Jared Zito
Jackets Stung
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When word finally came down from the GHSA office that the 3A bracket didn’t include Southeast Bulloch, there were questions being asked and directed toward Thomaston (where the GHSA office is).
The fact that SEB was left out of the bracket wasn’t so much of a gripe, but who did get in was more the issue.
Beach High School out of Savannah received an at-large spot as the 29th seed in the 3A playoff bracket despite only playing 9 regular season games and being beat by the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets 48-8 just two days prior to the bracket coming out.
Southeast Bulloch finished the season 5-5 and 5-4 in Region 3 play after the 48-8 victory over Beach and ended up 5th in the Region (out of 10 teams). After falling to the Jackets, Beach finishes in 6th place behind SEB.
Beach only played 9 regular season games because their week 2 matchup with Savannah High was declared a no-contest after player ejections and coaches’ arguments broke out in the second quarter of the game in Savannah.
While Beach highly likely would have gone on to win that game against a Savannah team that finished 1-8, the game itself would have played a bigger factor than just a win for Beach.
The PSR (Post Season Ranking) metric that the GHSA uses to determine seeding for 3A and also is the only factor that is used to determine at-large bids is a formula that is 35% based on your win percentage, but is also 35% based on your opponents’ win percentage and 30% based on your opponents’ opponents’ win percentage.
The only comment made by the GHSA has been GHSA associate director Don Corr, who oversees the GHSA’s PSR Ratings and sets the playoff brackets, when he put out a generic statement of “The region followed their procedures to provide the GHSA office with their results, and the GHSA followed the PSR rules as approved by the GHSA state executive committee.”
In the current system, the top four seeds in each region make the playoff field, then at-large berths (due to having to pull the private schools out) are determined by the PSR ratings.
While this year, this flawed system negatively affects the team that I’m tied to with me being the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Jackets, I’ve said this system is incredibly flawed since it was introduced.
First off, teams in SEB’s region are at a disadvantage because they are in the only 10-team region in all of 3A, so teams only have one non-region game they have control of to increase the PSR ratings, and the way the recent history of the teams in the region has been, there’s only four or five teams that actually can help improve your PSR in region.
With the current region’s makeup, there are two regions that only have six teams in it (so two-thirds of the region make the postseason bracket), and two others that have seven teams.
Aside from that issue, the PSR is an extremely complicated but lazy answer for the GHSA. While the current PSR counts road games more than home games (1.1 to 0.9 in the formula), there is no differentiation between non-region games against a higher classification team. In SEB’s case, they opened the season with the lone non-region match-up against the 5A Statesboro squad, but if you just looked at the PSR formula, it would look like any other game on the schedule.
While the system itself is flawed, the execution and transparency by the GHSA leaves a lot to be desired and caused confusion at the end of the season.
Throughout the regular season on the GHSA website, fans can go online and see the PSR ratings and how each team got to their PSR number, but for some reason, the GHSA took the Football PSR page down Thursday evening before the final games of the regular season, and still remains hidden.
In SEB’s case, the week began with thinking there was no chance at an at large, but as the week went on, a member of the SEB community dove into the numbers and discovered there was a path just to be denied and no explanation of the PSR numbers.
At the end of the day, yes, if SEB wins another game or two, they’re in the top four of the region, and it’s a moot point…..in Brooklet at least, but the scary part is that beginning in 2026, the GHSA has approved to go to the PSR for all classifications (oh yeah, PSR only comes into play for 3A and lower….) and region finishes won’t matter.
Beginning next year, the region champions will get an automatic berth, then everyone will be seeded, and all other at-large berths will come from the same PSR that has failed them this year.
Chasing Perfection
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The “buzz” (pun intended) around Brooklet is palpable heading into the 2024 season.
Although the 4-6 finish in 2023 for the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets wasn’t the wins and losses numbers that Jackets Country was hoping for, SEB was in the running for a playoff spot until the final horn of the season in arguably the most difficult region in the GHSA.
Entering 2024, SEB seems poised to make a huge jump in the win column and looks to hold Head Coach Jared Zito’s 2024 slogan true and be “Chasing Perfection.”
GHSA reclassification and restructuring greatly impacts the Jackets schedule in a few different ways.
First off, SEB won’t be running through the gauntlet of the former region 3 in the 4A ranks. Reclassified to 3A, SEB enters region 3 with high hopes in 2024.
The other significant impact of the state restructuring is the sheer size of the new region. Region 3 consists of ten teams and with that Southeast Bulloch’s schedule will feature nine region contests and only non-region affair.
Although there is only one non-region contest on the regular season schedule for SEB, it’s a big one! The Jackets will host nearby rival Statesboro at Fred Shaver field to kick off the season on August 16th.
The two rekindled the rivalry back in 2022 after not playing for just shy of 20 years. After the past two years took place as part of the Erk Russell Classic at Allen E. Paulson Stadium, this year’s matchup will head back to campus in Brooklet.
