By Kevin Price For GCS Athletics The Glynn Academy and Brunswick High football teams are set for dress rehearsals on Friday night as they begin to put the finishing touches on their preparations for the upcoming 2024 season. The Red Terrors and Pirates will play their preseason scrimmages with Glynn taking the field at home and Brunswick going on the road. The Terrors will be at Glynn County Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with Pierce County. The Pirates will head over to Waycross for a 7:30 matchup with Ware County at Memorial Stadium. Both local squads will begin their regular-seasons next Friday. Brunswick will open at home against Camden County while Glynn will begin the season in Jesup against Wayne County. Tomorrow, both Glynn and Brunswick are taking on formidable foes in their only scrimmages. Pierce is the defending Class AA state champion. The Bears won the state crown last season with a thrilling 48-45 triumph over Rockmart last December in an overtime classic. Caden McGatha, back for his senior season at quarterback this year, threw for two scores and ran for four in the state title game while rushing 53 times for 258 yards. The All-State signal-caller accounted for 3,939 yards a year ago and scored a whopping 51 touchdowns for the Bears. The Bears return five starters on offense and six on defense, but are rebuilding both their offensive and defensive fronts going into this season. Players to watch for Glynn include senior Jayden Ellis who will play quarterback and cornerback as well as skill players Greg Peacock, Da’Sean Howard and TY Chisolm. Peacock, a running back and slot receiver, is a major college prospect. Last year, he was hampered by injuries from the start and never really got untracked after promising freshman and sophomore seasons. Brunswick will face off with Ware County which is just two years removed from a state title. The Gators enjoyed a perfect 14-0 season in 2022 on their way to their first-ever state crown. Last season, Ware finished second behind eventual state champion Coffee in Region 1-AAAAA before falling 23-21 to Warner Robins in the second round of the state playoffs. The Pirates and Gators squared off briefly this summer in a padded camp hosted by the Pirates in late June. Ware has installed a new defensive scheme this offseason with former Bradwell Institute head coach Russ Couch serving as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Senior defensive end Jamar Birden is a three-star prospect for the Gators. He has several offers including those from Duke, Central Florida and Georgia Southern. On offense, top players include senior running back RJ Boyd, who is committed to N.C. State, and senior quarterback Luke Hooks who threw for 1,867 yards and 22 touchdowns last year in his first season as the team’s starter. As for the Pirates, they are deep in the offensive backfield where starting running backs Jamarious Towns and William Heck return along with a bevy of ballcarriers. The offense also features prized recruit Heze Kent who has Power 4 offers galore as one of the country’s most coveted tight ends. Junior quarterback Grant Moore also returns after taking over as the starter last year during the season. BHS returns three starters across the offensive front which was rebuilding this time last year. This year, it’s the defensive line which is rebuilding after losing two big-time starters to graduation.