By: Colin Lacy

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Sports fans across the landscape will say that “nobody cares if you didn’t win the last game.”

Well, that’s exactly what Pierce County did in 2023 by winning the 2023 AA State Championship against Rockmart.

The shootout 48-45 victory for the Bears capped off the stretch of winning the final nine games of the 2023 season behind quarterback Caden McGatha who ran for 258 yards against Rockmart to bring the title back to Blackshear.

Now the Bears turn the page but will reading from a very similar book with the majority of the production back from the State Title team.

This includes standout quarterback Caden McGatha who will be entering his senior year in 2024. McGatha accounted for eleven yards shy of 2,000 on the ground while also throwing for 1,950 yards.

McGatha was accountable for 51 of the 71 touchdowns scored by the Bears on the season with 23 coming through the air and 28 on the ground.

Running backs Marquez Leggett and Jah Evans are also back in the fold and look to be a key factor in the Pierce success again in 2024.

Leggett was the Bear’s second leading rusher with 482 yards and 5 rushing scores teaming up with Evans that recorded 304 yards and second best on the team with 6 rushing touchdowns.

The Bears also return the top two receivers in Joe Drew and Nigel Brown. Drew goes into his senior season after 663 yards receiving with 10 TDs.

Brown followed up with 372 yards last season with 5 scores.

Virtually the only impact player not returning on the offensive side from the 2023 championship team is Carson Sloan who hauled in seven receiving touchdowns in conjunction with 365 yards before graduating after the 2023 magical season.

The 2024 slate kicks off on August 24^th with the lid lifter against Coosa Christian who make the trip to Blackshear from Gadsden, Alabama.

Brantley County, who was a region counterpart last year, will return the trip to Pierce after the Bears pummeled the Herons last year 56-6.

Wayne County, New Hampstead and Brooks County will follow before a renewal of a rivalry against Vidalia to round out the non-region slate.

Vidalia, who has dropped down to single A in the GHSA reclassification, fell to the Bears to the tune of 35-7 when the two were region foes last year.

Because of the reshuffling of the GHSA classifications and regions the new Region 3 in AA Class is now only comprised of 5 teams with Cook, Crisp County, Tattnall County and Appling County in addition to Pierce with Tattnall, Appling and Pierce the only holdovers that have stayed since 2023.

Last season Pierce County defeated Tattnall County 31-0 to cap off the regular season in 2023.

2024 regular season will finish up with a highly anticipated rematch of Pierce and Appling County. Appling was the lone blemish on the 14-1 record of the Bears with the Pirates getting the best of Pierce 17-14 last September.

2024 looks incredibly bright for 6^th year head coach Ryan Herring as the Bears look to continue the streak of already 13 straight years of playoff football in Blackshear.

Already two state titles on the resume of Ryan Herring at Pierce County, and the Bears look poised to continue the legacy that has been exhumed the last more than a decade.

The Bears have had a double figure wins in each of the last six years and look to replicate that on their way back to Atlanta for another trip to the GHSA mountain top.