Garrett Grady
Pirate Blitz
By: Teddy Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Coach Garrett Grady’s Brunswick High Pirates readied themselves for the state playoffs by setting a school record for the most points in a single regular season.
The 43-12 victory over Bradwell Institute on Friday night gave the Pirates 460 points for the season, surpassing the 459 scored during the regular season by the 1999 team.
The ’99 Pirates went on to play for the state championship, losing to Lowndes.
This year’s Pirates averaged 46 points per game, also a school record.
The win over Bradwell earned the Pirates a perfect 8-0 record in Region 1-5A, including, of course, the region championship and a #1 seed in the state playoffs.
After an opening-season 51-41 loss to 6A Camden County, Brunswick High reeled off nine consecutive victories with wins over Wayne; Effingham; Evans; Greenbrier; Glynn Academy; Statesboro; Lakeside; South Effingham; and Bradwell.
Senior running back William Heck is the leading rusher for the Pirates with well over 1200 yards. Heck also has scored nine touchdowns.
Nigel Gardner and Josiah Gibbons—both sophomores—have also contributed heavily to the run game. Gardner has run for some 800 yards, averaging a whopping 15 yards per carry, while Gibbons is closing in on the 600-yard mark. Gardner and Gibbons have run for six and nine touchdowns, respectively.
Junior quarterback Grant Moore has completed over 70% of his passes, totaling more than 1800 yards with18 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. He will be the All-Everything quarterback for the region and will be in the conversation for some state honors.
Senior Ja’Marious Towns, junior Heze Kent, and sophomore Waseem Murray have been Moore’s favorite targets, all with at least 30 catches, more than 500 yards receiving, and at least five touchdown catches. Senior Jordan Hicks also has double digit receptions for the Pirates.
Brunswick High’s defense hasn’t been too shabby either, allowing only 179 points, with 51 of those coming against 6A Camden—and three of Camden’s touchdowns were on short fields following a BHS fumble and two botched punts.
Senior linebacker J’Shawn Towns is the leading tackler for the Pirates, closing in on 90.
Seniors Caleb Butler and Chris Kimp have also been stalwarts on defense.
Jeremiah Robbins, Kregg Richardson, Lance Brown, and Joshua White—all seniors—have recorded multiple sacks for BHS.
The Pirates ‘Black Flag Defense’ has eight defensive touchdowns: three by Towns; two by junior Aviyon Addison; and one each by seniors Seki Ashley, Zach Miller, and Butler.
Grady’s Pirates will host the Villa Rica Wildcats in the first round of the 5A playoffs on Friday night at Glynn County Stadium.
Villa Rica finished the regular season with four wins and three losses in Region 5-A to earn the #4 seed. Overall, the Wildcats were 5-5.
Villa Rica scored 275 points in the regular season (460 for BHS) and allowed 226 (179 allowed by the Pirates).
If the Pirates get past Villa Rica in the first round, they will also host a second-round game. BHS would take on the winner between Coffee County and Jackson County. If Brunswick High and Coffee both win their first-round games, it would be a battle of top ten teams in the second round.
If Brunswick High gets to the third round of the playoffs, a coin toss would decide home-field advantage unless Brunswick High was matched against a lower seed.
But first things first. The Pirates have to beat Villa Rica in order to worry about a second-round game, much less anything beyond that.
So come on out to Glynn County Stadium on Friday night and holler for the Pirates!
Pirates To Set Sail
By: Teddy Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the Brunswick High Pirates get ready to set sail for the 2024 football season, I sat down with Head Coach Garrett Grady for an exclusive interview.
“We’ve had 110-115 guys show up for practice every day,” Coach Grady related. “The players have been working hard, and we’re looking forward to getting back ‘Between the Bricks’.”
Brunswick High is looking to improve on last year’s 7-4 record, which included a second-round playoff appearance.
BHS will be playing in a new classification this fall, which also means a new region, 1 AAAAA.
The Georgia High School Association decided to eliminate the 7-A classification, which moved Brunswick High from 6-A to 5-A, still the second-highest classification.
There are nine teams in Brunswick’s new region: Brunswick High, Bradwell Institute, Effingham, Evans, Glynn Academy, Greenbrier, Lakeside, South Effingham, and Statesboro.
“We’re bringing back in Statesboro, and we’re bringing back in Bradwell,” Coach Grady said. “Grovetown is going out, but Greenbrier is coming in, so we replaced one Augusta school with another.”
