By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Sean Pender in his first season on Altama Avenue and a senior class that has had three head coaches in four years won a share of the region championship with a 56-34 win at, previously undefeated, Richmond Hill.

It is the first region championship for BHS since 2009. A huge Pirate contingent traveled the 45 minutes north to Richmond Hill and were loud and proud all night long.

The 22-point win will give the Pirates the point differential tiebreaker against Glynn and Richmond Hill for the #1 playoff seed should Richmond Hill beat Effingham as expected next Friday night.

The heroes of the night for BHS were Jagaryon Marcus and Jaylen Jackson. These guys were all over the field all night long.

Pirate Report Card:

Offense: A+. 56 points on the road against a team that was undefeated and flying high.

Everyone and everything on the offensive side was clicking. The entire offensive line team photo should be hanging on the post office wall on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list because of the assault they laid on the Richmond Hill defensive front.

Robinson and McCloud ran like wild men all night long.

Alonzo Brown, DJ Whitfield, and Jaylen Jackson destroyed the Wildcats’ secondary.

And last but not least, Jamarius Stevens, still with the ankle issue, lead his team to a region title and cemented an all-region season at QB for the Pirates.

This unit was lights out.

Defense: B. This unit set the tone with the Marcus scoop and score on the first series to put the Pirates up 7-0.

Richmond Hill scored some points and got a couple of late TD’s but Kam  Futch and company clamped down the Wildcats’ run game in second half. The Pirate defense made the Wildcats a one dimensional team.

The BHS defense with Sean Ward and a couple others gut checked its way to winning a tough football game. This unit laid the wood to Richmond Hill offensive players all night long.

Special Teams: B. Solid kick coverage that pinned the Wildcats on its own 1 yard line to start game and no big returns with the athletes on the talented Richmond Hill roster.

The kickoff coverage has been fantastic. DJ Whitfield set up a BHS TD right before the half with a 52 yard kick return.

Coaching: A+. Sean Pender said all week that BHS was going to beat Richmond Hill and that the Wildcats could not stop the Pirates.

The game plan was awesome and executed perfectly on offense.

The culture change is now complete as the 2017 Pirates under Pender win their 7th Region Football title and first since 2009.

Pender has to be the Region Coach of the Year after turning this team into champions after going 8-12 and no playoffs for last two years. The Pirates have a great shot at being a number one seed.

A happy Glynn County AD Steve Waters called me post game and said the Pirates would be receiving a Region Championship Trophy next Friday night on senior night prior to the Osborne game.

Pender for President in 2020. Pirates are relevant again.

Overall: A+. BHS is a football champion again. Enough said there.

Jaylen Jackson is a stud and any accolade you can come up with. That last TD catch and two-point conversion to get BHS the point differential points for region tiebreaker was the stuff of legends. Thank you, Mr. Jackson

Up next: Osborne. The Region Champs come home for an emotional senior night at Glynn County stadium.

The BHS Pirates Region 2-AAAAAA Football Champions. Print me up a size XXL.