Bishop Media Sports Network
Glynn Academy Red Terrors Coach’s Show with Rocky Hidalgo November 20
Georgia Tech To Sting Georgia?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is almost over. We’re going into the final week of the season, which features rivalry games. One of my favorites is Clean, Old Fashioned Hate from my home state.
This will be the 113th meeting between Georgia Tech and UGA. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 66-41-5. The longest win streak in the series is eight games by Georgia Tech from 1949-1956.
Since 1991 UGA has won 21 of the 27 games. To say they have been dominating recently would be an understatement. Tech did win the last meeting in Athens back in 2016, 28-27. Last season Georgia obliterated the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, 38-7.
No. 5 Georgia (10-1) has won the SEC East for the second consecutive year and guaranteed a spot in the SEC Championship.
“I try to have a 24-hour rule, too, but this one is different because you don’t have enough time to prepare for them,” Smart said, explaining why he would change things up to begin early preparations for rival Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs have superior size, speed and talent. They are a 17-point favorite over Tech. On paper, they should win easily but that’s why they play the game.
Georgia Tech (7-4) got off to a slow start but they won four consecutive games. They have won the last two games in Athens so they should have some confidence. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation with 353.7 yards per game rushing.
The Dawgs run defense looked shaky against UMass in their 66-27 win. Georgia surrendered 125 yards rushing in the first half rushing before the Minutemen shifted into catch-up mode for the second half.
“Zero. None,” Smart said when asked after Georgia’s win over UMass if there was anything he could take from this week and apply to Georgia Tech. “No offense we faced all year. Zero. It has zero carry over. I think you see across the country if you watch teams play the triple option, it’s extremely different and so extreme that I don’t think you guys can understand. There’s not one call in our defense. The only common theme is you’ve got to tackle the man with the ball. That’s the only common theme. Outside of that, there’s nothing like it.”
One good thing for the rivalry is Paul Johnson playing the villain. He’s very outspoken about everything even it may come back to haunt him. He’s only 3-7 against Georgia but he still takes time to troll the SEC.
“Week in and week out, I promise you there isn’t any difference in lining up and playing those guys than there is playing North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech,” Johnson said.
“What happened in my opinion is you had really good teams at the top of their league and they got credit. It was almost like the ACC in basketball this year. They all get ranked in the top 15 and then when they beat each other they don’t ever drop. Then you get to the tournament and you don’t do so well and you start thinking maybe they were overhyped.”
The Dawgs could make this game close if they are not focused. They may be looking ahead to their showdown with Alabama the following week. If they sleepwalk this can be a close game. No matter the scenario UGA will notch another W in the series.
Tailback U
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A lot has been written about Georgia’s success when it comes to recruiting quarterbacks over the last few years. Signing 5-star QB’s in three straight classes tends to lend itself to those accolades.
One position I expect to see the Bulldogs copy that type of success with is in the backfield; partially because of the accomplishments their running backs are seeing on the collegiate level, but mainly because of what is starting to transpire among their backs in the NFL.
Outside of Herschel Walker, Georgia has always had good, but not great running backs in the NFL. Guys like Garrison Hearst and Knowshon Moreno certainly had respectable careers, but I’m not sure too many 17-18 year olds have any idea who they are.
However, they do know the name Todd Gurley, and more than likely at least familiar with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
Gurley’s accomplishments are obvious, and even though Kirby Smart didn’t technically coach him at Georgia, that’s still a heck a name drop he can use in recruiting.
Chubb and Michel are just beginning their careers, but both are in good situations. Chubb is the featured back in Cleveland and has a great opportunity to solidify that position for years to come.
I do realize saying a player can be successful in Cleveland carries about as much weight as saying Dwight Schrute is the best beer farmer in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but along with Baker Mayfield, Chubb can play a huge part in turning the franchise around.
As for Michel, as long as he can stay healthy, being in New England will give him plenty of notoriety and he’ll be learning from the best in the business, Bill Belichick.
Even if neither of those two become upper echelon running backs, as long as they turn into consistent starters that will give Georgia three starting NFL running backs, and another talking point for Smart on the recruiting trail.
It’s not as if Georgia isn’t already bringing some heat from the tailback position, especially with D’Andre Swift. A consensus top five recruit at his position, Swift has really been a spark for the Bulldogs over the last month.