The two non-region games will be against Camden and Wayne. Camden will travel to Brunswick to open the season on August 16, while Brunswick will travel ‘Jesup’ the road to Wayne the next week.
“We got a scrimmage against Ware, game 1 against Camden, and game 2 against Wayne,” Coach Grady told me, “and then region games from there on out.”
BHS will have a bye week following the Wayne game, and then, “We’re starting out of the gate with a really tough region opponent in Effingham.”
It’s worth noting that BHS and Effingham have developed a pretty strong rivalry over the past few years, and it will be interesting to see how that game plays out September 6 when the Pirates travel to Rebel Field at Bob Griffith Stadium to take on the Rebels.
The Brunswick High-Glynn Academy City Championship game is slated for September 27 at Glynn County Stadium.
When I asked Coach Grady if Brunswick, Effingham, and Glynn would be the favorites in the region, he agreed.
“I think that’s a fair assessment,” he said. “When Brunswick, Glynn, and Effingham play each other, it’s been for the 1, 2, or 3 seed.”
I also asked Coach Grady about trying to replace players like “Touchdown” Terry Mitchell, River Creel, Devin Smith, and others that graduated.
“Instead of replacing those guys, we’ve got to develop other players,” he said. “We have a lot of talent returning, plus some new faces that could make an immediate impact.”
One returning talent is junior Heze Kent—All-everything from a year ago. “He’s going to have a big year,” Coach Grady predicted. “We can split him out wide, play him at tight end, or put him in the backfield.
“Plus, he’s a leader in the locker room as well. His voice carries, and he echoes what the coaches say. That’s what we want.”
Another returning starter is quarterback Grant Moore, also a junior.
“He’s definitely a voice on offense,” Coach Grady said. “When tough times happen, he can get the guys to rally behind him. He works hard and always does the right thing. He’s the type of leader you want.”
Also returning for the Pirates are Jamarius Towns, Waseem Murray, Jashawn Towns, William Heck, Caleb Butler, Kregg Richardson, Jordan Hicks, Jeremiah Robbins, and others, all adding significant talent and leadership for BHS.
“All of the coaches have been working hard, too,” Coach Grady lauded, praising their dedication.
Mitch Belker returns as Offensive Coordinator for the Pirates, while Thomas Tedder is back as Defensive Coordinator.
It says here the Pirates win the region and make a deep run in the playoffs.
Successful Pirate Voyage
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2023 Brunswick High Pirates had another good sailing through the waters of region 2-AAAAAA this fall.
The Pirates finished with a fine 7-4 record and won a first round State playoff game over Mundy’s Mill 28-22 after trailing 22-7 at halftime.
This senior class leaves the program in fantastic shape, leaving with a 36-10 overall record, three region championships, and three city championships.
Head Coach Garrett Grady had this to say about the 2023 Pirates:
“We had another great football season at Brunswick High School. This team and group of seniors accomplished many things in their career here at Brunswick High. Looking back at this season it was definitely built on the hard work & dedication from the off-season workouts, spring football, summer workouts, summer OTAs, & in season practices. I am proud of this team and the way they competed from every start of each game to the final whistle.
I am very proud of our coaching staff and the job that they did this season as well. Our coaching staff not only developed our players on the field, but they developed them into young men with character and prepared them for the game of Life. This team showed a lot of resiliency & grit.
This team went through a lot of adversity and instead of letting it get the best of them, they fought through it and developed as a TEAM. Many players gained valuable experience that we can build on and I am looking forward to next year. GO PIRATES!”
The Pirates placed many players on the All-Region Team:
Region 2-AAAA First Team
Jack Hunt/OL: Hunt had a fantastic senior campaign playing center for the Pirates. Hunt was a team leader on the offensive line and will play college football next fall.
Heze Kent/TE: Kent will more than likely be the highest rated football prospect to ever come out of Glynn County once his career is finished at BHS. The wonderful thing for Pirate fans is that Kent has two more years in the blue and gold.
Jamarious Towns/RB: Towns returns for his senior season next fall, and you can expect massive things from him and the Pirate offense next season.
TJ Mitchell/WR: The most prolific pass catcher in BHS history. Mitchell’s play-making abilities will long be talked about on Altama Avenue, and he will be missed greatly.
River Creel/DL: Creel played a lot of football for BHS. Played well as a freshman and will be hard to replace next season.
J’Shawn Towns/LB: Towns is a thumper. His best football is ahead of him.
