Bishop Media Sports Network

Glynn Academy Wins Region

garrison headshotBy: Garrison Ryfun

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

This October was all about region play and the Glynn Academy Red Terrors are now 8-1 with a game left in the regular season.

This month the Terrors have took on Wayne County, Brunswick High, Richmond Hill, and Effingham. They won all those games and are now Region Champs.

The first game of the month took place on September 30th against Wayne County.

The Yellow Jackets came into this game winless and with an offense that was occasionally productive.

Deejay Dallas and Kendall Cross again put on a show in the matchup against Wayne. The squad for Jesup was never able to get in the End zone against the Terrors stout defense and Glynn won in a Shutout 34-0.

Up next was the Effingham game but due to Hurricane Matthew and the mandatory evacuation, the game was postponed until October 25th.

That start of region pay became the City Championship and it had to be moved a day because of the hurricane. So, we got to witness Saturday Night Lights in Glynn County Stadium against the Brunswick High Pirates.

Brunswick High and Glynn Academy has always been a great rivalry. This night was no different as Shawn Smith took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown.

Glynn was without their starting kicker but the depth behind him shined in a lot of places.

John Henry Butler became the PAT kicker and didn’t miss a kick. Andrew Delaney, the starting Tight End, also had a 45-yard punt that pinned BHS inside the 5.

The defense gave up a lot of points to a talented BHS squad but this high-powered Glynn Academy offense has been hard to stop. Glynn won in a close one 35-28.

Up next Glynn had to face an Undefeated Richmond Hill squad at Richmond Hill. Now I must say this game worried me a little bit. Before this game, 17 points was the most anyone had scored on Richmond hill.

Glynn ended up winning the game 57-27. The most points scored under Rocky Hidalgo and almost the first time that we have had three 100 yard rushers.

Glynn, as a team, rushed for 517 yards and passed for 166 yards. That’s 683 total yards, believed to be a school record.

The final game of the month was against Effingham. The hurricane-rescheduled football game took place on a Tuesday night.

It almost felt weird doing a game on Tuesday night at Glynn County Stadium. This Glynn team didn’t seem to mind though. The Terrors picked up where they had left off!

After a 4-day turnaround, the Terrors still looked fresh and dominated this game from the first snap. Glynn again almost had 3 100-yard rushers. We even got to see Randon Jernigan at quarterback.

The Terrors shut out another team this month with the 48-0 win over Effingham.

This Glynn Academy Red Terrors team somehow keeps improving every week and looks to be a state title contender in 6A football.

The option offense has become so deadly and consistent for Glynn Academy and the defense has played their hearts out all season long.

They have one regular season game left against Bradwell. After that game starts the playoffs and what looks to be a deep playoff run for the Terrors.

The Terrors have wrapped up their second region title in a row.

Frederica Banishes Bethlehem Christian

Jeff headshotBy: Jeff Doke

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Last year, the Frederica Knights found themselves somewhere unexpected; at home for the first round of the GISA Playoffs.

After a tough rebuilding 2014 campaign, the surprising 3-1 region/7-3 overall record in 2015 was good enough to land the Knights with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The run for the State Championship ended early, losing to Gatewood 14-3 in the first round.

2016, however, is a VERY different year. This year’s Knights more than made up for the previous year’s loss, opening up the playoffs with a decimating 52-14 victory over Bethlehem Christian.

Head Coach Brandon Derrick has spoken numerous times throughout the year as to when he hoped this team would hit their stride. He was worried about hitting the peak too early, that he would prefer his squad to start firing on all cylinders by week 8, fully hitting their stride for the playoff run.

And fire on all cylinders they did this week. The Knights defense opened the game with a three & out. Once the offense took the field, it looked like they were going to pick right back up where they left off two weeks prior (a 34-7 victory over Edmund Burke Academy). The drive ended, unfortunately, with an Isaiah Jackson fumble just inside the red zone.

This would be Jackson’s only “lowlight” of the game. Following the fumble, the sophomore running back put together one of the finest two quarters of high school football I have ever witnessed, scoring three times on runs of 1, 54, and 55 yards.

Twenty four minutes of play, over a hundred yards rushing, and three touchdowns. Not a bad night’s work, to put it mildly.

It wasn’t all Jackson in the first half, however. Fellow sophomores Patrick Brunson and Jaylin Simpson also found the endzone; Brunson on an iconic crossfield 65-yard punt return and Simpson on a 9-yard pass from Sophomore QB Gaven Williams.

Senior CB Chris Myrick also got in on the action, adding a 54 yard interception return for a touchdown. at halftime, the score was already 45-0, and the Knights were fairly confident of the victory.

The night wasn’t done for the offense, though. After sitting out the first two quarters, Sophomore RB Jashawn Sheffield tacked on a 50-yard touchdown run on the second play of the 2nd half. For those of you scoring at home, that’s five touchdowns of 50+ yards on the night. Electric doesn’t begin to describe this team.

