Glynn Academy Red Terrors
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Garrett Grady September 27
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch September 22
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Garrett Grady September 21
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.
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show w Jeff Herron September 5
McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers Coach’s Show w Bradley Warren August 29
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show w Jeff Herron August 29
McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers Show w Bradley Warren August 22
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch July 14
The Prince Of Terror
By: Garrison Ryfun
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy Red Terror Senior wideout David Prince looks to make some noise in his final season as a Terror.
A four-year starter at the receiver position and standing 6 foot 4 inches 220 pounds, Prince is an imposing force at wideout.
Glynn Academy used his size advantage last year, as he became a regular jump ball target on the goal line for Quarterback Tyler Devlin. Prince’s wider catch radius makes him a perfect target for an inexperienced quarterback, which the Terrors will be rolling into 2023 with.
After starting high school with Louisville commit, TJ Lewis at QB and the stability of the last two years with Devlin, Prince will be looking to Ryan Schueneman as the new signal caller.
Schueneman, who played a similar role to David Prince last season, will now be the third starting quarterback to play with David Prince.
While out at practice, Prince and I talked about where he got his love of football from. He attributed it to watching his brothers play when he was growing up. Prince said after he started playing in the sixth grade he just fell in love with the sport.
Prince embraced the run-first identity of Glynn Academy’s offense in our interview saying: “Our number one thing is running the football; we ain’t ever going to change that.”
Despite playing in a run-first offense, Prince put up impressive stats last season, totaling up 28 catches for 607 yards and 7 touchdowns. That includes an explosive performance against Northside in round 1 of the playoffs last year, where he caught 3 passes for 120 yards and 1 touchdown.
Prince also played two ways last season, embracing being a team player and plugging in as an outside linebacker on defense. Prince told me he expects to play on defense again this season, once again playing outside linebacker for the Terrors. Another year’s worth of experience at the position, colleges are sure to take notice of both David Prince the tight end and David Prince the linebacker.
He talked about his goals and the team’s heading into 2023: “Get stronger, faster, and try to win a region championship. First day of spring we came out here with a mindset to win a region championship.”
Those kinds of goals are the right mindset to have and are warranted when you look at Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo’s track record. Coach Rocky Hidalgo has won a region title, or tied for one, five times in his career at Glynn Academy.
Coach Hidalgo himself had this to say about Prince: “He is an amazing kid, he is a lot of fun to be around. Anything he does is going to automatically be more energetic, it’s going to be more enthusiastic, and it’s going to be more fun. He’s just kind of naturally got one of those personalities. Great kid, got a good heart, and he’s a great teammate.”
Prince talked a little bit about the college recruitment process and told a story about receiving his first offer from Troy: “I was in class, [Troy coach Evan McKissack] texted me and asked if he could call me. So, I went somewhere and called him, he was telling me that I was going to be the first tight end that they offered.”
Prince went on to say the current state of his recruiting process felt “regular,” saying that it hasn’t changed who he is as a person. He is also interested in making the most of his coming college experience, possibly pursuing a business degree.
David Prince is a bright young man, who will turn some heads in high school ranks and with more college coaches very soon. Look for him to not only have a great senior year, but also be a steal for whatever college is lucky to get him.