The past two years have gone the Blue Devil’s way with 2022 meeting going sideways to the tune of 55-14 Statesboro. That said, SEB was a late fumble away from upsetting the 5A Blue Devils while driving inside of two minutes left in the game, but fell 12-7
After starting the season 4-2 in 2023, SEB fell in their final four games last season, but learned a lot about what the future holds.
The most notable lesson learned is what the quarterback position looks like (hopefully) for the next couple of years. Former quarterback Will Nelson missed the final two games of the regular season with an injury and allowed the Jacket faithful to see then freshman Rhett Morgan.
Morgan split time with Colby Smith as signal caller against Wayne County then started his first varsity game against Burke in the finale.
Between the two, Morgan rushed for over 100 yards combined, which doesn’t jump off the page, but the way he commanded the offense as a freshman was impressive. All indications coming from Brooklet say that Morgan has physically made huge jumps and look to have a big year as a sophomore for the blue and gold.
The past couple of years, many folks around the SEB football program have said that the 2024 season will be one to watch.
A huge core of Jackets will hit their senior years in 2024 led by linebacker Kyle O’Brien who finished 2023 with 98 tackles and 6 TFLs.
A few other names that will be playing their final season in Brooklet are wide receiver Easton Phillips, tight end/defensive lineman Forest Fretwell along with linemen Jotavion Gaines, Deacon Craig, and Michael Dixon.
Through spring football and summer workouts a number of players have made a huge jump and are expected to make an impact in 2024.
Tyrone McGee is a junior wide receiver standing 6’2” and just shy of 200 pounds and has burst onto the scene. While a couple of receivers have looked good, the success of SEB looks to stay in the backfield as Jayden Murphy, Colby Smith, Quentin Reed, Chase Douglas, and Rhett Morgan seem to be the names to look for running the football in 2024.
The last few years, you have seen flashes from the Jackets, but 2024 seems to be the season that SEB puts those flashes and pieces together. Less than a month away from kickoff and the Brooklet community can’t wait to get back into Fred Shaver Field and “Chase Perfection”!
Buzzing About The Future
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While 2023 didn’t yield the win totals that those in Jackets Country would have wanted, but there is a lot that shines a light from 2023 in the direction of the future.
Finishing up the season with a 4-6 mark overall and dropping the final 4 games of the year doesn’t sound positive, but the fact remains that Southeast Bulloch still held control of their postseason possibilities until the final horn of the season.
It’s no question that Region 3 in the 4A classification is one of (if not the single most) difficult region in the state. Benedictine, Wayne County, Burke County were all mainstays in the top 10 rankings for most of the season while New Hampstead, who earned the two seed in the region, many say (including myself) should have been in the top 10. SEB dropped all those contests but showed positives in all the games for Coach Jared Zito’s squad.
Nothing shows this more than the New Hampstead game.
The Phoenix jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but SEB answered with conviction.
After a 26-yard Cole Snyder field goal got the Jackets on the board, he then executed a perfectly placed onside kick for the blue and gold to recover.
One play later Will Nelson found Kyon Taylor on a throw back screen for the 36-yard touchdown. After the ensuing kickoff died at the 1-yard line, SEB forced New Hampstead to a three and out.
With the Phoenix punter standing in his own endzone, Kyle O’Brien burst through the line to block the punt that fluttered out of bounds at the 13-yard line. Yet again, one play later, Kyon Taylor took it in for a score. Just that fast (2:07 to be exact) SEB had gone from 14-0 down to up 17-14.
One week later, on the Yellow Jackets’ senior night against the #1 team in the state, Benedictine jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Southeast Bulloch’s Special Teams Coordinator Randy Lee had another trick up his sleeve. A fake punt saw Colby Smith scamper 48 yards and set up the first Jackets touchdown five plays later.
Individually, there was a lot of growth for the Jackets this year. Entering the season, the linebacking core was the focus on the defense, and they didn’t disappoint.
Kyle O’Brien led the way for SEB in the stats sheet and on the field anchoring the middle of the defense.
Colby Smith continued to be a terror to offenses in his sophomore season. That combination also helped bring along younger players, most notably freshman Brant Horst, who played a big role in the back half of the season and earned a start in the season finale against Burke County.
The biggest future phenom that showed in 2023 was one that the Jackets would have rather not had to find this year. With senior quarterback Will Nelson sidelined with injury the last 2 weeks of the year, Brooklet was introduced to Rhett Morgan (at least at the varsity level).
His first drive as a varsity signal caller resulted in a 9 play 70-yard scoring drive, and while the results were 0-2, the process looked promising.
With the GHSA reclassification having Southeast Bulloch return to the 3A classification, it only adds to the positivity moving forward in Brooklet.
While 4-6 isn’t the standard expected for SEB, what you saw in this season proves it won’t be the norm moving forward.
