By: Jeff Doke

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Last year, the Frederica Knights found themselves somewhere unexpected; at home for the first round of the GISA Playoffs.

After a tough rebuilding 2014 campaign, the surprising 3-1 region/7-3 overall record in 2015 was good enough to land the Knights with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The run for the State Championship ended early, losing to Gatewood 14-3 in the first round.

2016, however, is a VERY different year. This year’s Knights more than made up for the previous year’s loss, opening up the playoffs with a decimating 52-14 victory over Bethlehem Christian.

Head Coach Brandon Derrick has spoken numerous times throughout the year as to when he hoped this team would hit their stride. He was worried about hitting the peak too early, that he would prefer his squad to start firing on all cylinders by week 8, fully hitting their stride for the playoff run.

And fire on all cylinders they did this week. The Knights defense opened the game with a three & out. Once the offense took the field, it looked like they were going to pick right back up where they left off two weeks prior (a 34-7 victory over Edmund Burke Academy). The drive ended, unfortunately, with an Isaiah Jackson fumble just inside the red zone.

This would be Jackson’s only “lowlight” of the game. Following the fumble, the sophomore running back put together one of the finest two quarters of high school football I have ever witnessed, scoring three times on runs of 1, 54, and 55 yards.

Twenty four minutes of play, over a hundred yards rushing, and three touchdowns. Not a bad night’s work, to put it mildly.

It wasn’t all Jackson in the first half, however. Fellow sophomores Patrick Brunson and Jaylin Simpson also found the endzone; Brunson on an iconic crossfield 65-yard punt return and Simpson on a 9-yard pass from Sophomore QB Gaven Williams.

Senior CB Chris Myrick also got in on the action, adding a 54 yard interception return for a touchdown. at halftime, the score was already 45-0, and the Knights were fairly confident of the victory.

The night wasn’t done for the offense, though. After sitting out the first two quarters, Sophomore RB Jashawn Sheffield tacked on a 50-yard touchdown run on the second play of the 2nd half. For those of you scoring at home, that’s five touchdowns of 50+ yards on the night. Electric doesn’t begin to describe this team.

“These kids are very focused, very in to what we’re trying to do,” said Coach Derrick after the game. “We’ve got a bright future.”

The future continues next week under the oaks against Deerfield-Windsor out of Albany, GA.

“They’ve got a lot of skill kids,” speculates Coach Derrick. “They’re gonna match up well with us at times, it’s going to be a pretty even game.”

Final thought; while the playoffs continue, it’s hard not to look ahead for this squad. When you realize that you’ve got five amazing sophomores in Williams, Sheffield, Simpson, Jackson, and Brunson, it’s hard not to feel a giddy sense of anticipation about the next few years.

There is a core of players on this Knights team that would make any coach jealous, regardless of if we’re talking GISA, GHSA, or otherwise. It’s difficult to look at this team and discount them simply because of the league they are in. They’re focused, they’re executing, and they are driven.

And in three more weeks, hopefully we’ll be able to add “they’re champions” to that list.  The March to Mercer continues…