By Kevin Price For GCS Athletics Brunswick High’s season came to a disappointing finish Friday night as the Pirates lost big to Coffee in the second round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs at Glynn County Stadium. The Trojans proved to be Brunswick’s match as they overpowered the eighth-ranked Pirates on the way to a 45-14 victory to advance to the quarterfinal round next week. “That’s a really good team. They’re gonna make a run,” said BHS head coach Garrett Grady. “They’re physical, and we gotta be able to match the physicality. At times, we did. And at times, we didn’t. And when we didn’t, it showed.” The Pirates (10-2) hadn’t lost since falling at home to Camden County 51-41 back in August in the season opener, but that evening they gave up three easy touchdowns to the Wildcats that resulted from breakdowns by their punt team. Since that game, the Pirates had won 10 games, region and city championships and a first-round playoff game while setting a new regular-season record for points scored as well with one of the highest-scoring offenses in the state and also an opportunistic defense that had scored some as well. All of that will make for good footnotes for another fine season by the 2024 Pirates who were also hoping to become the first Brunswick team since the 1999 team that played for a state championship to reach the Elite Eight. None of that fazed this Coffee team that the Pirates encountered Friday night, however. The seventh-ranked Trojans have something special going these days, too. They won their program’s first state crown a year ago with a perfect 15-0 record in Class AAAAA when Georgia had seven classifications. This season, they were placed in the second-largest class as the state went back to six classifications. Coffee (10-2) finished third in Region 2, where their only losses were to second-ranked Lee County and third-ranked Thomas County Central, which won this classification last year when it was Class AAAAAA and still the second-largest classification in the state. Those two teams also won on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals along with the region’s fourth-seed, Houston County, giving the region four teams in the final eight. “They executed in all three phases of the game,” Grady said about the Trojans. “That’s a really good team. This stinks for us, but there’s a lot of stuff we have to work on and do better if we’re going to get past the second round.” Here in Brunswick, Coffee gained 22 first downs and rushed for 454 yards against the Pirates while throwing only two passes the entire game and completing both for 4 yards to finish with 458 yards on the night. The 45 points the Trojans scored were the most anyone had scored on the Pirates since the loss to Camden in the opening game. Meantime, the Coffee defense clamped down on Brunswick’s high-powered offense, holding the Pirates to their lowest point-total of the season. Previously, the fewest points BHS had scored in a game came against Greenbrier when the Pirates won a region contest over the Wolfpack 21-14 on the road. The Pirates finished with 317 yards but were held to 94 on the ground after having minus-3 yards rushing at halftime because of lost-yardage on sacks. Brunswick threw for 223 yards. Junior quarterback Grant Moore was 7-of-19 passing with two interceptions. Kent had four catches for 204 yards. The leading rusher for BHS ended up being sophomore Nigel Gardner who ripped off an 87-yard scoring run in the third quarter after Coffee had put up two quick touchdowns to lead 35-7 after owning a 21-7 advantage at halftime. Gardner ran eight times for 103 yards in the loss. Coffee held senior running back William Heck, Brunswick’s leading rusher coming in, to only 14 yards on 11 tries. The Pirates played a second straight week without play-maker Jamarious Towns who was injured in the final game of the regular season and didn’t play in either playoff game. “They played well on defense. We knew facing them would be a challenge,” Grady said. “Their linebacking corps is really good and makes a lot of plays. “We got some yardage in the air and wanted to take advantage of that, but we’ve gotta be able to run the football. We’ve been balanced all year long, and we’ve gotta be able to run the football in certain situations.” It didn’t help, Grady noted, that the Pirates made matters harder on themselves with penalties that put them behind the chains. On their second offensive series of the night, for instance, the Pirates were flagged for three straight false starts. They picked up a first down to overcome those penalties, but later on that same drive, another false start on third-and-3 at the Coffee 23 put the Pirates in a third-and-8 from the 28. Consecutive sacks by the Trojans on the next two plays forced the Pirates to give up the ball on downs. For the game, BHS had 11 penalties for 92 yards. “We gotta do a better job. We gotta execute better,” Grady said. Coffee opened up a 21-7 lead at halftime with its first score coming on an 85-yard kick return by senior Tyrese Woodgett who was just