In two years, coach Ken Cribb has helped put Wayne County back on the map. But despite compiling a 20-3 record and winning a pair of region championships, the Yellow Jackets are hungry to continue their improvement and join the list of perennial powers in Class AAAAA.
Last fall Wayne County was one of those team victimized by the unlikely trek Bainbridge made to the state championship. The Yellow Jackets were ranked fifth in the state when they lost the second-round playoff game 26-19.
“It leaves you hungry,” Cribb said.
Wayne County graduated a lot of good players, including wide receiver Ashby Cribb (Valdosta State) and running back M.J. Fuller (1,200 yards rushing). They also lost four-star lineman Weston Franklin (6-4, 300), who opted to transfer to IMG Academy.
That means the Yellow Jackets will be focused on finding some players when they open spring practice on May 1.
“Mainly we’ll be building depth,” Cribb said. “The kids have been in the program now for two years and the JV and freshmen teams have had great success. Plus we have two middle schools and they run the same stuff we do.”
It’s all part of being a Yellow Jacket for residents of Wayne County and in Jesup, the county seat.
“Wayne County is a special place,” Cribb said. “It just took me 30 years to find it. Everybody in Wayne County is a Yellow Jacket. They love their football and it makes it fun.”
It’s more fun when you win, too, and watch kids graduate and head off to school. Nineteen Wayne County players have gone on to play college ball over the last two years.
The offense, a hybrid spread attack, remains balanced. Quarterback Shamar Taylor threw for 1,689 yards and ran for 247 in 2018. But nearly half those receiving yards went to Cribb and must be replaced.
The defense, which was particularly strong last year against the run, has high expectations again. Linebacker Jalen Barnum (6-foot, 210 pounds) already has offers from Georgia State and Navy and fits the style of the blue-collar player that the program prides itself on producing.
“We’ve been pretty stout on defense,” Cribb said. “I’ve got the best defensive staff you could imagine.”
The results have been historic. You have to go back to 1962-63, when Wayne County went 19-3-2, to find two more successful back-to-back seasons.
Wayne County will complete spring practice with a jamboree in Douglas. The Yellow Jackets will play half a game against host Coffee and half a game against Brooks County.
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