Although he’s just a sophomore, Swift has proven to be not only an effective runner but also capable of catching the ball out the backfield; something that will help his transition into the NFL.
Along with junior running back Elijah Holyfield, Georgia boasts one of the best backfields in college football. Like I said, it’s not as though Georgia is hurting in the tailback department.
Over the course of college football there have a been a plethora of teams given the moniker “Quarterback U”, used to display a particular dominance that program has shown over the years at the quarterback position. In most instances it revolves around the quarterback’s success at the professional level as opposed to college
Technically there isn’t a “Tailback U”, although Southern California was humble enough to give themselves that nickname a few years back.
Georgia still has a little ways to go before their name is added to that particular conversation, but they are on the right path. When you look at what they’re achieving at the collegiate level, along with how former players are performing in the NFL, the Bulldogs are beginning to show signs of being a prime destination for tailbacks.
As if Kirby Smart needs any more assistance when he walks into a recruit’s living room.
Frederica Gallops Past Valwood
By: Rich Bontrager
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The last time Valwood and Frederica met it was game two of the 2018 football season.
The game was a defensive battle and had to go to overtime to be decided. Eventually, Valwood would defeat the Knights 7-6.
However, that was not the case this week, as the Valiants returned to Frederica Academy in the second round of the GISA football playoffs.
Frederica received the opening kickoff, a rare occurrence this season. Several plays later, Frederica would score on a 5-yard TD pass from Jaylin Simpson (QB) to Harry Veal, who lined up as a secondary receiver. With the extra point made, the Knights led 7-0.
The rest of the first quarter settled into a seesaw battle of defensive stops by both teams, as well as many penalties.
Then in the second quarter, the Knights game plan seemed to emerge and they would score another 20 unanswered points. Many of the points came as Frederica’s defense continued to stop Valwood’s offense and force them to punt.
The offense exploded as Jaylin Simpson connected twice with fellow Auburn commit, Jashawn Sheffield, once on a 33-yard pass completion and then another on a 55-yard pass.
Senior RB Isaiah Jackson would add two other short yard TD scores, one for 2 yards and another for 6 yards.
Most of the offensive production was due to the offensive line producing massive holes for the running backs and exceptional blocking for Simpson to find open receivers.
Head Coach Brandon Derrick had said prior to the game, “For the Knight’s to win, we must get up on Valwood early and not let them find their rhythm”. It was evident that Frederica was doing just that in the first half.
As the Knights kicked off to Valwood to start the second half, they were hoping to build on their 33-0 lead and make a historical statement to one of their most heated rivals. Two costly turnovers early in the 3rd quarter gave the Valiants a fresh blast of energy as they scored off a short TD pass making it 33-7.
Valwood would try an onside kick, but Frederica would recover it and had another series of downs on a short playing field. Isaiah Jackson would add his third TD score, as he rushed for 44 yards. That play was highlighted by a great downfield block Patrick Brunson (WR). Jackson would score a total of six times and help lead the way for the decisive 60 – 27 win.
With this win, Frederica advances to the third round of the GISA playoff and will travel to Heritage Hawks in Newman, GA next Friday night.
If the Knights can defeat the Hawks they will play in the Championship game on November, 30th
Glynn Pitch Forked Out Of Playoffs
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In a second-round matchup in the GHSA playoffs, two 6A powerhouses squared off. The Glynn Academy Red Terrors and the Valdosta Wildcats went at it for a berth in the Elite Eight on the line.
Valdosta took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Red Terrors would respond with a touch down of their own to tie the game at 7-7.
The Red Terrors took their only lead on a field goal in the second, 10-7.
Valdosta would then score two touchdowns to take a 21-10 lead into the half.
The Wildcats would then score a third unanswered touch down on their first possession in the 3rd quarter for a 28-10 lead.
Glynn answered on a long, methodical TD drive to cut the lead to 28-17 with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
Valdosta punched back with another TD to go ahead 35-17, just before the end of the 3rd quarter.
The Red Terrors would not go away, punching home another TD to stay in the game at 35-24.
The Terrors had an opportunity to pull within a TD with around 3 minutes to go with an attempted field goal. That field goal was blocked and for all intents and purposes that would be it for Glynn’s season.