getting a big individual night started for himself. His touchdown answered the game’s first score by the Pirates on their first possession when junior quarterback Grant Moore heaved a pass on third-and-15 to junior tight end Heze Kent along the Brunswick sideline that went for a 73-yard touchdown. Woodgett, a 185-pound running back, would carry 25 times in the game for Coffee for 217 yards and five rushing touchdowns to go with his kick return for the first Coffee score. His 5-yard TD run capped an 8-play, 60-yard drive for the Trojans that gave them a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter. A 2-yard TD run by Woodgett put the Trojans up 21-7 early in the second quarter. His third score of the game was set up by a blocked punt by the Trojans which gave them the ball first-and-goal at the Brunswick 2-yard line. Just before that, Moore escaped a possible sack on a broken play and threw a bomb 79 yards to Kent for a touchdown as the big tight end got behind the Coffee secondary. But, the six points came off the board because of a holding penalty. With Coffee ahead by two scores, Brunswick got a 64 yard kick return by Waseem Murray to the Coffee 21-yard line where they went on offense again. The Pirates could have made it a one-score game with a touchdown, but Coffee stopped Kent on back-to-back runs from the 2-yard line to keep BHS out of the end zone and take over on downs at their own 1-yard line after the defensive stand. After halftime, Coffee took complete control, taking the second-half kick and driving 62 yards with Woodget scoring his third rushing touchdown from 8 yards out for a 28-7 lead. Following a BHS punt from deep in its own territory, Coffee started its next series at the Brunswick 24. The Trojans called Woodgett’s number three straight times and he ran for 5, 16 and 3 yards to cross the goal line again as the score went to 35-7. After the Gardner run for BHS with just under eight minutes left in the third, Woodgett scored from a yard away to finish a 61-yard march by the Trojans for a 42-14 lead midway through the third. Coffee put the final score on the board moments in the fourth period with a 38-yard field goal by Jonah Saylor. Also for the Trojans, K.J. DeBruce ran for 126 yards on 17 carries while Tyrese Hansley added 41 yards on just six totes. Coffee will be back on the road next week against Sequoyah which defeated Woodward Academy 35-20 on Friday. Also on Friday, Lakeside-Evans, the runner-up in Region 1 behind Brunswick, was eliminated by Houston County which pummeled the Panthers 63-12. ...

Kickoff A look at Brunswick High’s game in the second round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs: Opponent: Coffee When: 7:30 p.m. Friday Where: Glynn County Stadium Radio: 107.7 FM Records: BHS 10-1, No. 1-seed from Region 1-AAAAA; Coffee 9-2, No.-3 seed from Region 2-AAAAA. Last week: BHS defeated Villa Rica 43-13; Coffee defeated Jackson County 31-7. Last meeting/All-time: Coffee won 38-21 in 2019; Coffee leads 13-6 in overall series. Game Preview Brunswick High is set to face off against Coffee in a Southeast Georgia heavyweight battle at Glynn County Stadium on Friday night. The second-round game is a matchup between a pair of top-10 teams in Class AAAAA. Coffee is ranked seventh in the state while the Pirates are ranked eighth. Brunswick is riding a 10-game winning streak coming into Friday’s showdown. The Pirates dropped the season-opening game to Camden County at home but have not lost since, winning their final nine games in the regular season before rolling past Villa Rica last week in the playoff opener. Of course, the Pirates went a perfect 8-0 in Region 1 en route to their third league championship in four seasons to earn the No. 1 seed for the state playoffs as well. Coffee lost twice this season, falling to Lee County and Thomas County Central, the top two teams respectively from their region. Lee finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the state after claiming the Region 2 title. Lee defeated Coffee 48-14 on Oct. 11. Coffee was ranked third in the state at the time. The Trojans also had won 21 straight games as they were 6-0 to start the 2024 season after going 15-0 last fall on the way to the Class AAAAA state title which was the first in program history. The Trojans’ other loss this season was to Thomas County Central in the final game of the regular season. The Yellow Jackets won 38-7 to secure the No. 2 seed for the playoffs. The Jackets, ranked third in the state, lost only to Lee County during the season and won Class AAAAAA last season when Georgia had seven classes. This game between the Pirates and Trojans will be the 20th meeting between the two Southeast Georgia foes who have met in non-region and region games, league playoff games and one other state playoff contest in the past. Coffee leads the all-time series 13-6, having won the last six meetings. The teams actually haven’t played since 2019 when the Trojans won the season opener for both teams by 38-21. The one state playoff game between Brunswick and Coffee took place in 1999 