CANEY BAY — Brantley County kicks the season off for keeps Friday night when the Herons travel to Folkston to face Charlton County at 7:30 p.m.
The matchup features two new head coaches in the rivalry with David Shores leading the Herons and De-Mario Jones in charge of the Indians.
Shores has taken over BCHS’s program after Geoff Cannon was hired to lead Coosa (Rome). Jones was hired to replace Russ Murray, who retired following last season.
Brantley County enters fresh off a 21-3 win over GISA foe Frederica Academy.
The meeting is the 47th between the two schools, who first played in 1970. Charlton County posted a 14-8 win in the series opener. The two programs played every year through 1995.
The series renewed in 2000 and ran through 2013. After a two-year break, the schools played from 2016 t0 2021.
Brantley County won the first meetings in the 1980s before the Indians went on a 22-game winning streak which ended with a 32-29 home loss in 2016. The Herons picked up a 34-16 victory in 2019. BCHS is playing the next two years in Class A, Division I. The Indians, a onetime AA power winning three state titles under legendary head coach Rich McWhorter, are members of Class A, Division II. Shores returns to head coaching duties (27-18 record at Spain Park and Pell City) after serving as an assistant at Peach County (2014), Lowndes (2015-16), Camden County (2017-20) and Brunswick (2021 23). “I decided it was time to sort of go out and do my own thing again,” he said of taking the Brantley County job. “This opportunity was too good to pass up.” Jones, tasked with trying to rebuild Godby High School’s (Tallahassee, Fla.) program, opted for change after two years going 5-14.
