Today’s interviewee is Brunswick coach Garrett Grady, whose team defeated Effingham County 30-27 last week in a game that decided the Region 2-6A championship. Grady had been on Brunswick’s staff for five seasons until promoted to head coach this year. Brunswick (10-0) will play 10th-ranked Houston County in the first round Friday.
1. Tell us about last Friday’s game. What made the difference? What were some of the memorable things about it? “Glynn County Stadium was packed out, and the atmosphere was electric. Both teams played extremely hard and made big plays throughout the game. I have nothing but respect for coach John Ford, his staff and his team. It was a heck of a game. Our wide receiver Terry Mitchell made some great plays throughout this whole game on offense and on special teams. He had 10 catches for 170 yards receiving and two touchdowns. One of those TDs was a great punt return. Our defense played extremely hard and kept battling. Special teams played a key role as well with the big punt return and a field goal. Our offense made plays when we needed to and converted some key downs to sustain drives. It was a total team win. Our kids earned every bit of that game and championship.”
2. This is your first season as a head coach. What’s that experience been like? Are there things that you didn’t expect that you’ve learned? “It has been such a learning experience for me. There are things that I thought I handled as an assistant very well, and there are things that I never expected would come up that I have encountered. It has been a positive experience for me to grow professionally and allowed me to build trust in my assistant coaches to coach/mentor our players. I am big on relationships, Relationships are currency. The way you treat people goes a long way, and we want to do right by our players in every aspect.
“One thing that I think we have done an extremely good job of at Brunswick High is with our community outreach. We wanted our team and our players to be visible in the community and become great role models for our young fans that come out to support our games every Friday night. We have gone to elementary schools and opened car doors and been on the bus loops in the mornings greeting the students. We have attended numerous PBIS pep rallies, and we have read books to students. These are just a few ways we wanted to give back to the community of Brunswick and show our appreciation for their support during the season.”
3. Brunswick is 10-0 for the second straight season. How is this team different from last year? Is it the same team but a year older, or was there much rebuilding? “This team has a lot of returning starters on offense, defense and special teams, but there are some key roles that are different. Our quarterback, J.R. Elkins, is in his first year as the starter, along with a few new running backs as well [Jamarious Towns, William Heck and Ivan Johnson]. We had to replace our two inside linebackers from a year ago and a few guys in the secondary on defense. Our culture for our program is built on the motto ‘All About The Family.’ We truly have a family atmosphere around our team and coaching staff. Our guys play for each other and give it their all because they care for one another.”
4. You’ve got a tough draw in the first round [Houston County]. What concerns you about them? “I think they may be the best No. 4 seed I have ever seen before. Coach Jeremy Edwards and his staff have a very explosive team. Coach Edwards has done a great job in his first season as a head coach. They play in one of the toughest regions in the state of Georgia in all classifications. They have an unbelievable quarterback [A.J. Hill] that can make any throw on the field, talented running backs that run behind a big offensive line and some wide receivers that can blow the top off of coverages. Defensively they are very talented as well. The defensive line is tough and plays hard, and their linebackers fly around to the football, with a secondary that plays well in pass coverage and gets involved in run support. They have played very well against some of the top 10 teams in the 6A – Thomas County Central, Northside [of Warner Robins], Lee County, and those are region games.”
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