Devin Smith/LB: The Kentucky bound Smith is simply one of the greatest players ever to roam on the defensive side of the ball for Brunswick High School. Period end of story. You do not replace a Devin Smith.
McClain Fineran/K: Fineran made some huge kicks for BHS in his career. He will be missed.
Landon Etheridge/LS: Etheridge had a fantastic season at long snapper and stepped in and made a huge 38-yard FG in the City Championship game this fall.
Region 2-AAAA Second Team:
Grant Moore/QB: Moore will be a junior next fall. Expect huge things from him.
William Heck/RB: Heck had a fine junior season.
Waseem Murray/WR: Remember this name folks.
Chase Richardson/OL
Donyea Broughton/DL
Michael Daniels/LB
Tavion Gadson/DB
Garrett Grady’s Pirates will be elite on offense in 2024. Defense will need to replace some studs. Look for the Pirates to compete for another Region Championship in 2024.
Teachers Of Men
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have lived in Glynn County my entire life.
I have a passion for football; that maybe my parents, wife, and close friends understand.
I was blessed as a youth to play high school football for a man that I idolize; recent Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame inductee John Willis.
Other than my father who turned 80 years old this week I consider John Willis the greatest influence in my life. The life lessons I learned playing for him prepared me for life. In my mind the things I learned from John Willis are bigger than football he helped develop me into a man.
As I look at the state of high school football in our community today, we are blessed to have three outstanding football coaches charged with developing men in our community.
Brandon Derrick/Frederica Academy: You talk about a coach who can take a little and turn it into a lot, then look no further than Derrick who has consistently developed winning teams at Frederica Academy.
With a State Championship in GISA and numerous region titles, Derrick takes teams that have low numbers and competes with schools with twice the number of players.
A trademark of Derrick football teams is tenacity. The Knights play with a mettle, spirit, and resolution that many of their opponents do not possess and late in ball games that shines through at clutch time.
The values that Derrick teaches will carry with these kids for the rest of their lives. Name me a more tenacious football team than the Frederica Knights? You have Brandon Derrick to thank for that.
Rocky Hidalgo/Glynn Academy: Coach Rock has been at Glynn Academy since 2014 and the fortunes of the program turned immediately.
By the end of the 2015 season Hidalgo had Glynn playing for a State Championship. A trademark of Hidalgo teams is that they are fundamentally sound, which speaks to discipline.
Discipline is a character trait this is seriously lacking among our youth today. Hidalgo teams are prepared down to every little detail.
All Glynn Academy teams I have witnessed are sound in all three phases of offense, defense, and special teams. If a game is tight then it is hard to bet against a Rocky Hidalgo team down the stretch.
Discipline is a trademark of Glynn Academy football and that is because of Rocky Hidalgo.
Garrett Grady/Brunswick High: You talk about a young dynamic coach who knows how to motivate his kids, look no further than Grady.
Grady is a grinder who has a work ethic that is second to none.
Since Grady was named the BHS coach in 2022, he has had the magic touch with the program. Community service, player exposure, everything Grady does he does at 100%.
The key character value I see at BHS currently under Grady is commitment. Grady is committed to these kids at BHS and the kids see that and are totally committed to him.
I’m a Pirate until I die, and Grady is the perfect man to head the BHS football program for years to come. There is a commitment to be great a BHS currently because of Garrett Grady.
Tenacity, discipline, and commitment. Strong core values. Values that are taught to young men on the football fields of Glynn County.
If you don’t think we are blessed on the head coaching front for high school football in Glynn County, then you are not paying attention.
Come out and enjoy a high school football game in Glynn County soon where you will see a collection of head football coaches that I would not want to trade for anyone.
Core values are being taught and all you must do is pay attention. For $10 you can see the hope of our future locally on Friday Nights. That is not a huge investment.
X Marks The Spot
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Garrett Grady begins year two as the captain of the Brunswick High Pirate football program. Year one was a solid success with a 10-1 record with a heartbreaking 29-28 loss to Houston County in the playoffs.
I sat down with Coach Grady to discuss this upcoming season. “I am excited for this fall. I like the fight in this football team. We have some talented players returning on both sides of the ball. I thought we had a great spring practice, and we have picked up on that this summer. We had a tough contact camp with Thomas County Central, Ware County, and Cedartown recently and our kids competed hard. The programs we competed against are elite and we found out plenty about our guys. We know they want to compete, and the effort was outstanding. Effort is something we can control. If we bring max effort, then we can overcome some inexperience we have in a couple of position groups.”
