BRUNSWICK - Two second quarter touchdowns and a defense which didn’t break helped lift defending Class AA champion Pierce County to a shutout win here over Glynn Academy Friday night.
PCHS blanked Glynn Academy 21-0 in three quarters of varsity action and 14-0 in one quarter of jayvee action. The 35-0 cumulative score followed a 51-0 cumulative score victory over Class 3A Groves a week earlier.
The Bears, ranked first in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
pre-season Top 10 poll ahead of Appling County, dominated the Class 5A Maxwell 20th-ranked Red Terrors at Glynn County Stadium in wrapping up its preseason schedule.
Pierce County will have two weeks to prepare for Coosa Christian School of Gasden, Ala., in the season and home opener August 23 in Bearville.
“Brunswick was a better team than what we saw the week before,” said head coach Ryan Herring. “Things weren’t easy out there. We had a hard time blocking them (Red Terrors). We just hit some big plays here and there.
“That’s what you’ve got to do when they’re crowding the line of scrimmage and the box. You’ve got to hit passes over the top. I thought we did that tonight at the right times.
“Defensively, I thought we played hard. It wasn’t pretty at times, but I thought we played hard.”
The PCHS varsity’s offense bullied the larger Red Terrors’ defensive unit. The Bears netted 327 yards of offense gaining 194 yards rushing and 133 yards through the air controlling the ball just over 10 minutes longer in time of possession.
“We have to be able to mix in throw with the run when we’re crowded,” Herring said. “I’m glad we were able to do that. We missed a couple, though.”
Caden McGatha, a preseason Class AA all-state member as an athlete, ran for 143 yards and a touchdown on 19 tries which included a 48-yard burst on his first carry of the second half. He connected on 50 percent of his throws completing 7-of-l4 for 133 yards and two scores with a long of 50 yards to Chance Williams.
The Pierce County defensive unit limited the Red Terrors to 102 yards of offense and just five first downs in 36 minutes of action. Glynn Academy finished with 80 yards rushing and 22 passing. The Red Terrors were 1of-7 on third down and 0for-3 on fourth down.
Glynn Academy reached inside the Bears’ 35 twice in the first half, both coming on the Red Terrors’ last two possessions. They would turn the ball over on downs each time.
“We bent, but we never broke,” Herring said of his defense. “That’s a big positive.”
PCHS missed a scoring opportunity during its first possession in the opening period. The Bears followed with a nifty fiveplay, 83-yard drive eating up the final 8:21 of the first quarter.
Pierce County scored on the first play of the second stanza on a nine-yard pass from McGatha to Jones Herring on fourth-andfive using the Tim Tebow jump pass. Garrett Stevenson added the first of his three PATs for a 7-0 lead with 11:56 on the first half clock.
A fumble recovery by Brandon Williams on Glynn Academy’s ensuing snap at the Red Terrors’ 28 set up the next score. McGatha did the honors from 10 yards out on the fourth snap of the possession with 9:39 left in the half upping the lead to 140.
PCHS, out of timeouts, was at the Red Terrors’ 22 when the horn sounded to end the opening 24 minutes.
Following a three-andout by Glynn Academy to start the third period, Mcgoal Gatha’s 48-yard run in front of the Red Terrors’ bench ignited a sevenplay, 83-yard drive in 3:05 for a 21-0 advantage. Mc-Gatha hooked up with Nigel Brown for the sixyard score with a fade into the right corner of the end zone.
A high snap in the closing seconds of the quarter spoiled a 39-yard field attempt by Stevenson on PCHS’s second possession.
The Bears’ jayvee had possession of the ball for all of 2:16 of the 10minute final period running six plays. Dylan Johnson (two carries, 107 yards) was the offensive star rumbling 32 yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead after Kade Meeks tacked on the PAT.
His next carry was a 75yard jaunt in front of the PCHS sideline on the final play of the game. Meeks was true with the PAT for a 14-0 decision.
The final touchdown followed a fourth-down stop behind the line of scrimmage by the Bears at their own 12 on fourthand- two.
Sophomore Jae’Veon Williams rushed for 37 yards in limited action against Brunswick. Photo By RICK HEAD