Valdosta took over on offense and milked the clock away for the win.
Glynn Academy finishes their season with an 8-4 record. The four losses for the Terrors all came to powerhouses within the state; Camden, Wayne, Ware and Valdosta.
This is the first time in the Rocky Hidalgo era that the Red Terrors did not at least make the Elite 8.
Valdosta will take on Dacula in the Elite 8 of the playoffs.
All four teams from Glynn Academy’s region lost at the hands of a team from Region 1 in the second round.
The Red Terrors were a young football team in 2018, having lost 19 seniors from 2017. However, Glynn won their 5th consecutive City Championship and 4th consecutive region championship.
The future looks bright for the Red Terrors moving into 2019. Glynn will be in the mix for a state title in 2019.
Frederica Academy Knights Coach’s Show with Brandon Derrick November 14
Glynn Academy Red Terrors Coach’s Show with Rocky Hidalgo November 14
Not The End
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Georgia Southern football.
On one hand, it’s tough to say that the team has been disappointing. After all, the same Eagles that suffered their worst season ever in 2017 took the Sun Belt by surprise in racing out to a 7-1 start. Seven wins was about the highest win total anyone had projected for the Eagles, much less their mark two-thirds of the way through the schedule.
But as the season carries on, expectations have a way of changing. So, when the Eagles came up punchless in Monroe two weeks ago and then allowed 32 unanswered points to Troy last weekend, those seven wins somehow don’t seem like such a feel-good story.
That’s not an indictment of the team or even its play over the last two weeks. That’s just sports.
Coaches will drone on and on each year about how their teams aren’t as good as their best win, nor are they as bad as their worst loss. The cliches and platitudes might not do much for ailing fan bases, but there is plenty of truth behind them.
Rarely can a team look back at an entire season and not see a few places where an extra play here or there could have meant a couple of extra victories. And, if that same team is being honest with itself, it’s also usually true that it could identify a spot or two where wins could have turned into losses if not for some good fortune.
The fact is that nothing the Eagles can do over the final two weeks of the regular season will make 2018 anything other than a success. Head coach Chad Lunsford is steadily gaining folk hero status points for the job he’s done.
He has quickly turned around the program and the young guys who were thrown into the fire last season are steadily proving they are capable of forming the core of Georgia Southern squads that can compete for conference championships in the immediate future.
The current season is already a success, but the next test is whether or not that’s good enough for the 2018 Eagles.
There won’t be a top-25 ranking or a New Year’s bowl and a shot at the Sun Belt title is all but mathematically impossible. However, there is still a chance for another bowl win, a possible 10-win season and two more chances to pay back conference foes for losses suffered last season.
Georgia Southern isn’t a world-beater. The fast start was nice and there have been tons of positives when compared to 2017, but the plain truth is that there are plenty of things that need to continue to improve if the Eagles want to head into the final month of 2019 with another good shot at winning the Sun Belt.
The good news is that the players seem to realize that. The better news is that there are still a few games remaining in this season to get a head start.
Much is always made about how a team deals with success after a big win or how it handles adversity after a loss. What the Eagles need to do is figure out how they want to deal with themselves.
Either they can stay at their current level and notch some accolades with upset wins here and there while not quite having the consistency to make it to the finish line, or they can continue to improve and become a team that is feared rather than just favored.
One would assume that the Eagles want to be in the latter category. And with two possible payback games left on the schedule this season, now is as good a time as ever for them to start being feared.
All Buzz
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 1973 season holds a special place in the hearts of Southeast Bulloch fans as it was the second of consecutive state championships for the Yellow Jackets.
But in modern times, the year has become a spectre. While the Jackets walked of the field as the best in Georgia in 1973, that title game also marks the last time SEB won a state playoff contest.
Unfortunately, for Southeast Bulloch, that winless streak has now reached a full 45 years. The Yellow Jackets mounted an impressive 9-1 mark in the regular season and earned a No. 2 seed and a home game to begin the Class AAA playoffs, but Liberty County wrecked the party, managing a slim lead after one half of play and shutting out the Jackets in the second half en route to a 38-14 triumph.
The first half was a seesaw battle as the Jackets threw the first punch.
