Bishop Media Sports Network

New Brave World

By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

It has been nothing but upheaval in Braves Country the past few months.

The John Coppolella scandal shook the front office on down and they are still piecing things together.

From the top down, it has been somewhat of a bizarre turn of events, in that Coppy’s forced resignation has caused decisions that both change things and keep things the same.

Brian Snitker will remain the Braves manager in 2018. Doubtlessly, a direct result of the circumstances surrounding Coppy’s departure.  It’s a little bass ackwards since usually you would see a new GM being given the opportunity to select his own skipper, but Snit was awarded his contract for next season right after Coppy left, well before Alex Anthopoulos’ arrival.

I call this a direct result because the word was that the Braves were going to replace Snitker prior to the scandal breaking. Snitker’s maintaining of his job was a move made to provide a little stability to the organization and specifically to the clubhouse during what was going to be (and is) an uncertain time.

It’s maybe not an ideal way have your job saved, but I’m sure Snitker is happy to have another opportunity to prove his mettle.

That being said, after retaining Snitker the Braves stopped trying to carry over coaches from last season.

Former Braves shortstop Walt Weiss was hired as the new bench coach for the 2018 season, replacing longtime Braves coach Terry Pendleton.

Eddie Perez is also being relieved of his duties as first base coach, removing the last two vestiges of Bobby Cox’s tenure from the clubhouse aside from Snitker himself.

It’s a move that says to me that the Braves moved too quickly to retain Snitker and probably even regret doing so.

Clearly, they’re looking for a change in the regime, but they reacted to Coppy’s royal screwup by keeping the head of that regime attached.

For the record, I’m in favor of this kind of massive changeup of the coaching staff. As a Bobby Cox devotee, I find it strange to even be typing this, but it’s time his fingerprints were wiped from the team.

Bobby had a very particular managerial style. One that players and fans like myself loved and admired; that has permeated the tenures of both Fredi Gonzalez and Brian Snitker.

It was very old school, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it’s just time for a changing of the guard.

I think the Braves would like to see a little bit less traditional managing and something a little more brazen.

It’s probably not a coincidence that these changes away from “Bobby’s guys” is happening after the World Series-winning manager AJ Hinch (allegedly) got into a bar fight in the middle of the series. There’s fire out there and I support bringing it in to Atlanta’s clubhouse.

Anthopoulos serves as another example of the kind of aggression the Braves need to move toward.

This is a guy who decided the Blue Jays were going to make a run in 2015 and traded for Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and David Price before and during the season.

Donaldson won the MVP that year and Toronto went to the ALCS. Now he’s got a whole new toy chest of goodies in the Braves’ minor league system and given the choice between waiting for them to develop or trading them, chances are we’ll see the latter.

That’s not a bad thing. Prospects are far from sure bets and Atlanta has tons of them. Some of them need to be turned into bona fide major league players and Anthopoulos has shown he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on a deal if he thinks it will help the major league club.

He’s a pallet cleanser of a GM and I think we’ll see some exciting moves during his stint.

All this change probably means that Snitker’s seat is hotter than ever but if he can steer in the direction the Braves want him to, we might see some fire from him after all. If not, then there will still be fire; it’ll just have a ‘d’ at the end.

Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch Nov 18

Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch Nov 18
/

Look Back At Knights’ Crusade

By: Alex Mathis

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Knights season ended in the semi-finals in heartbreaking fashion.

Many are wondering what is next for the Frederica Academy Knights in the 2017-2018 season?

There will be high expectations for the Frederica again next season. At the last Southern Sports Edition Coaches Show, Brandon Derrick quoted Ric Flair, “If you want to be the man you have to beat the man.” Then he decided to add his own ending, “And we are the man!.”

Coach Derrick is fired up already for next season, and he expects to win it all next season.

The Knights will have to replace some talented seniors who  finished their final season last week. FA will lose 3 offensive linemen, 1 wide receiver, 1 fullback/tightend,  1 defensive lineman, and 2 outside linebackers.