when the Pirates won 62-16 in the opening round to kick off their run to the Class AAAA title game that season. Friday’s meeting will match one of the state’s highest-scoring offenses against one of the premier defenses. Brunswick averages 45.7 points per game while Coffee allows 14.2 points a game. The Pirates, while setting a single-season scoring record in the regular season with 460 points that included several defensive scores, have topped 40 points in all but one of the 11 games they have played to date. The only time the Pirates didn’t bust the 40-point mark, they won 21-14 at Greenbrier in late September after falling behind 14-0 early in the game. Meantime, the only opponents to score more than more than 20 points on the Trojans were Lee County and Thomas County Central. In their other nine games, Ware County scored the most against the Trojans with 16 in a four-point loss in the annual rivalry game between the teams in late August. Players to watch on the BHS offense are junior quarterback Grant Moore, senior tailback William Heck, senior receiver Jamarious Towns, sophomore receiver Waseem Murray and junior tight end Heze Kent. Top players for the Brunswick defense include senior linebackers J’Shawn Towns, the Region 1 Defensive Player of the Year, and Caleb Butler, also an All-Region selection who is committed to Georgia Southern, fellow senior linebacker Jeremiah Robbins, senior defensive back Sehki Ashley and junior defensive back Aviyon Addison. Players to keep an eye on from Coffee include senior running back Tyrese Woodgett, senior linebackers Chris Reed and Jyarius Carter and senior cornerback Jayden Hancock. A victory for the Pirates would be their first in the second round since the 1999 season. The Brunswick-Coffee winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face the winner of the second-round game between Woodward Academy-Sequoyah. The Pirates would be at home against Sequoyah as a higher seed. Sequoyah is a No. 2 seed. BHS would be forced to travel to face Woodward, another No. 1 seed. That’s because the universal coin flip by the Georgia High School Association that took place at the start of the week favored teams in the lower half of the brackets in the event that like-seeds were to meet in the quarterfinals. Coffee would be on the road in the quarterfinals against either Woodward or Sequoyah since the Trojans are a No. 3 seed in the brackets. ---- Compiled by Kevin Price for GCS Athletics ...

By Kevin Price For GCS Athletics The Brunswick High Pirates sailed into the second round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs with a convincing 43-13 victory over Villa Rica Friday night at Glynn County Stadium. The Pirates have now won first-round games in five of their six straight trips to the playoffs. The win also was the 10th in a row for Brunswick, which entered the postseason ranked eighth in the state after winning Region 1-AAAAA. The Pirates have not lost since falling at home in the season opener to Camden County. “I’m glad it’s over. Congratulations to our guys and coaches who prepared well,” said Brunswick coach Garrett Grady. “We won the game and guys played great on both sides of the ball.” Villa Rica, the No. 4 seed from Region 5, ended its season with a 5-6 record. Brunswick will be at home again next week in round two against Coffee, a 31-7 winner at Jackson County in its opening-round game on Friday night. The Trojans (9-2) won the state title last season in Class AAAAA when Georgia had seven classifications and finished third in Region 2 this season while losing only to Lee County and Thomas County Central, the top two seeds from the region. All three teams spent the season ranked in the top 10. Coffee entered the playoffs ranked No. 7 in the state. The Pirates never trailed in Friday’s game as they opened up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and would hold a 27-0 advantage at halftime. Brunswick dominated the opening half as they gained 268 yards in the first two quarters while limiting the Wildcats to only 61 yards before the halftime break. The Pirates finished the night with a balanced offensive effort, totaling 431 yards with 231 yards through the air and 200 on the ground. Brunswick had only 57 yards rushing in the first half as the Wildcats did a good job defending the run, but BHS got its usually-potent ground attack going after halftime and gained 143 yards via the rush over the final two quarters. BHS junior quarterback Grant Moore was 11-of-20 passing for all of the team’s passing yards while throwing for three touchdowns. Senior running back William Heck, the team’s leading rusher, ended up going over the 100-yard mark again with 17 carries for 117 yards after having 42 yards on nine attempts at the half. Cam Bolton provided the bulk of the Villa Rica offense. He carried for 153 yards and a touchdown on 18 tries. The Wildcats finished with 199 net yards against the Pirates. BHS won the toss and elected to take the ball to start the game. The Pirates, who are among the highest-scoring teams in the state, covered 77 yards in 