“Our program had a tragedy this summer where we lost a super young man and great human being MyKal Ellis. We are going to dedicate our 2023 season to the memory of this young man. He was such a pleasure to coach and be around. This adversity has brought our kids and all the Pirate nation closer together.”
Let us look at the position groups:
RB: Jamarious Towns and William Heck return for their junior seasons. They combined for right at 1,300 yards rushing and 11 TD’s last fall.
Grady added “We have two solid running backs in those two, and we expect and demand great things from them. The remarkable thing about them is they come to work daily and want to be great.”
QB: Jarrod Elkins returns for his senior season after passing for 1,500 yards and 19 TDs in 2022.
“JR has a cannon for an arm, and he can make any kind of throw we need him to make. He is more experienced this fall, and we feel he can get us where we need to go as a football team.”
WR: TJ Mitchell known in the Golden Isles as “Touchdown Terry” is a game changer.
“There is nothing he cannot do with the football in his hands” added his head coach.
“He can make people miss him in a phone booth. We have some talent in this group.”
OL: Jack Hunt will lead a talented but young inexperienced group. “We must grow up fast this fall in the OL.”
DL: “Donyea Broughton and River Creel have played a lot of football for us over the past three years, and they will lead solid group I feel very good about.”
LB: Devin Smith, the returning region defensive player of the year will anchor a solid Pirate defense.
Grady says “If you produced an all-time Brunswick High football team, he would be on it. He is our team leader on defense and in the locker room. He is a dude and QB’s do not pat the ball when he is coming off the edge.”
J’shawn Towns led the Pirates in tackles with 88 last fall, returns for his junior season.
“He is a thumper. When he hits folks, they go down in a hurry” added Grady.
DB: “Tavion Gadson and Tyler Sams give us a solid core in the secondary.”
Special Teams: “Nobody works harder at their craft than Mcclain Fineran and he has developed into a solid kicker for us.”
Grady added that “Our schedule is tough. We open at Camden and that will tell us all we need to know about our football team right out of the gate. We travel to Effingham to close the regular season and the last two years that game has been for the region championship. These seniors have a chance to go out as 4-time region champions. We shared the title when they were ninth graders and have won it outright the past two seasons. There is a lot to play for. And of course, nobody around here is happy with our playoff results lately. That has really eaten at us this offseason.”
Brunswick High Pirates Spring Preview 2023
Gold Rush
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ka’ Shawn Thomas should be the Region 2-AAAAAA defensive player of the year. No other player in this area has had a bigger impact on that side of the ball than Thomas has had.
The 300-pound senior finished his Pirate career with that heartbreaking 29-28 OT loss to Houston County. Thomas has been the ringleader of a senior class that won 35 football games and 3 region championships.
When you mention the name Ka’ Shawn Thomas to his head coach Garrett Grady you get the following “Ka’ Shawn has been an outstanding football player for us for four years. He is our leader on defense. When things get tough the other kids look to him for leadership and he makes things happen on the football field. He can dominate the line of scrimmage and make teams struggle in the run game. He is also a great pass rusher, and he caves in the pocket in the passing game. You don’t see many kids like him that come through high school programs. He will be missed around here and will be a productive college player at Wake Forest both on the field and in the classroom. He has set the standard around here for defensive linemen moving forward”.
Thomas could end up on some All-State teams after the current high school season concludes and will most definitely be an all-region player in 2022.
Thomas committed to Wake Forest back in March. He was the top player on the Wake Forest board and was the first player committed in their 2023 recruiting class.
Wake will be getting a young man with a great motor, quick first step, and at 300 pounds a man who can command double teams from an opposing offensive line. Wake Forest is a program that is on the rise and is very competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ka’ Shawn comes from a great family, and he would probably tell you his favorite person and role model is his mother, Tashana.
Tashana is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and she has an amazing personality and when momma talks Ka’ Shawn listens. She has raised a solid young man that is going to be a success in life long after his football career is over. His mother and family have instilled a great foundation in Ka’ Shawn.
Ka’ Shawn leaves a great legacy at Brunswick High School. He will be mentioned as one of the all-time greatest players to ever come through the school. I personally believe that he is one of the top ten players that BHS has ever produced.
It has been a privilege to broadcast Ka’ Shawn for his entire BHS career on Pirate Radio. He has been a great ambassador for the program and a ‘yes sir’, ‘no sir’ kind of young man that always greets you with a firm handshake and the upmost of respect.