Each of these seniors played a vital role in Frederica’s success this last season. With that being said, the Knights will return some very talented players and return 2 who missed the entire season due to injury.

The Knights’ offense will be just as explosive, if not more, than last season.

Rising seniors Jashawn Sheffield, Isaiah Jackson, and Jaylin Simpson hope to put up more numbers than they did this past season.

Jaylin Simpson was able to rush for over 800 yards and threw for over 800 and Isaiah Jackson rushed for over 600.

These two put up these astonishing numbers while missing 2 games due to the hurricane evacuations.

Jashawn Sheffield will also be ready to put up more numbers than he did last year. He missed 4 games this season due to injury and the hurricane.

He was able to lead the team and catches and receiving yards. Avery Cobb also hopes to make an impact in the Knights offense. Frederica used the tight end position a lot this year.

Trace Dorminy will return for his senior season and hope to make a difference catching and blocking from the tight end position.

The offensive line was led by rising senior senior Michael Tindle. Tindle dominated the entire season.  He will have help front from rising senior Mason Neubauer and junior standout Josh Elliot.

FA will also have Gaven Williams and Patrick Brunson back in the fold.

The quarterback position will have several different packages. Opposing coaches will have their hands full when it comes to game planning against the Knights offense.

Having Patrick Brunson on the field will make the Knights offense better. Patrick is explosive and a threat to score at anytime.

Frederica’s defense will look to start where they left off this season. Everything seemed to be clicking for Ben Burkett’s defense at the end of the season.

Led by Harry Veal, the Knights defense will have a pretty good unit next year. Veal and Deke Jernigan will lead the Knights linebacker group.

FA will have the most talented linebacker group in GISA.

Upfront, Cameron Gardner and Cole Hinson will look to dominate in their senior seasons.

The Knights’ secondary hopes to have a major spark with the return rising senior safety, Patrick Brunson.

Brunson is one of the most talented safeties in South Georgia.

Jaylin Simpson, Jashawn Sheffield, JT Elliott, Isaiah Jackson, and Avery Cobb hope to hinder opposing offenses from beating the Knights through the air.

The Knights have one goal next year, and that is a state championship. FA will have a challenging schedule once again, but Coach Derrick believes his team can handle it and be successful.

This time next year, Brandon Derrick and his Knights expect to be in Mercer hoisting the GISA State Championship Trophy. They expect to be “The Man!”

 

SSE Minute Nov 18

SSE Minute Nov 18
/

BHS 2018 Season Recap

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Year one of the Sean Pender era at Brunswick High is in the books, and it marks a turnaround in a program that has been down for the last two football seasons.

BHS finished the season with a heartbreaking 24-21 loss to Northside Warner Robins, but the 7-3 final record almost matches the combined 8 wins in the previous two football seasons.

Pender who took over in February got Brunswick back in the state playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Season Grades:Offense: B+. This unit did a complete 360 in 2017. Here is the proof.

In region games the Pirates averaged 45. 5 points per game compared to 20.5 points per game in 2016.

The region record improved to 3-1 instead of 1-3 and missing the playoffs.

Pender is a QB guru and Jamarius Stevens had a record breaking year in offensive production with over 3000 yards in total offense and accounted for 38 TD’s.

Alonzo Brown and DJ Whitfield had all region years at WR. Brown, who was not used at all in 2016, set a school record for single season receiving yards, and Whitfield accumulated almost as much finishing the season with third most receiving yards in a single season in Pirate history.

The offensive line was the backbone of the football team led by seniors Ty Hinson and John Cano. Shaq Robinson had a great year at RB.

This unit scored over 40 points in seven out of ten games, 50 points twice, and 60 points twice in 2017.

Defense: B-. This unit was undersized up front but battled hard all season and held Northside to 213 total yards in the playoffs.

