By: Christian Goeckel

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

There’s nothing quite like high school football. In a town with just two teams, everyone must choose a side.

From downtown Brunswick coffee shops, to the golf courses on Jekyll, City Championship smack talk reached a fever-pitch this week. Brunswick finally has a team their fans and alumni can be proud of, putting up a over 40 points a game and doing it in style.

On the other side, Glynn Academy entered this week as the pseudo undercard (an undercard that had won the past three matchups, but an undercard nonetheless.).

The Terrors started the year 1-2, and the offense seemed to be missing a little too much after the departure of Deejay Dallas. Sure, they’d won a couple to get to 3-2, but have you seen Brunswick’s offense?

All that hype led to an atmosphere on Friday night that can only be described as Bowl Game -esque. Because Glynn and Brunswick share a stadium, the teams rotate home and away sides of the field every year. This year the home side fell to Glynn, with Terror nation packing the stadium side under the press box, while Brunswick’s faithful equally filled up the “away” side.

White and red smoked mixed in the South Georgia night while both teams exploded onto the field. The stage was set, now could this game live up to the hype?

For Glynn it did and then some. After deferring until the second half, Glynn’s defense took the field to test their metal against an offense that hadn’t been held under 43 points since week one.

Glynn answered the challenge. Hunter Hall stuffed Brunswick on a fourth and short deep in Glynn’s territory, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Glynn consistently got Brunswick Quarterback Jamarius Stevens off his spot, never allowing him to settle in and throw.

Brunswick was able to gash Glynn up the middle on their lone scoring drive of the first half, but couldn’t consistently establish any ground game.

Offensively, Coach Hidalgo doesn’t hide what he wants to do. He wants his running backs to hit you in the mouth all night, try to stop them.

Senior Caine Crews has taken that philosophy to heart, rushing for over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hidalgo also unleashed his “Riverboat Gambler” side, with a throwback to Randon Jernigan that set up Glynn’s first score, and a reverse to back-up QB Sam Wagoner who pulled up and fired a strike to a wide open Jernigan streaking down the sideline for another touchdown.

With Glynn’s running game in full gear and Brunswick’s offense stuck in reverse, this game seemed to be headed to a blowout. Credit Brunswick for not backing down.

The Pirates put a touchdown on the board before the half to put the score at 12-7 headed into the break. The game hung in the balance deep into the third until Patrick Fulton came untouched on a Brunswick punt, blocking it and recovering it deep in Pirates territory.

Crews punched it in a few plays later, and that was that. Both teams would score once more, with Glynn emerging victorious 26-13.

Hidalgo has stated throughout the year that this region still runs through Glynn Academy. No matter how down they may seem, nothing will be given to you. You’ll have to pry this region from Glynn’s hands. Good luck.

This team has improved every week. If they can continue this formula of smash mouth running and smothering defense, another deep playoff run is in the cards. To the rest of Georgia… you’ve been warned.