With leading running back Jamari Daniel hampered by an ankle injury, SEB was still able to drive down the field and C.J. Coney punched in a 3-yard run to give the Jackets an early lead.
Liberty answered with a 3-yard touchdown run of their own as Kris Coleman scored the first of his four touchdowns on his way to 15 carries for 143 yards on the evening.
In what became a running gag, Liberty missed the ensuing extra point and SEB still led. But the Panthers answered with another touchdown on a 26-yard Coleman run and another missed conversion gave Liberty County a 12-7 advantage.
The teams traded scores over the final minutes of the half to send the Panthers into the locker room with an 18-14 lead.
On the first drive of the second half, SEB appeared to stop Liberty, only to have Coleman strike again. The Panthers’ star running back took a short snap on a fake punt and danced through a pair of tackles on his way to a 44-yard touchdown to extend the Liberty lead.
The Jackets couldn’t answer on their next offensive possession and, following a punt, Liberty began to sink the knife into the Jackets.
Liberty County quarterback Dionte Bowens led his offense on a 12-play, 79-yard drive and Bowens capped off the long trek with a 5-yard touchdown plunge.
A last-gasp from the Jackets’ offense took them all the way to the Liberty County 1, but that’s where the Panther defense made its stand. To add insult to injury, the Panthers drove the length of the field to add on their final score of the night and put the game out of reach.
With the win, Liberty County moves on to the second round of the state playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. The Panthers will travel to Peach County next week.
Meanwhile, another year can be added onto the Jackets’ postseason victory drought.
Chief Of The Year?
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The offseason has already seen the 2018 Atlanta Braves start to rack up big time hardware, with several Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers being handed out to the National League East Division Champions.
All-Star Nick Markakis, put a nice cap on his Cinderella season by winning both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.
This upcoming week could (and should) see even more trophies dished out to members of the Braves; with the Rookie of the Year award and the Manager of the Year award being handed out on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Ronald Acuna Jr. has stiff competition in the form of Washington Nationals’ stud outfielder Juan Soto, but he has a very good shot of coming home with the award. His case has already been made here in the pages of the Georgia Sports Edition.
Instead, it’s time to advocate for an award for the Braves’ skipper, Brian Snitker.
To me, this seems like a no-brainer. Snit lead the Braves to a nearly double-digit division win, besting the heavily favored Nats, as well as a stacked New York Mets pitching rotation and a young and hungry Philadelphia Phillies team that was in contention until the very end of the season.
The Braves were not picked to be in the playoff hunt at all, let alone topping the other teams in the NL East. In fact, the Braves probably should have finished in third place.
Instead, Atlanta kicked off the 2018 season with a comeback, walk-off victory against the rival Phillies and took control of the East before the month was out.
Teams with those kinds of low expectations and surprising performances will often get a good amount of love for their manager for leading them to play above their level. It stands to reason that Snitker should receive votes for just that very reason.
Comparing his team’s success with that of the other two MOTY finalists’ successes, the same argument holds up.
Bud Black’s Colorado Rockies may have also surprised some folks in the National League West, but they were not expected to win a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the mix. While they made it exciting by forcing a game 163, they settled for a Wild Card slot.
Craig Counsell’s Milwaukee Brewers did manage to win their division in yet another thrilling game 163, expectations for the Brew Crew were high. The acquisitions of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich signaled to the world that Milwaukee was going for it; playoffs or bust.
So, while they were somewhat of an underdog squad to the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers had set their sights on making a postseason run.
Despite what anyone from the Braves’ front office might have you believe, the success Atlanta enjoyed was not expected.
Snit’s deservedness goes behind his team’s record (which, admittedly, is barely in his hands anyway). The old cliché about “player’s managers” is that players are always talking about how they love playing for their guy. It’s believable with Snit. Freddie Freeman was more than vocal about keeping Snitker on as manager after he took over for Fredi Gonzalez.
More recently, watch Snitker’s postgame interview after Miami Marlins’ pitcher Jose Urena blatantly went after Acuna’s hand with a fastball.
The words and fervor were that of a man that any baseball player would go into battle for. Watch Snitker speak of his pride for his guys after they clinched the division in September. Of course, they want to play for him.
Following the Braves season, the MOTY choice is clear and on Tuesday we’ll find out if the BBWAA has been paying attention.