Kam Futch was the leader and captain of this unit and displayed those qualities in 2017.

Jaylen Jackson was the best all-around player in the region playing both ways and Jagaryon Marcus and Tevin Small were the unsung heroes of the defensive unit doing whatever they were asked to do on defense.

Special Teams: B. Dalton Thrift developed into a good kicker for BHS. Jaylen Jackson was dangerous in the return game, and Jagaryon Marcus led special teams in tackles. Huge turnaround for this unit in 2017.

Coaching: A. Pender turned this thing in one year and the three losses were to teams that are in the final 16 of the 6A playoffs currently. This team could easily have been 9-1 right and had played Tucker in the second round.

Overall: B+. The 7-3 record in the first year with a new head coach is the second best in the 50 year football history. Only the 2008 Pirates with NFL players Darius Slay and Justin Coleman finished with a better mark of 9-3 in Victor Floyd’s first season.

In conclusion, this sportswriter eats, drinks, and sleeps BHS football and I want to offer a sincere thank you to this senior class and to Coach Sean Pender and his staff.

Seniors, you turned this thing around in one season and you leave BHS as Co-Region Champions. This 2017 football team will always have a special place in my heart due to the fact that you kept working and fighting when most counted you out.

Ty Hinson, John Cano, Kam Futch, Jamarius Stevens, Ben McCloud, Shaq Robinson, Jaylen Jackson, Alonzo Brown, Tevin Small, Sean Ward, and the rest of this class thank you from a grateful Pirate nation for the hard work and dedication. You leave this football program on solid ground for the future and you leave the program better than you inherited it. You will be missed.

Sean Pender thank you for taking this job. You will lead BHS to great things as a football program.

The 2017 Pirates will be looked back on as the team that got BHS back on track.

Pirate Pride is a way of life and this football team showed that in 2017.

Brandon Derrick Show Nov 15

Brandon Derrick Show Nov 15
/

Sean Pender Show Nov 15

Sean Pender Show Nov 15
/

Rocky Hidalgo Show Nov 14

Rocky Hidalgo Show Nov 14
/

Northside Sink Pirates

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Brunswick High Pirates 2017 football season came to a heartbreaking end last night a 24-21 loss to Northside Warner Robins.

The Pirates drove 67 yards in 2 minutes and had their heart broken on the north end zone goal line with 16 seconds left as BHS threw an interception to end Sean Pender’s first season at BHS with a 7-3 record.

Northside will move on and play Tucker in the second round.

Pirate Report Card

Offense: B. It is playoff football against a traditional football power in the state of Georgia, and this group took it to Northside most of the night.

Passing game was very good and Pender said all week that BHS was going to have to throw it all night against the Northside defense who was very good against the run.

Offensive line was awesome all night in pass protection.

Shaq Robinson had a rushing and receiving TD. DJ Whitfield had his best game as a Pirate with 12 catches for 165 yards.

We come now to Jamarius Stevens, who had a great playoff game as he passed for 304 yards and a score. He rushed for 105 and a score. I will miss this kid and he will go down as one of my favorite Pirate QB’s of all time.

Pender told me on Friday night that if BHS scored 28 points they would move on to Tucker and said red zone offense would be the key. He was correct as BHS only got points on three out of six trips into the red zone.

A fumble on the first series that setup the short field for the Eagles first score and the season ending pick kept this grade from being an A.

Great playoff effort by the BHS offense.

Defense: B. This group played its guts out against a running football team. The Northside veer got some yards and the one pass Northside completed all night long was for a TD, but this unit flew around and made some plays.

Tevin Small played a great game at LB. Kam Futch, the captain of this defense, played his heart out.

BHS stopped the fullback in the veer all night long and contained the QB for the most part. The pitch guy made a few runs but the defense put up a very solid football effort against a brand name in Georgia High School football.

Very proud of the effort of this group.

