The Wayne County football program is down 36 players from last season, when the Yellow Jackets recorded an unbeaten regular season and reached the second round of the playoffs. Despite those losses, coach Ken Cribb’s team is back at it again. Wayne County is 5-1 and in contention to win its third straight Region 2 championship.
“Since I’ve been here we’ve talked about building a program and not building a team,” Cribb said. “We’re still trying to stay the course.”
The Yellow Jackets are 25-4 since Cribb took over the program in Jesup. He’s done it by creating an atmosphere that demands hard work, but rewards those who give effort and play hard. As a result this year’s team is young, but producing results.
“I’m more pleased that surprised,” Cribb said. “The kids are passionate and love to play football. We want to keep that hunger.”
An example of Wayne County’s unselfish approach can be seen at quarterback, where last year’s starter Shamar Taylor worked extensively with backup Trey Pierce all last season. Taylor wanted to return to wide receiver, where he had played as a sophomore, and was helping Pierce take his job so he could return to wide receiver and Pierce could play quarterback. He saw it as a chance to make the team better.
“Shamar coached him up so he could move,” Cribb said.
The move has benefited both players. Pierce, a baseball player, has been able to show off his live arm and Pierce has caught everything thrown his way. It has also opened the door for running backs Kaliz Hadley and Antwon McBride to be more proficient and productive.
Tight end Jaden Miller and Terrell Wright, who moved from defense, add to the receiving threats.
It helps that Wayne County has a monstrous, albeit a young offensive line. Gaven Garner (6-3, 315) is a three-year starter that leads a group that includes Chris Davis (6-3, 300), Jacob Baggs (6-5, 360), Miles Starling (6-1, 288) and freshman Jake Trebil (6-2, 300).
The defense gets after it with a couple of talented ends. Logan Pritchard, a speedy 6-1, 235-pounder, and Cameron Williams are both capable of getting after the quarterback. The top prospect is junior Jalen Barnum, who has offers from the likes of Purdue, Navy and Georgia State.
The secondary “is a bunch of waterbugs,” Cribb said. The speedy group is led by Trevor Wallace, who switched to the secondary when Wright moved to the offense. Wallace (definitely not a waterbug at 6-3, 220) is a junior who is expected to be a major prospect next season.
Kicker Presley Cain has been a reliable asset on field goals and extra points.
“We’ve still got a young team,” Cribb said. “We don’t have as much depth as we did last year, but these young kids are getting a lot of experience.”
The Yellow Jackets have a big road game on Friday at South Effingham. The Mustangs are 6-1 and survived on Saturday against New Hampstead. It’s just another test for Wayne County, which survived last week against a very physical Statesboro team, and still awaits the season-ending showdown with Ware County, a game that has determined the region title the last two years.
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