Glynn Academy Red Terrors
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show w Sean Pender October 23
Monday Morning QB’s
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the color commentator for Brunswick High football radio broadcasts for the last 13 years I see good trends and bad trends during football seasons.
A disturbing trend currently is attendance for home football games for our two public high schools in Glynn County.
Currently the two high schools in Glynn County average around 1,000 spectators for a home football game. That is pretty embarrassing for high schools that play in the second highest classification in the state.
Yet, in spite of poor attendance many seem to be an expert on the direction the local programs should take and offer these takes on social media outlets and really have no idea what they are talking about.
Example, I was surfing the internet after Brunswick’s loss to Richmond Hill last week and a nameless expert hiding behind a computer said the program was trash and has been trash since a previous head coach was in charge five years ago.
Here is a nugget of wisdom for this expert, who claims Brunswick wastes so much talent and wants to throw every single head coach under the bus, the school has an all-time football record of 271-274-6. Chew on those facts for a moment, expert.
Brunswick High School has been playing football for 52 years and the historical average is five wins and five losses per season, but yet this expert expects a state title every season. However, won’t give a dime of support, or time to the program.
I’m tempted to name names here but I will refrain. Brunswick High has not played past the second round in the state playoffs since 1999 and has only accomplished that feat twice in its history.
Glynn Academy is in the best run of their football history and you hear people in the community starting to complain about the program but yet 900 people show up to a game on Friday night to support a program that has won over 50 football games over the past five seasons.
What is the deal here people? Prior to the current head coach arriving, Glynn had not won a region title in football since 1972. Now they have won four region titles in a row. Are the GA faithful a spoiled now?
Do local football coaches come to your job and boo you for missing a revenue target? Do they show up at your sales meetings and provide insights to how you should do your job better? Do they show up and yell at your kid at the recreation level when they make a mistake? Do they go on Facebook and say the North Glynn Recreation league Yellow Jackets are trash and need to fire their volunteer coach? Of course, they don’t so why is everyone an expert at football?
Kirby Smart is 37-11 at UGA, yet experts on Facebook say he is a bad coach after a loss.
Did UGA deserve to loss to South Carolina last week? Hell yeah, they did because South Carolina wanted it more on that particular day.
Programs are built through blood, sweat and tears and over time, but it can be destroyed at one family dinner by the most destructive thing in the history of mankind, the tongue. Many a Church sermon has been preached regarding taming the tongue but the lesson never seems to be learned.
When mean-spirited people bad mouth a football program it affects the bottom line for Glynn County Athletics, which depends on football to fund all other sports.
When people don’t attend games, revenue is not generated. Coach Rocky Hidalgo at Glynn told me about three years ago that when people outside the program come to him with coaching suggestions, he gives them a magic marker and tells them to draw it up on the chalkboard. I wonder how long those conversations last.
There are two pretty good head football coaches in Glynn County, and dedicated players who work their behinds off who never walk on a field intending to lose on Friday night.
Give them your support, or like my granddaddy always said “roll up your sleeves and get in the trenches with me, or keep your damn mouth shut”.
The kids in Glynn County community need your support on Friday nights. Will you support them? Wins, losses, style of offense, who is the QB, all of that stuff really doesn’t matter to a true supporter.
Are you all in Glynn County? Your support is needed.
Southeast Georgia High School Week 5 Round Up
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 5 of the high school football season played out last night. Here are the games from around southeast Georgia.
Wayne County @ Appling County: Wayne County left the ranks of the unbeaten last week, going down to Glynn Academy. The Yellow Jackets will renew their rivalry with Appling.
Appling came into this game undefeated.
The Pirates dominated the first half and went into the locker room up 24-7 over the favored Yellow Jackets.
That lead would not last. Wayne County scored the 26 points and knocked Appling from the ranks of the unbeatens, 33-24.
Brunswick @ New Hampstead: Brunswick High is coming off a 48-20 loss to Camden, in a game that should have been closer, but the Pirates could not get out of their own way.
The Pirates took to the road to Pooler in hopes of getting their season back on track against the Phoenix.
New Hampstead scored on 2 turnovers in the first half and returned a kick to get up on the Pirates 19-7 early in the 3rd quarter.
The Pirates would not quit and came all the way back to take a 21-19 lead late in the 4th and would tack on later. Brunswick scored the last 22 points of the game to win 29-19.
The Pirates are now 2-3 on the season.
Calvary Day @ MCA: MCA is coming off their first win of the season, a 32-0 blowout of Jenkins County. The Buccaneers were hoping the momentum would carry over against Calvary Day at The Ship in Darien.
MCA’s defense played great, only down 7-0 at the half.
The Buccaneers kept fighting in the back and forth with Calvary Day. MCA took a 21-20 lead late in the 4th. However, Calvary Day responded to go back up 28-20. That would be the final. MCA falls to 1-3 on the season.
Berrien @ Brantley County: The last time we saw Brantley County on the field they were taking their first loss of the season from Jeff Davis, who was also undefeated at the time.