Special Teams: C-. You can’t give up an 85 kickoff return for a TD in a playoff game against a team like Northside where points are at a premium.

BHS did some good things with Jaylen Jackson on punt returns, and only punted one time in the contest.

This area was one of the most improved aspects of BHS football in 2017.

Coaching: B+. Solid game plan. Pender showed confidence in his offense by going for it on fourth down from the two on the first drive.

The clock management was solid on the two minute offense at the end of the game. Team played inspired football all night long and great adjustments were made at the half.

Overall: B. BHS went toe to toe with Northside and came up 3 points short.

Nothing to hang your head about in reality. But, the reality is that this loss stings and will hurt for a long time because BHS was a better football team than Northside.

Sometimes in team sports the better team does not win and that is just life and you learn from it.

 

Terrors Tame Wildcats

By: Christian Goeckel

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

For the second time in two seasons, Glynn Academy welcomed the defending 6A State Champion to Glynn County Stadium. And for the second year in a row, they systematically dismantled that team.

Behind an unforgiving defensive performance, Glynn took down defending champ Valdosta 27-3.

This was the most complete performance, 1st quarter all the way through the 4th, of the season. At no point did Valdosta even sniff a chance of victory.

Offensively, Glynn attacked Valdosta the exact same way they do every other team; hard, downhill dives, and a triple option to get the ball to the boundaries.

The factor that was different in this game was Randon Jernigan.

Throughout the season, good teams have been able to smother the triple option attack. Not in this game.

Jernigan ran the option game as smoothly and aggressively as he has all year, including breaking an eighty-yard touchdown run on a keeper. It really seems like this portion of the offense is really finding itself at the right time.

A couple of recurring concerns do linger for the offense. Low snaps cost the Terrors yards twice and a fumble gave Valdosta a short field and their only points of the game.

Those kinds of mistakes can hurt you in the regular season, but they’re fatal in the knockout format of the playoffs.

Another concern must be the passing game. Granted, they didn’t need to throw, but when he was asked to Jernigan couldn’t complete the ball. The fact remains though, Jernigan is deadly running the ball. Anything you get past that is a bonus.

Defensively, Glynn pass rushers consistently used Valdosta’s quarterbacks like cheap piñatas. This defense has a ton of team speed, and that was more than obvious in this one.

On Valdosta’s first play from scrimmage the quarterback threw a bomb to a seemingly wide-open receiver only to watch Marvin Dallas cover 10 yards and come close to picking the ball off.

It was going to be that kind of night. Hunter Hall had his best game of the year. The senior inside linebacker didn’t miss a play or a tackle, and sealed the game with an interception.

Valdosta had absolutely no answer for Glynn’s pass rush. Every time a quarterback would drop, someone was hitting him before he could get rid of the ball.

This was absolutely the best performance of the year from the defense. The one time they were challenged (Valdosta received a short field after a fumble by Glynn) the defense pushed Valdosta back and forced the Wildcats to kick a long field goal.

All night, they forced Valdosta to be one dimensional, throwing the football, and then pinned their ears back and got after the quarterback.

This is a unit that this team can lean on moving deeper into the playoffs, and they’re peaking at exactly the right time.

On special teams, the Terrors had a very good night. The ball was kicked out of the endzone on kick offs, Glynn was able to pin Valdosta deep a couple of times on punts and besides one punt, they did a great job of keeping the ball out of Valdosta’s danger men’s hands.

2-2 on field goals was clutch and will be huge moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, Glynn will next host Heritage High School out of Conyers.

The Patriots enter this match up as the number 3 seed in region 3 6A, and are coming off a big win over Stephenson 20-7.

Heritage enters the contest against Glynn at 7-4 on the year, and will be looking to pull a huge upset.

That means we need you to get out to Glynn County Stadium and support this team who has put its’ collective body and soul on the line and are playing some dang good football.

This team is turning into something special. Don’t miss your chance to see it.