Following their 34-13 home win over Vidalia Friday, the Appling County Pirates are 6-1, 4-0 in Region 3 and ranked No. 4. If they beat Tattnall County (5-3, 3-1) at home on Friday, they’ll win a region championship for the first time since 2013.
The Pirates have come along way since the beginning of the season, when they started out ranked No. 3 despite graduating 17 seniors. They had their season opener, a home game against 5A powerhouse Ware County, cancelled due to weather.
When they debuted a week later against Aiken (S.C.), they lost AJC preseason all-state selection, junior defensive back Darion Smith, to a torn ACL. That headlines a string of injuries that continue to hamper their efforts — they were without their starting quarterback against Vidalia last week.
On Sept. 2, in their second game, they lost 7-0 at unranked Wayne County, and were booted from the polls entirely.
“It was extremely tough not getting that Ware County game,” Pirates second-year coach Jordan Mullis said. “We had 6-7 kids out for our preseason scrimmage against Irwin County, including both of our running backs...I just felt like, between Irwin and Ware County, they oughta answer most of the questions on the test pretty quickly. So, not getting them and the chance to make adjustments and so on, that cost us (the Wayne County) game down the road...We’re a young team and we needed that game for those young kids and first-time starters. It would have been a great opportunity to teach our kids what it takes to win big-time football in South Georgia.”
For more from Mullis, listen to Ep. 54 of The Class 2A Blogcast.
The Pirates’ fortunes turned for the better on Mon., Oct. 3, when they beat then-No. 2 Pierce County 28-17 in a game that was pushed back from the previous Friday due to the threat of Hurricane Ian. The two have been in the same region through the GHSA’s last five reclassification cycles, and in each of the past four seasons the game has determined the region champion, with Pierce County going 4-0.
With a win Friday, the Pirates will be guaranteed to host through at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. Hosting rights aren’t a priority to Mullis, however.
“One thing we’ve done here is created a bigger vision than just winning region,” Mullis said. “Winning region is great, but everyone is 0-0 in the playoffs, whether you’re a 1 or 4 seed. So, you have a shot. From our team’s perspective, Pierce County has been bullying us the past 5-6 years and one of our goals was to win region, so it checks a box. But, in the grand scheme, it doesn’t mean anything other than letting this community get a return on their investment in this program.”
The Pirates finished 12-2 last year, losing in the semifinals to eventual champions Cedar Grove. Their other loss was to Pierce County, the 2020 3A champions. That was Mullis’ first season as a head coach after serving the previous year as his predecessor Rick Tomberlin’s defensive coordinator. It was just the Pirates’ third trip to the semis, with 1999 and 2011 the others.
“Last year we had a great team,” Mullis said. “I tell people that we lost to the current and defending state champions, so we were close. But, at the same time...this is a whole new deal.”
Mullis said he likes for the Pirates to throw the ball, though currently his starting quarterback, sophomore Dayson Griffis, is dealing with a shoulder sprain and is considered week-to-week. Last Friday against Vidalia, receiver Patrick Crosby filled in at quarterback and they ran more than 50 times. Their two feature backs, senior Jaylen Johnson and junior Jamarion Williams combined for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns.
“I think that was the best game we’ve played all year,” Mullis said of the Indians win. “We challenged the kids to step up and be physical, and run the ball.”
Johnson is a 3-star with 13 Power 5 offers, including Arkansas, Stanford and Tennessee.
When Griffis is at full health, his top receiving targets are juniors Camden Hickox and Nehamiah Howard, and sophomore Kellen Echols.
“Our quarterbacks have done a good job of distributing the football based on what they see, so we don’t really have a leading receiver,” Mullis said. “Their stats pretty much even out because a different guy will step up each game.”
On the offensive line, first-year starter Marcus Nesmith, who stands at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, is making the most of his chance as a senior and it could pay off in a life-changing way.
“I think he’s put together enough film that, if we do our job, he’s probably created an opportunity for himself to play at the next level,” Mullis said.
Defensively, they’ve had to adjust to playing without Smith, a junior who holds an offer from Georgia Southern. He’s one of two Pirates defensive backs to tear their ACL this season. They return starter William Solomon for his senior season. Freshman cornerback Mykel Crayton earned a starting spot in-season with strong play, and MJ McRae is another senior first-year starting cornerback producing. Along with junior free safety Tre’Shawn Moore, they headline a strong secondary.
Defensive tackles Mykel Reed and Jailan Bennett are both juniors who anchor the line and are starting to receive college interest, Mullis said.
How far this Pirates team goes depends on their mindset.
“If we get distracted, and don’t focus on excellence, and commitment, and the standard we tell them about,” said Mullis, “If we listen to what people say around us that don’t know what’s in our best interest, we can get bounced in the first round. But then again, I don’t think we’ve played a complete game yet. We’ve got some pretty good wins on our schedule. I think the sky is the limit for them.”
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