11 plays to grab the lead from the start. Heze Kent, the large junior tight end for the Pirates, took a direct snap and scored from a yard out to get the Pirates on the board. The Pirates got the ball again after the defense forced a three-and-out by Villa Rica on its first possession, and BHS would march 64 yards in eight plays to go up 14-0 after the Landon Etheridge point-after kick. The second BHS score came on a fourth-and-goal play from the Villa Rica 5-yard line. Moore rolled right and hit Heck out of the backfield with the touchdown pass in the far corner. Also on the scoring drive, Moore found Kent along the BHS sideline for a 29-yard gain to the Villa Rica 40 before throwing a long ball to the opposite sideline where Murray came off his feet for a highlight-reel catch and a 39-yard pickup to the 3-yard line, setting up a first-and-goal for the Pirates. Early in the second stanza, the Pirates started their third possession at their own 10 and would need only four plays to go the 90 yards for a commanding 21-0 cushion. Moore tossed a 69-yard scoring strike to Murray over the top of the defense for a third BHS touchdown. It looked like that would be the score at halftime, but the Pirates got the ball back with 21 seconds to go in the half after their defense forced a Villa Rica punt by dropping the quarterback for consecutive losses prior to an incomplete pass on third down. Starting at midfield, the Pirates faced third-and-8 with only six seconds left in the half. Moore was flushed from the pocket and rolled to his right. Just before he reached the Brunswick sideline, the signal-caller lofted a pass toward a crowd down the field as he was about to take a hit. The high pass was batted back toward the line of scrimmage, but Brunswick running back Josiah Gibbons was there to catch it and took it in for a fourth score and the 27-0 cushion for the Pirates at intermission. When the second half started, the Wildcats got a good kick return to the BHS 41 and would punch home its first score eight plays later. The Pirates immediately answered on a dazzling run by sophomore Nigel Gardner. He took a handoff going right and slipped a tackle before reversing field and outrunning the defense to the BHS sideline. Gardner slipped another tackle after turning the corner, and with Moore out in front as a lead blocker, he dashed to paydirt for a 52-yard touchdown run that will make the season highlight-film. The Wildcats scored the next time they had the ball, too, going 80 yards in 10 plays and getting a 10-yard TD run from Bolton. The Pirates went up 36-13 when a sack by Jeremiah Robbins in the end zone resulted in a safety late in the third period. The Pirates were deep in Villa Rica territory in the final seconds of the quarter when a fight broke out suddenly in the end zone following a play. Coaches from both teams rushed the field to jump into the middle of the fray to keep the situation from escalating further and possibly spiraling totally out of control. Punches were thrown by players from both sides. Two BHS players were ejected from the game, and by rule will have to sit out next week’s game as well. Two Villa Rica players also were ejected. BHS ended up finishing off the drive with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter as Kent barreled into the end zone from 2 yards away on the other end of the field. Etheridge added the PAT. After the game, Grady took the blame for his players’ part in the altercation in the third quarter. “We got some guys ejected in a playoff game, and that’s not what you want to see,” he said. “We have to do a better job of teaching composure, that’s the biggest thing. We had everything to gain, and they had nothing to lose. We were playing for next week. We have to keep our composure in tough situations, and we have to be mentally-tough. We weren’t. We showed that weakness, and I take full responsibility for that.” Grady said the BHS coaches talked to the team in the locker room at halftime after things got a bit chippy toward the end of the first half. He reminded the Pirates again about controlling their emotions the rest of the way in a team huddle before play resumed after the tussle on the field. The next time Villa Rica got the ball, BHS was penalized for unsporstmanlike conduct as several Brunswick players were trying to take the ball away from a Wildcats player. The home fans disagreed with the call and let the game officials know it with a collective chorus of boos from the stands. A few plays later, Grady called a timeout and walked onto the field specifically to talk to the referee. He told reporters after the game he was addressing derogatory remarks being made toward his players from the opposing team. “I was just trying to take up for my players,” Grady said. Following the game, the two head coaches did meet up on the field, but the players did not form lines and cross the field to shake hands. The Brunswick players were directed by school officials and coaches to head straight to the locker room beyond the South end zone to avoid any other possible incidents. ...