I know Ka’ Shawn is going to have a fine college career at Wake Forest, and possibly in 4-5 years you could hear his name called by an NFL in a future NFL draft. I know this the young man will be missed on Altama Avenue.
I will leave you with one final comment that I firmly believe. Ka’ Shawn Thomas is the best defensive lineman to ever play at Brunswick High School. I have seen many kids come through the program since I went to my first Pirate football game in 1974 and I can’t think of one better at his position than Ka’ Shawn.
Pirates’ Journey
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Year one of the Garrett Grady tenure at Brunswick ended in heartbreaking fashion with a gut wrenching 29-28 loss to Houston County in the first round of GHSA 6A state playoffs.
The Pirates finished the 2022 season with a 10-1 record. The Pirates were crowned Region 2-AAAAAA champions with a 30-27 win over Effingham County.
Let’s look at the 2022 season:
August 19, 2022: The Pirates hosted Andrew Jackson from Jacksonville at Glynn County Stadium. The Tigers finished 7-4 in 2021 earning a playoff berth.
Jayden returned a punt for a touchdown and the Brunswick Black Flag defense held the Tigers to 200 yards of total offense on the night in a 23-13 opening night win. The win was Grady’s first win as a head coach. Andrew Jackson finished the 2022 season with an 8-3 record and playoff berth in Florida.
August 26, 2022: The Pirates hosted Camden County at Glynn County Stadium. Most pundits picked BHS to lose this game, but a strong defensive effort and second half power run game propelled BHS to a 16-10 win.
Lionel Twitty made the play of his BHS career by deflecting a Wildcat pass inside the Pirate 10-yard line to preserve the win. Camden was the #2 seed in Region 1-7A.
September 9, 2022: BHS played in the inaugural Georgia/Florida High School Football Classic at Glynn County Stadium. The Pirate defense completely shut down Bolles in a 20-3 win. This was another game the experts predicted BHS to lose.
September 16, 2022: BHS beat Islands High School 49-0 in a very lopsided contest. Outcome was never in doubt.
September 23, 2022: BHS hammered Glynn Academy 55-21 to win its third consecutive City Championship.
The Pirate offense was clicking throughout the contest and Glynn’s only scores came on trick plays and a fluke pass deflection.
The 55 points scored by BHS were the most ever for the Pirates in the long and storied history of the City Championship Series. BHS leads the all-time series 40-37-2.
September 28, 2022: BHS traveled to Grovetown in Augusta for a Wednesday contest that was moved up due to Hurricane Ian.
Touchdown Terry Mitchell scored 4 TDs on his birthday and the Pirates won a 56-39 shootout to stay undefeated on the season.
October 7, 2022: BHS hosted Lakeside Evans at Glynn County Stadium. The Pirates took control of the game early and cruised to a 44-10 win.
The Pirate defense dominated the contest.
October 21, 2022: BHS traveled to Guyton and hammered South Effingham 42-3.
BHS scored 6 touchdowns in their first 19 offensive plays. Mitchell caught a 54-yard TD pass from JR Elkins on the first offensive play of the game.
The Mustangs kicked a 42-yard field goal with under two minutes remaining on a running clock to avoid the shutout.
October 27, 2022: BHS traveled to Evans and lost LB Devin Smith for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle just two minutes into the contest.
The Pirates turned it over 6 times on the night in an ugly 28-7 win to stay unbeaten.
November 4. 2022: The Pirates held on late to beat Effingham 30-27 for the region championship in possibly the worst officiated game I have ever witnessed in person.
The story of the contest was yellow flags that wiped out two Pirate scores in the contest.
November 11, 2022: First round playoff game with Houston County.
The Bears rolled up 600 yards of total offense and led 21-7 in the fourth quarter.
The Pirates put on a furious rally and tied the game with 48 seconds left, and HOCO missed a 32 yards FG to win it with one second left on the clock to win it in regulation.
BHS scored to lead 28-21 in OT and Houston scored to cut it to 28-27 and went for two points and converted to end the BHS season with a 29-28 win.
This senior class won 35 games and three city and region championships. That ranks this group as one of the best in BHS history.
Garrett Grady should be region coach of the year.
Ka‘Shawn Thomas should be your defensive player of the year in the region.
Terry Mitchell should be your offensive player of the year in the region.
Things are looking pretty good right now on Altama Avenue.
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Garrett Grady August 30
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Garrett Grady August 24