“These kids are very focused, very in to what we’re trying to do,” said Coach Derrick after the game. “We’ve got a bright future.”

The future continues next week under the oaks against Deerfield-Windsor out of Albany, GA.

“They’ve got a lot of skill kids,” speculates Coach Derrick. “They’re gonna match up well with us at times, it’s going to be a pretty even game.”

Final thought; while the playoffs continue, it’s hard not to look ahead for this squad. When you realize that you’ve got five amazing sophomores in Williams, Sheffield, Simpson, Jackson, and Brunson, it’s hard not to feel a giddy sense of anticipation about the next few years.

There is a core of players on this Knights team that would make any coach jealous, regardless of if we’re talking GISA, GHSA, or otherwise. It’s difficult to look at this team and discount them simply because of the league they are in. They’re focused, they’re executing, and they are driven.

And in three more weeks, hopefully we’ll be able to add “they’re champions” to that list.  The March to Mercer continues…

 

Pirate Ship Still Afloat

kippBy: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

With so much uncertainty surrounding the Brunswick High Pirate football program this week coming off two straight region losses to inferior teams the Pirates kept their playoff hopes alive with a 24-10 win over a favored Richmond Hill.

It was senior night at the stadium and Coach Larry Harold had his team chomping at the bit to play and the Pirates played inspired football.

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Atlanta Hawks To Fly Over Hump?

draytonBy: Drayton Hogarth

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Although we are smack dab in the middle of the football season, the NBA has tipped off its 2016-2017 season, and the Atlanta Hawks will do the same with a totally new look with the free agent signings of Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore.

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Terrors Eyeing Playoffs

jasonnewBy: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Glynn Academy Red Terrors took another huge step in claiming their second region title in two years; knocking off the Effingham Rebels 48-0 last night at Glynn County Stadium.

The game was a make-up due to Hurricane Matthew and is the Terror’s 2nd game in 4 days. The other being a 57-27 win over Richmond Hill on Friday.

The Terrors came out and handled business. They jumped out to an early lead and lead 21-0 at the end of the 1st quarter and 34-0 lead at the half. The Rebels ended up on a running clock in the 4th quarter and could have been on a running clock in the 3rd but Coach Buddy Holder refused the option for Effingham.

Glynn is now 8-1 on the season and 3-0 in the region.

The Terrors will now head into an off week and recoup from the craziness of Hurricane Matthew.

Glynn Academy will wrap up the regular season on the fourth of November against Bradwell Institute. There is a chance that by the time that game is played the region will already be wrapped in a nice bow for the Red Terrors.

If Bradwell Institute falls to Effingham on Friday night Glynn Academy would clinch the region title before they ever took the field against Bradwell.

If the Terrors claim the number 1 seed in region 2-6A they would take on the #4 seed from region from 4-6A. A lot is still to be determined in that region, but the Terrors would draw either Drew, Jonesboro or Mt. Zion in the first round.

Glynn is going to make another deep playoff run. This is a playoff tested team who has been through the gauntlet before and did it last year mostly on the road. This year the Terrors’ run will mostly take place at Glynn County Stadium. That will be a huge advantage.

The version of the 2016 Red Terrors is actually a little different than the 2015 version. The 2015 Terrors hung their hat on defense and that is how they won most of their games. The 2016 version is still armed with a really good defense but also has the ability to score with anyone in the state if necessary.

So, are the Glynn Academy Red Terrors good enough to get back to the State Title game in the Georgia Dome? Not only are they good enough to get back, but they should be considered the favorite to win it.

Buckle in Red Terror fans, it is going to be a fun ride.

 

 

North Carolina Stomping Through ACC

kenBy: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The ACC has been dominated by the Atlantic Division for the last six years. No. 3 Clemson, No. 5 Louisville and No. 12 Florida State are the marquee programs in the conference.

Can a Coastal Division team win the conference championship for the first time since 2009?

No. 21 North Carolina (6-2) appears to be the team most likely to reach the conference championship game for the second consecutive year. The Tar Heels are currently first in the division with a record of 4-1.

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Pirates Sinking Ship

jasonnewBy: 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.

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Duke Preview

jjBy: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

We are right smack in the middle of football season. We’re about to head into the final month of the college season when teams will be scratching and clawing their way to see who will lose to Alabama in the playoffs.

The NFL season is almost halfway finished and the only thing I’ve learned is that if I write about a team or player one week, their fortune seems to change to very next. (Question whether or not Matt Ryan was worth the number 3 pick; he puts up MVP numbers including over 500 yards against my Panthers. Mention how awful the Dolphins have been for the past decade or so; Miami hasn’t lost since).

So, it would make complete sense for me to spend this time writing about, college basketball? And to make matters worse, not only am I planning on talking about college basketball, but the subject is Duke basketball.

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