By Kevin Price For GCS Athletics The 2024 season came to a close Friday night for the Glynn Academy Red Terrors as they lost big to the Rome Wolves in the first round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs. A turnover-filled game for the Terrors got out of hand early at Barron Stadium as the Wolves advanced to the second round with a 49-17 victory on their home field. The loss left Glynn with a 6-5 final record. Rome improved to 8-2 with the win. The Terrors were the No. 4 seed from Region 1 and made the playoffs after winning their final two league games to close the season. Glynn was making its 11 straight playoff appearance under head coach Rocky Hidalgo who has taken the team to the postseason every season since taking over the program prior to the 2014 campaign. The Terrors have now lost four straight first-round games. Rome, a state champion in 2016 and 2017, is back in the playoffs an 11th straight year under head coach John Reid. The Wolves reached the quarterfinals last year before falling to eventual state champion Thomas County Central. The Wolves will get a rematch with TCC in the second round this year as the Yellow Jackets also won their first-round game on Friday. Rome led the Terrors 42-3 at halftime on Friday and the game was played with a running clock over the final two quarters. The home team started the scoring in the game’s first minute, getting a 47-yard touchdown run from quarterback Aiden McPherson to get rolling. A fumble by the Terrors on their first series gave Rome a short field and the Wolves capitalized by scoring from 31 yards on a swing pass from McPherson to Javarious McDearmont. A Glynn interception on its second series and the ensuing return gave Rome the ball at the GA 45-yard line for its third possession. This time, the Wolves scored in two plays with McPherson throwing a second touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead after the extra-point kick. The Wolves put three touchdowns on the board with nine offensive plays. Glynn mounted a drive on its next series that led to a 24-yard field goal by Tuck Tucker. But, Rome just kept on scoring. McDearmont caught another pass that went for a 66-yard score and McPherson ran for another touchdown following another Glynn turnover for a 42-3 lead. The Wolves tacked on one last first-half touchdown with a drive that took a minute and 20 seconds, their longest scoring drive of the opening half. Rome went up 49-3 in the third quarter before Glynn scooped up a blocked punt and scored its second touchdown. The Terrors added a late touchdown on a 33-yard run by quarterback T.Y. Chisolm that capped a 12-play, 94-yard drive. ...

