By: Jeff Doke

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

When the 2025 Frederica Knights season ended in the state playoff semifinal round, the outlook for the future was bright regardless of the most recent game.

Unfortunately, the offseason between 2025 and 2026 was not kind. Several departures have taken the Knights from state title contenders to where some are questioning whether they will even make the playoffs.

Those people have obviously never dealt with Coach Brandon Derrick.

Known for “doing more with less” on the gridiron, Coach Derrick has got his work cut out for him as he enters his fourteenth season at the helm. Instead of the nine returning starters from the 20256 campaign they were expecting, Frederica will instead see five starters return. The four lost starters are significant, most notably starting QB/FS Stanton Beverly.

“(Stanton)’s gonna go to Valwood. So, yeah, so I lost a two year starter, all state quarterback and free safety.”

These will be uncharted waters for the coach, who has never had to face a former player on the field of play. Adding insult to injury, reports out of Hahaira are that Beverly will be the starting QB for the team when the Knights come calling on September 3rd.

At the end of the day, this means that two-year backup Braxton Sykes moves into the QB1 role a year ahead of schedule.

Entering his Junior year, Sykes was competent in the QB role when called into action in 2025, but was showing significant strides as a Wide Receiver in the meantime.

This summer, his primary focus has been travel baseball, but has been all-in on the QB role while at practice.

“We will be more pass oriented than we have been in the past,” says Coach Derrick. “with Stanton we could run the option. Braxton, he’s more pass oriented. He’ll have to run some and do a lot of RPO stuff, but I think he’s a solid player. He does a good job, he’s got a pretty good understanding of what we’re doing. It’s gonna be the decision making. The more he practices, the more he plays, the faster his decisions will be made, he’ll make better decisions.”

Those decisions will have to be made without two offensive weapons that his predecessor had; TE JC Wessel and WR Jayden Gibson who have left the team for different reasons.

Gibson has moved to the Atlanta area and will not be available for what should have been his senior season with Frederica.

Wessel, on the other hand, made a decision for what his family considers a better option for his future – transferring to Bolles Academy in Jacksonville, Florida.

“(JC and his dad) think he’ll be coached up better by one of the tight end coaches down there that they’ve brought in.” Several Bolles players are being recruited by D1 NCAA programs.

In addition to these losses on offense, DE Eric Alford also is no longer with the Frederica Academy Knights.

While roster depth is always an issue with Frederica (they will start 2026 with 27 players), this year’s squad will still be heavy on the upperclassmen.

OLB Eli Middleton and DE Clay Sproule will lead the class of eight seniors that will include stars RB Jordyn Rollins and CB/WR Jaylen Baldwin. Newcomer to the Senior class will be Sal Vinci who will be taking over placekicking duties from the recently graduated Mary Ford Fitzjurls.

In addition to the upperclassmen, look for freshmen WR/DB Henry Dorminy and DE/OL Hayes Brock to make immediate contributions.

Coach Derrick knows it won’t be easy, but honestly it never is in the GIAA.

“We’re going to put the best product we can on the field. We’re planning a really tough schedule. Hopefully our seniors, like I tell them every year, grab the steering wheel and drive the bus. I drive the bus, it’s bumpy. You drive the bus, it’s a lot better.”

The 2026 Frederica Knights season kicks off August 14th at home against Bethesda Academy.