The Herons hosted Berrien looking to prove they are for real.
Berrien made it difficult for the Herons, taking a 17-7 lead into the half.
That would not last as Brantley battled back and would take down Berrien 31-24.
The Herons record improved to 3-1.
Ware County @ Glynn Academy: A huge rivalry game at Glynn County Stadium, in which Glynn Academy has owned recently. Ware County has looked underwhelming to this point and really needed this win on the road.
The Gators came out on a mission and took a 21-0 lead into the half.
The Terrors offense could never get going against the Ware defense and the Gators got a much needed win to bring their record at 3-2. The Terrors fall to 2-2. The final 35-13 in favor of Ware.
South Effingham @ Pierce County: Both South Effingham and Pierce entered into this game undefeated. South Effingham hasn’t been getting a lot respect despite their perfect record. A win at Pierce would change that.
The Mustangs held their own and went into halftime tied 7-7 with the Bears.
Pierce pulled away in the second half and gave South Effingham their first loss of the year, 42-28. The Mustangs fall to 4-1 and Pierce goes to 5-0.
Week 4 Friday Night Lights
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 4 of the High School Football is now in the books and here is what went down in South Georgia.
Wayne County @ Glynn Academy: Both of these teams coming into this game trying to figure out how good they were. The game turned into a track meet with the Red Terrors coming out on top 47-35.
It was the first game Glynn had played since August and the Red Terrors ran the ball at will against Wayne.
The Yellow Jackets scored on big play after big play but in the end could not sustain long drives to keep the Red Terror offense off the field. Glynn goes to 2-1 and Wayne falls to 2-1.
Brunswick High @ Camden County: Camden played a tight game with Richmond Hill the week before, which raised some eyebrows across the state. Brunswick blew out MCA the previous week and this looked to be an interesting game. It ended up not being that interesting.
Camden jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the Pirates answered with a touchdown and it looked like we might have a game with a 14-7 score in the 2nd quarter. That was short lived.
The Camden defense clamped down and the offense went to work. The Wildcats knocked off the Pirates 48-20.
MCA @ Jenkins County: Jenkins came into this game as the favorite to beat winless MCA. Instead the Buccaneers went into to Jenkins and dominated the War Eagles. MCA’s defense was the story, completely shutting down the Jenkins County offense to the tune of a shutout. MCA wins their first game of the year, 32-0.
Augusta Prep @ Frederica Academy: This was the first home game of the year for Frederica.
There is no putting this mildly. This was ugly. Frederica scored on their first play from scrimmage and the rout was on. The Knights ended up putting Augusta Prep on a running clock. The Knights hung 60 on the Cavaliers in a 63-0 laugher.
Friday Night Lights Come On
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
High School Football finally kicked off on Friday night. There were several key games from around the area.
Frederica Knights @ Charlton County Indians: The game of the week pitted the defending GISA AAA state champion Frederica Knights against perennial power Charlton County.
The Knights almost knocked off the Indians last season on St. Simons but fell by a touchdown.
This time the Knights headed down to swamp in Folkston and turned the ball over 4 times and could never make that one big play against the Indians defense to get things rolling. Charlton walked away with a 20-7 victory over the Knights.
Rockledge @ Ware County: The Ware County Gators came in with expectations for 2019. However, the Gators dropped their opener at home to Rockledge from Florida 19-7. Rockledge was a 5A semi-finalist in the state Florida last season.
The Jason Strickland era has begun in Ware.
Coffee @ Brunswick: The evening started with the Home Broadcast Booth being dedicated to long time Brunswick High broadcaster, Teddy Bishop. That would be the biggest highlight of the night for Brunswick.
The Coffee County Trojans have dominated the Pirates over the last several years and this game would not end that trend. Coffee went to Glynn County Stadium and put 38 points on the board en route to a 38-21 win over the Pirates.
The Pirates are hoping to rebound from a 3-7 2018 season.
MCA @ Pierce: The MCA Buccaneers scored the first touchdown of the night but it would be the last one they scored. Pierce would score 49 unanswered points to take the win 49-7.
The Bucs did show some signs of improvement. Don’t forget MCA is a rebuilding program.
Camden @ West Forsythe: The Camden County Wildcats beat West Forsythe last season and was hoping for the same result. That result would be accomplished as the Wildcats barraged the Wolverines. The Wildcats put up a touchdown, in what seemed to be every few minutes.
Camden starts off on the right foot downing West Forsythe in impressive fashion 44-6.
Glynn @ Fort Dorchester: The Red Terrors come into the 2019 season with high expectations, but the offense struggled in this contest.
Glynn made the long trip to Charleston, SC and was only able to muster 6 points against Fort Dorchester and went down to the Patriots 31-6.
Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch August 10
Terror Town 2019
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I think the word consistent in sports is not as valued as it should be.
On the state high school football scene, the Glynn Academy Red Terrors have been consistently good for the past five years.
Good to the point where the Terrors are enjoying their best football run in the program’s proud 106-year history. The reason for this consistency is Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo.