Kickoff A look at Brunswick High’s first-round game in the Class AAAAA state playoffs: Opponent: Villa Rica When: 7:30 p.m. Friday Where: Glynn County Stadium Radio: 107.7 FM Records: BHS 9-1, No. 1 seed from Region 1-AAAAA; VR, 5-5, No. 4 seed from Region 5-AAAAA. Last week: BHS defeated Bradwell Institute 43-12; Villa Rica did not play. Last meeting/All-time: Teams have never played. Game Preview Brunswick High is set to begin the Class AAAAA state playoffs at home as the Region 1-AAAAA champion. The Pirates secured the region crown two weeks ago when they won at South Effingham, and last week they finished off their unbeaten run through the league schedule with a rout of the Bradwell Institute Tigers in Hinesville. Last week’s game was a makeup game. BHS was originally scheduled to play the Tigers in early October, but the game got postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This year’s region championship was the third in the last four years for the Pirates. Brunswick is riding a nine-game winning streak heading into the state playoffs. The Pirates, ranked eighth in the state, have not lost since dropping their season opener 51-41 to Camden County at home. The Pirates are making their sixth straight appearance in the playoffs. BHS has won in the first round in four of its last five playoff trips. With a victory Friday over Villa Rica, the Pirates are guaranteed a home game next week in the second round. Friday’s winner faces the Jackson County-Coffee winner in round two. Jackson County is a No. 2 seed while Coffee is a No. 3 seed. The Wildcats missed the playoffs the last two years after reaching the Class AAAAA quarterfinals back in 2021. This season, they won their first three region games before losing three of their last four. Those losses were to the top three seeds from their region for the playoffs. Austin Barron is in his third season as the Villa Rica head coach. He joined the program in 2021 and previously served as defensive coordinator and head strength coach before becoming the head coach. On Thursday, BHS announced its All-Region Team players. Making the first-team offense were quarterback Grant Moore, running back William Heck, receiver Jashawn Towns, receiver Waseem Murray, tight end Heze Kent and offensive linemen Chase Richardson and Kasiyah Charlton. Named to the first-team defense were lineman Lance Brown, linebackers Caleb Butler, Jeremiah Robbins and Kregg Richardson and defensive backs Aviyon Addison and Sehki Ashley. BHS senior linebacker J’Shawn Towns was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. BHS head coach Garrett Grady was named Coach of the Year. For Villa Rica, sophomore Miles George was recently named one of the Athlete/All-purpose Players of the Year for Region 5-AAAAA. ---- Compiled by Kevin Price for GCS Athletics ...

Kickoff A look at Glynn Academy’s first-round game in the Class AAAAA state playoffs: Opponent: Rome When: 7:30 p.m. Friday Where: Barron Stadium, Rome Radio: 102.5 FM Records: GA 6-4, No. 4 seed from Region 1-AAAAA; RHS 7-2, No. 1 seed from Region 5-AAAAA Last week: GA defeated Evans 28-24; Rome did not play. Last meeting/All-time: Teams have never played. Game Preview Glynn Academy is making its 11th straight appearance in the playoffs under head coach Rocky Hidalgo who has taken the Red Terrors to the playoffs in every season he has been the team’s head coach. The last time Glynn didn’t make the playoffs was the 2007 season even though the Terrors were 7-3 that year. Under Hidalgo, the Terrors’ best postseason run was of course back in 2015 when Glynn played for the Class AAAAA state championship. Two years later, the Terrors reached the state semifinals before losing out. Glynn has fallen in the first round each of the last three seasons. The Terrors were upset as a No. 2 seed last year at home by Jonesboro in the opening round. This season, the Terrors had to win their final two games at home to assure themselves of a playoff berth. They knocked off Greenbrier 28-21 on Nov. 1, scoring the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter after the Wolfpack tied the score going into the final period. Last Friday, the Terrors gave up the lead in the fourth quarter before regaining the lead and pulling out a 28-24 win over Evans to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Rome is making its 10th consecutive playoff appearance. Head coach John Reid has been at the helm for each one since taking over the program going into the 2015 season. Reid led the Wolves to back-to-back Class AAAAA state titles in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Rome’s 2017 team went a perfect 15-0 on the way to the championship. The Wolves reached the state semifinals in 2018 and 2022. Last year, they lost to eventual Class AAAAAA state champion Thomas County Central in the quarterfinals. This season, the Wolves lost their first two games to Carrollton, the current No. 1-ranked team in Class AAAAAAA, and Toombs County, which has been ranked No. 1 in Class A all season. The Wolves rebounded to win their final seven regular-season games en route to the Region 5-AAAAA title. Rome’s season started with a near-tragic accident when a team bus overturned after colliding with another vehicle while returning from the team’s preseason scrimmage at Rockmart. The driver of the other vehicle was arrested after the wreck and charged with DUI. Several Rome players were injured in the accident. The Wolves had to cancel their season-opener the following week. Players to watch for Glynn include junior quarterback Tyree Chisolm, junior receiver Sean Wallace and junior running back Da’Sean Howard on offense. Top players on defense include senior lineman Tae Green, senior linebacker Deuce Hidalgo and senior defensive back Ervan Rowe. The top standout for Rome is senior linebacker and Tennessee commit Jaedon Harmon. The four-star prospect was also recently named the Region 5 Player of the Year. ---- Compiled by Kevin Price for GCS Athletics ...