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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Georgia high school football report: Teams around the state
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coastal Georgia — with the exception of Camden County — doesn’t get a lot of respect in the state because its success is rare in high school football. Matched up in the playoffs against the other “South” Georgia regions, Region 3-AAAAA (as a whole) pales in comparison. But even though success hasn’t been there, don’t think that football in the Coastal Empire is completely dead … or even on life support this year.
Here’s the hot/not for the area:
WHO’S HOT
• Bradwell Institute — Coach Jim Walsh Jr.’s Bradwell Institute has a history of solid football that goes back to the late 1970s and mid-’80s when Raymond Gross was running the offense for Clifford Johnson. The Tigers have been mainstays in the playoffs, but they haven’t played past the first round in more than a decade. Back-to-back 5-6 seasons have been something of a disappointment, but last year’s team suffered injuries. Starting quarterback Wilson Brown and twins DeMario and DeAnte Day will keep region defenses off balance, and a 14-0 scrimmage victory over Statesboro could be the sign that the Tigers are back to a higher level. When asked if it was just a matter of Statesboro being down, one area coach said, “Bradwell is loaded.”
• Savannah Christian — The sixth-ranked (and only Coastal Empire team earning a ranking) Red Raiders’ two losses to Charlton County in the regular season and Thomasville in the second round on the road. Moving down to Class A in Donald Chumley’s fourth year should offset the loss of a talented senior class. Even with a young team, defending state champ and new region foe ECI should be the only loss in the regular season. “We are a young football team, but we have some talent,” said Chumley, who has improved his victory total in each of his last two seasons after going 6-4 in his first year. “They haven’t been in the fight yet. I expect us to get better by the end of the year, but the first half of the season we are going to have to grow up on the job.”
• Liberty County — The Panthers have a program winning percentage of .309, but Kirk Warner’s team (yes, that Kirk Warner for all you Georgia fans) have had back-to-back seven-victory seasons, including the school’s only trip to the state playoffs in 2006.
• Benedictine — After making the Class AAA playoffs last year, Benedictine moves down into classification into Region 2-AA, making a strong region even stronger. The Cadets likely will be better this season under Bob Herndon, but that might not translate into victories in a region that is stacked with Charlton County, McIntosh County Academy, Pierce County and Appling County.
• South Effingham — It might say something about the area that a team that was 5-5 last season is considered “hot.” The Mustangs should make the playoffs, but can they can move above Statesboro and top-ranked Ware County?
WHO’S NOT
• Savannah public schools — Windsor Forest and Jenkins were outscored 87-0 last year in the first round of the playoffs. During the last two years, five first-round playoff games for Savannah public schools have resulted in a grand total of six points.
• Richmond Hill — The Wildcats — traditional state powers on the basketball court — haven’t had a winning season since 1996, which also happened to be the only time the school has ever made the state playoffs in the 22-year history of the program.
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