By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Last weekend as I was watching the news and the devastation that storms had taken lives and ruined the American Dreams for hundreds of families in South Georgia I started thinking how could my organization MAP International help those in need.

I have worked at MAP International for 23 years and I have traveled to over 30 countries globally as a representative of MAP and our organization has shipped over 6 billion dollars of medical supplies to those in need.

As I was following the events in South Georgia over the weekend, I got to thinking about how sports particularly High School football is woven into the fabric of unity of the small rural communities all over South Georgia.

On every Friday night in the fall a high school football game takes place in a small town like Adel, Georgia that brings these communities together in fellowship.

I read where a couple of people had lost their lives on Monday morning in the small town of Quitman, Georgia. The only connection I had in Quitman was a dear friend and former Brunswick High football Maurice Freeman who now leads a very successful football program at Brooks County.

Maurice Freeman is a good, godly man who was our football coach from 2002-2007 at BHS, who built a solid program at BHS before he was called back home to his hometown of Quitman where he led Brooks to a state title in 1994 as a young head coach.

Freeman and I became very good friends while he coached the Pirates. We helped start the Brunswick Quarterback Club; a football only booster club back in 2005. We fished together, shared meals, raised money in the Brunswick community. I hated to see him leave in 2008 but I understood and wished him well and we have stayed in contact ever since.

I texted Coach Freeman at 10AM on Monday morning and asked him if Quitman needed help, and he immediately responded back and said yes, but Adel needed it more. He was headed to Albany for a coaching clinic, but would connect me to some of his contacts in Adel.

I said that would be great, and within 15 minutes we had a plan in place to deliver relief hygiene supplies to Adel. We loaded the goods on my truck and by 1:30 that afternoon I met Coach Freeman in Adel and we off loaded the supplies at the drop off center in Adel. And best of all we were able to have about 30 minutes of time to visit and catch up on life.

Football in South Georgia teaches life lessons you use every single day of your life. Football teaches teamwork, unity, to strive for goals, and when your back is against the wall to fight like a mad dog to be successful.

The biggest most wonderful thing I saw was how the Cook County Football and other Athletic teams banded together as brothers and sisters to meet the needs of their own, and worked their tails off to help those in need. Brooks County and Cook County are rivals in sports, but you throw that out of the window when people are in need. I watched an entire county mobilize in a very short amount of time.

I was reminded of some great lessons through sports connections I have made in my life. Maurice Freeman and I were able to organize and complete a relief response in about three and a half hours because of our connection we made as part of the BHS football program many years ago.

From this day forward Brooks County will be my second favorite high school football team other than my Pirates.

I love you Maurice you are the best in my book.