Bryan County will be looking for a fast start Friday evening at Savannah High when it opens its pursuit of a second straight region championship.
The Redskins, a Final Four team last year, went unbeaten in Region 3A-DI to win the school’s first ever region title. A repeat figures to be more difficult this year after the GHSA’s latest reclassification in Region 3A-DII which now includes new foes ECI, McIntosh County Academy, Jenkins County and Portal.
In addition, the Redskins also lost 90 percent of their offensive production but Allen Williams and Gerbrae’vion Collins are not willing to concede anything to anyone.
“I feel confident we can have some of the same type of success we had last season,” said Williams, who is the team’s starting center. “We don’t have the same guys, obviously, but we have got guys who have been coming in and working all summer to fill those shoes.”
Bryan County showed grit and resolve in its opener when it rallied late to earn a 20-12 win over Johnson and then went on the road to drop a 42-20 decision at Aquinas in one of the most hostile environments it’ll play in this season.
The Irish, playing their first home game in two seasons, dedicated a new $8 million athletic complex and took advantage of early turnovers before a sellout crowd to build an insurmountable halftime lead. The Redskins, behind the running of Collins and Anddreas McKinny rallied to make the final score more respectable.
“The most positive thing I saw was the way we came out and played the second half,” Coach Cherard Freeman said. “The boys came out and played hard. They did not quit. There were a lot of positives.”
The Redskins’ biggest bugaboo has been nine turnovers in the two games but ball protection has been a focus this past week. On the bright side has been the running of juniors McKinny and Collins both of whom surpassed 100 yards against Acquinas.
McKinny has 216 yards on 27 carries as he had 105 against the Irish while Collins led the ground game with 108 yards on 15 carries. Each had a touchdown as did quarterback Trevor Lanier.
Collins, who has started every game at safety since his freshman season, was slated to be the Redskins’ quarterback going into the season but gave way to Lanier the week of the opener when Lanier, who had suffered a shoulder injury in the spring, got medical clearance to play.
“I’m looking for us to have a pretty good season,” Collins said. “Coming off the season we had last year we want to build on that. We lost some pretty good guys but I think we’re going to be okay.
“I’m looking for this to be my breakout year, when I can step up and be a leader,” Collins said. “I can play quarterback, but I see myself as primarily a runner.
“We lost a lot of offense but we got some guys to rebuild around. We’ve got a lot of guys who have played a lot.”
Williams, a four-year starter who goes both ways, is learning a new position in that he was an all-region pick at tackle and at 6-3, 290 pounds he is one of the more talented linemen in the region.
“Our strength as a team is going to be our defense and our rushing attack,” Williams said. “I think our defense is really strong as a unit and we’re growing together.
“We’re in basically a new region, some of the same teams, but our goals are the same and I think they’re achievable. Our confidence has grown and I anticipate it growing as the season goes along.”
