freshman for Brunswick High’s varsity, Jernigan transferred to Glynn to continue his career.

Last year, as a do-it-all back, he put up over 600 yards on the ground to go along with just over 250 yards receiving. The move to quarterback should be a smooth transition and Glynn’s offense should continue to dominate AAAAAA’s region 2.

The defensive side of the ball is one that Terror fans should be excited to watch. The Terrors return their leading tackler (Hunter Hall), sack leader (Isiah McDonald), and interception leader (Patrick Fulton) to a defense that only gave up more than 14 points only three times last year.

The attacking style of defense that Glynn County loves to watch should be in full force this fall. Like a lot of great teams in football, Glynn’s defense might be even more entertaining to watch than its offense.

Glynn’s road back to the playoffs will begin with a bang. The Terrors will be seeking revenge week one against one of the only two teams to beat them last year, Benedictine (Savannah). Last year’s undefeated AA champions took down Glynn week one last year.

With three playoff teams from last year (Benedictine, Ware County, Tift County) back-to-back-to-back, a win week one would be a huge kick start to the season.

If Glynn can navigate the murder’s row that is the first three weeks, the Terror’s schedule will set up extremely well for them.

Their final seven opponent’s combined record last year was a mediocre 30-42. With all of their toughest games at Glynn County stadium, a 9 or 10 win regular season is very much a realistic outlook for The Terrors. The fans shouldn’t panic if the Terrors happen to drop one or two games early on.

One thing is for sure, Coach Hidalgo has built a machine in the Golden Isles. I don’t see any reason why their streak of deep playoff runs should be interrupted. Expect more playoff football in Glynn county this fall.