By: Teddy Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

After posting a 1-2 non-region record, the Brunswick High Football Pirates are getting ready to roll into Region 1-6A play on September 18.

First year head coach Dr. Byron Slack’s Pirates kicked off the 2026 campaign at home against the Camden County Wildcats, losing 35-21.

In week two, Dr. Slack’s Pirates hosted the Groves Rebels and walked away with a 63-0 shellacking.

Following a bye week, Brunswick High hosted 7-A powerhouse Grayson. Despite being a huge underdog, the Pirates played the Rams tough, even taking the lead in the third quarter before Grayson eventually prevailed, 44-31, giving BHS their 1-2 non-region record.

Coach Slack’s squad begins region play with a four-hour bus trip to the Augusta area to take on the Grovetown Warriors, currently 0-3 on the season. This could be a trap game for the Pirates, as they have sometimes struggled on long road-trip games.

The following Friday (Sept. 25), BHS returns to Glynn County Stadium to host the Greenbrier Wolfpack, another Augusta area school, who is currently 1-2.

On October 2, Coach Slack’s Pirates will travel to Hinesville to clash with the Bradwell Institute Tigers, currently 2-1 in 2026.

Over the years, the Tigers have not fared well against the Pirates, but Bradwell appears to be a much better football team than in recent years.

After their second bye week, Coach Slack’s Pirates will be the home team on October 16 at Glynn County Stadium against the Glynn Academy Red Terrors in the City Championship game. This promises to be a very important region tilt, as well securing local bragging rights for the next twelve months. The Terrors are currently 1-2.

After the City Championship game, the Pirates will host back-to-back games against South Effingham (3-0) and Effingham (1-2). The Mustangs and the Rebels, respectively, will continue a long-standing rivalry against the Pirates.

Brunswick closes out the regular season on November 6 by returning to the Augusta area (another trap game?) to take on Lakeside-Evans. The Panthers stand at 0-3.

Senior quarterback Keygan Walker has stepped into the leadership role very comfortably for the Pirates. In the three non-region games, Walker threw for 430 yards and 7 touchdowns.

At an exclusive coach’s show with The Bishop Media Sports Network, Coach Slack lauded Walker’s performance thus far, “and he’ll continue to get better,” Coach Slack added.

Senior Waseem Murray has been Walker’s favorite receiver with 250 yards receiving and 3 touchdown receptions on the young season. Coach Slack has described Murray as “lightning in a bottle.”

Seniors Nigel Gardner and Josiah Gibbons have anchored the running game for the Pirates, with Gardner closing in on 200 yards rushing for the season, while Gibbons, Murray, and Isreal Henry are the leading scorers with 18 points each.

The Pirates scored 115 points in three non-region games.

Overall, the Pirate defense has played well, despite giving up 79 combined points to Camden and Grayson, as the Wildcats and the Rams will likely be the two best teams Brunswick will face until the playoffs. As previously mentioned, the Pirate D blanked Groves.

The defense has been anchored by Samir Dobbins, Zay Bennett, Zi’yan Rankin, and Chozen Owens, among several others.

Kicker Braxton Davis has been busy kicking extra points and a field goal in the non-region contests.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the playoffs get underway using a system called the Post Season Rankings Formula, concocted by the Georgia High School Association.

Unless I’m missing something, this is one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard.

Best I can tell, it works like this: Unless you actually win a region championship, you may or may not qualify for post-season play.

Other than winning a region championship, a team’s eligibility for the playoffs depends on its won-lost record, its opponents’ won-lost record, its opponents’ opponents’ won-loss record, and the wind direction on the Ides of March.

Under the old playoff system, of course, the top four teams in each region qualified for post-season play, regardless of the wind.

At any rate, my prediction is as follows: Dr. Coach Byron Slack’s Pirates run the table in region play, winning the city championship as well as the region championship in his first year at Brunswick High, and then makes a playoff run, getting past the second round for the first time since 1999.

Go Pirates!