Rocky Hidalgo
Gold Standard For Red Terrors
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy has been educating students in Glynn County since 1788. Glynn Academy has been playing football since 1913, but history is being made currently with this current batch of Red Terror seniors.
This senior class led by Hunter Hall, Randon Jernigan, Andrew Delaney, Tyler Grant, and the rest of this fabulous class has compiled a 40-12 record on the football field. This makes this senior group the most successful senior class in the proud 105 year history of Red Terror football.
This program with four straight elite eight appearances in the second highest classification in the GHSA makes it the gold standard in coastal Georgia for public schools.
It all starts at the top with Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo, who is a master motivator and just doesn’t get caught up in the hype. He coaches up his kids to play fast and with confidence.
Hidalgo’s confidence in his kids reminds me a lot of Steve Spurrier in his Florida days. From day one walking in the door in 2014 at GA the plan has not changed and that is:
Win the City championship, which the Red Terrors have done every year he has been here.
Win the Region Championship, which the Red Terrors have done in 2015-2017.
Win the State Championship, which the program was State runner up in 2015. That goal is still in play for 2017.
Someone asked me recently what is the difference between the local high schools? All three are very talented on the football field and my answer was the following:
Brunswick and Frederica Academy hope to win when they play teams of equal or better talent and Glynn Academy knows and expects to win in the same situation. Guess who is still playing on Thanksgiving?
Glynn plays a very talented Lee County team this Friday on the road, but I can guarantee you this Glynn expects to beat the Trojans.
The Red Terrors have some quality players. Hunter Hall is the most productive linebacker I have ever seen in person roam the football field in Glynn County in my lifetime. The kid is just a great football player and I know he has an offer from West Georgia, and at 6’0 195 for the life of me I just can’t understand why he doesn’t have 40 offers to play college football. This kid is an awesome football player.
Outside of Darius Slay of the Detroit Lions I have never seen a faster or better overall athlete than Randon Jernigan in my lifetime in Glynn County. The kid is a special once in a generation athlete. The 87-yard TD run against Valdosta in the first round is a treat to watch.
I saw the great Valdosta teams of the 1980’s in person as a student at Valdosta State College and my old college friends who still reside in the Valdosta area tell me they have never seen anyone run away from their Cats like Jernigan did on that TD run.
They love their football in Valdosta. In case you live outside of Glynn County, Jernigan signed a baseball scholarship to play for the University of Georgia recently. He will suit up for the Dawgs then will play professional baseball when his time at UGA is complete.
This is a special group of seniors on this Glynn football team. They just keep winning and winning and deep runs in the State playoffs is now part of the culture at Glynn Academy.
I encourage Glynn County to go out and watch this record breaking group this Friday night at Glynn County stadium.
Before the season many pundits said this would be a rebuilding year at GA. I guess rebuilding now is defined as Final Four appearances. I usually wear blue and gold on Friday nights. I’ll be wearing Red and White this Friday.
Go Terrors! Bring home a State Football Championship.
The Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch Nov 11
Terrors Throttle Effingham
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Good football teams seem to take on the identity of their coach.
Alabama is a “trust the process” machine that will cut you out if you don’t fit, just like their coach Nick Saban.
Georgia Tech carries a huge chip on their shoulder, to go along with a huge inferiority complex mostly perpetuated by head man Paul Johnson. The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are no exception.
Rocky Hidalgo Show September 5
Tift Too Much For Glynn
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy’s week 3 loss to Tift County, 27-7, can be summarized into one word: Until.
The Terrors were moving the ball up and down the field, until they turned it over, when Randon Jernigan was strip sacked on Tift’s 29.
They had picked up a crucial third down, until they came up a yard short and failed on the fourth down conversion.
The defense held 4-star receiver Rashod Bateman in check, until they didn’t, when they seemingly forgot the Minnesota commit was on the field and he walked into to the endzone for an 80-yard score.
One thing remains true in football across all levels; When you face good teams, you can’t give up the ball. Glynn is a young team that is still trying to find its footing and it seems to have a propensity for coughing up the football. In an offense that puts the ball in a lot of people’s hands, like the option does, that’s catastrophic,
Tift County entered this game with a dominant defense (giving up 4.7 points per game). Much like Benedictine, Tift loaded the box all night. Glynn’s triple option, dominant last week against Ware, was held under 70 yards on the night. Caine Crews lead the way with 33 yards on 15 carries (2.2 ypc).
For the second week in a row, Glynn only completed two passes. One, a 60 yarder to Andrew Delaney, setup the Terrors’ only score.
If Glynn has any playoff aspirations they must find a passing game. Teams will continue to load the box until Jernigan can prove that he can beat them over the top. Jernigan shouldn’t shoulder all the blame, though. His line rarely gives him time to move off his first look, and his receivers can’t consistently beat their men.
Defensively, the team played well minus a couple of big plays. Tift quarterback Griffin Collier gashed the Terrors’ defense on the second play of the game for a 74-yard touchdown and found receiver Rashod Bateman for the aformentioned 80-yard bomb.
Tift had a clear game plan: Get up early and ride our defense. The Blue Devils, a pass heavy offense, threw the ball only 21 times for 198 yards. Tift felt they could shut down Glynn, so why get risky?
Glynn finds themselves at an interesting place. Again, it can’t be understated that this team is hurt, but they’re getting healthier every week.
Yet, every week the offense becomes more one dimensional. They must choose now if they open the offense up, or continue to pound the rock and trust the system.
We’ll get to see what they choose next week when they take on Camden County at Glynn County Stadium. Camden is coming off an extremely solid come from behind win at home against Fitzgerald and will look to improve their record to 3-1 when they take on the Terrors.
This is a tough match up for Glynn. Camden is another team that rides their great defense. In what should be a low scoring game, the difference will biggest factor will be Glynn’s ability or inability to hold on to the ball. Camden will pounce on any mistake you make.
Glynn is 1-2, and largely looking for consistency before region play begins. A win over a good team like Camden would not only bring the Terrors back to .500, it would be a huge confidence boost for a team that needs it.
Glynn Academy vs Camden County kicks off at 7:30 at Glynn County Stadium on Friday, September 8th.
The Rocky Hidalgo Show August 29
Glynn Academy’s Season Opener
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The football season in Glynn County began with a resounding thud, as Glynn Academy fell to Benedictine 33-8.
What was expected to be a heavyweight fight became more of a “Who can put the ball on the ground more?”.
Rocky Hidalgo Show Aug 15
Rocky Hidalgo Show-Coming Soon
Glynn Academy Red Terror Preview
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors have been just that to the rest of Georgia high school football since the arrival of head coach Rocky Hidalgo.
Under Hidalgo the Terrors have amassed a record of 32-9 (78%) including a playoff record of 8-3 (72%). Making the quarterfinals in each of their first three seasons, including a state championship appearance in 2015, Glynn has established itself as a perennial power in the state.
