By: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Coach Warren Bradley enters his 8^th season as the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers Head Coach in his second stint holding that position.

Bradley took over the Bucs program in 2019 and has stabilized MCA’s football ranks. Before the hiring of Bradley, the Bucs employed 5 different head coaches in 7 seasons.

Bradley has not only stabilized the program, but he also has re-vitalized winning habits into the Bucs program and turned MCA into a perennial playoff team.

In 2025 the Bucs made the playoffs for the again under Bradley. MCA has made the playoffs every season in Coach Bradley’s tenure in his second go-round.

Last season the Bucs finished 5-5 in the regular season and that was good enough to get into the playoffs as four seed. MCA finished the season overall at 5-6, losing in the first round of the GHSA playoffs to #1 seed Johnson County, 34-7.

MCA enters 2026 with high expectations as they are returning starting RB Earnest McIntosh for his senior season.

The Bucs also find themselves in a new region. Region 3-1A will consist of MCA, Portal, Montgomery County, Emanuel County Institute and Claxton. This region lines up far easier than the last two seasons for the Bucs. While the region added Montgomery County, gone are the powerhouses of Metter and Screven County.

The Bucs will kick off the 2026 campaign at home at The Ship in Darien against Long County on August 21^st.

Week two will also be at home against former region foe Charlton County.

The Buccaneers will take to the road in week 3 against Georgia Military and then in week 4 pay a visit to Liberty County to take on the Panthers.

MCA will return home on September 18^th against Jeff Davis and then will host Screven County the following week at The Ship.

After a bye the following week region play kicks off for the Bucs against ECI in Darien

The Buccaneers return to the road on October 23^rd against the Claxton Tigers.

MCA returns home on Halloween weekend to take on Montgomery County and then will wrap up the regular season on the road against the Portal Panthers.

MCA is a legit contender to win the region in 2026.

Keep in mind the GHSA will be transitioning away from ranking teams according to how they finished in their region and instead will use power rankings rank playoff participants. What this does is place huge importance on non-region tilts as well as the region games as far as seeding.

I am picking MCA to finish the 2026 season with a 9-1 record and to win Region 3-1A.

Worst case for the Bucs, by my estimation, will be an 8-2 mark finishing second in the region.

The Buccaneers have not made a deep run in the playoffs in some time. I think this year that changes. I believe MCA is definitely an Elite 8 team, at worst, in 2026.