I had an opportunity to sit down with Coach Hidalgo and talk Spring Football with him.
College recruiters were in and out of his office during that window, which means the Red Terrors will be very good again in 2019.
The Terrors had 130 kids out for spring, and Hidalgo likes what he sees so far. “The kids are competing hard, working hard, doing everything we ask of them, and we’re going to be a really good football team this fall”.
Glynn has won four straight region championships in football. High School Football is the program that stirs the drink for all sports in the Glynn County School System. Glynn will be the favorite to capture its 5th straight title this fall.
At QB Hidalgo speaks highly of TJ Lewis. At 6’4, Lewis is improving his mechanics and is looking good throwing the deep ball. Hidalgo also raved about Jayden Drayton, who looked good as a freshman in 2018.
The Red Terrors are very good at running back with the trio of Caden Hutchinson, Nolan Grant, and Alan Partin. Hidalgo says Grant is blessed with great foot speed, and called Hutchinson a tough kid with a mean streak that you want running between the tackles who also has good speed. Then you have Partin who is big and strong who can get the tough yard or lead block in the run game.
Glynn Academy is going to run the football. Period. End of story. If you are going to beat Glynn Academy then you will have to match their physicality.
At WR Hidalgo raved about the speed of the group and how they can separate from defenders. He thinks his skill people are as good as anyone in the region.
The Terrors return most of the offensive line from 2018. Look for Drez Wilcox to have a big season. Trevor Timmons, Jack Fendig, Nick Demarzo, and Nick Muchinson are the best returning offensive line in the region and one of the better units in all of Georgia.
Chase Gabriel has a big leg and carries on the long tradition of great Glynn FG kickers. He is a weapon.
At defensive line Jordan Swain, James Dyal, and Torrez Davis will lead a physical group with some of the offensive lineman mentioned above providing depth. Hidalgo calls this a good deep position group.
Glynn has some young talent at linebacker like Tywon Melvin, Ryan Seay, and Miles Smith ready to step up and contribute to a position group that has been very good over the past five seasons.
In the secondary, Byron Bacon is the leader on the back end. Bacon has good size and great speed and will play division one football. Hidalgo called Bacon a very good football player who has great leadership qualities.
JuJuan Floyd is a very fast corner who will also play some WR.
Hidalgo says the 2019 edition of Red Terror football will be exciting. Hidalgo also raves about his 2019 schedule and how it gets them peaking by the time region play comes around.
Glynn plays Valdosta in the preseason scrimmage, South Carolina power Fort Dorchester, Wayne, Ware, and Camden County by the first week of October. Hidalgo asked “who plays a tougher non region schedule than us?”
Glynn Academy doesn’t rebuild any longer they just reload. Red Terror Football is consistently good.
When a head coach of a successful program points out leadership, work ethic, and enthusiasm as team strengths then the rest of Region 2-AAAAAA better look out. Glynn will have the Red and White game on May 17th at Glynn County Stadium.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch April 6
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch November 17
Pirates Sunk By Glynn
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In a hard fought contest, the Brunswick High Pirates came up on the short end of 17-12 contest to Glynn Academy.
The loss dropped the Pirates to 3-6 on the season and 0-3 in region play. It was also the fifth straight loss in the series to the Red Terrors.
The intensity and effort were the best of the season for BHS. Anthony Mountain and KJ Lee both played well at QB.
Both teams were on the short end of a lot of penalties throughout the contest that killed many big plays by each team. BHS scored 12 points in the final five minutes of the contest, and GA recovered an onside kick with 54 seconds left to seal the victory.
Pirate Report Card:
Offense: C. This was a gutty effort against a very solid defense. Marlon Taylor is a beast and he took over the game at times for Glynn.
Jaylen Trimmings ran hard all night, and Anthony Mountain ran hard between the tackles on the zone read play.
Xavier Bean had a nice TD catch late in the contest. The offensive line blocked well all game, but key flags stalled a huge drive in the 3rd quarter.
I loved the effort and intensity of the unit against a pretty good high school defense. The passing game was off until late, but run game was solid all night long. A lot of positives from this effort.
Defense: B+. This unit came to play and they played like men. Run defense was very good throughout the game and easily the best effort of the season. Freddy Towns made a big time highlight reel interception and the defense really played the option well all night long.
Glynn hit some plays, but good teams are going to make plays. Solid effort and this entire unit deserves a player of the game award.
Special Teams: B. Kick and punt coverage was solid and BHS recovered an onside kick to set up their last TD. What a difference a week makes. Great effort against athletic return units.
Coaching: B. This team was ready to play and the defensive game plan was outstanding.
Offensively the plan was solid, but penalties are drive killers at times. The coaches coached hard and this team grew up tonight. Good solid effort.
Overall: B. Best effort of the year and despite the loss, strides were made tonight.
Glynn is a good football team and this team went toe to toe with them for 48 minutes. The future of this team is very bright. Losing to your rival stings bad, but this team will look back on this as the turning point and will build from this. It was a tough loss but outstanding intensity.
Next up: Bradwell to close out the regular season.
