Programs meeting for 38th time in 56-year-old rivalry
CANEY BAY — Brantley County second-year head coach David Shores is looking to see how far his team has progressed over a year’s time when Charlton County visits Friday in the season opener for both teams.
The Herons’ varsity slipped past Frederica Academy 7-0 in three quarters of action Thursday night on St. Simons Island. The Knights varsity scored a 7-0 decision in the final period against Brantley County’s junior varsity.
“I’m very proud of the effort that our guys played with on both sides of the ball,” Shores said of the scrimmage. “That’s something that we often times had to battle with last year. This group of seniors has set a good tone for the standard of effort, intensity and physicality we (coaches) want our team playing with.
“We have fixable mistakes on both sides of the ball. We learned some good and bad things about certain positions, but those are things that you always hope to learn from a live opponent scrimmage.
“We were plus three in turnovers forcing four and losing one. That is a benefit we need to stay in this season. We’ve (coaches) got to address our kicking game as far as developing a deeper depth chart.”
Shores’ debut as the Herons’ head coach in 2024 ended in disaster with a 61-13 loss in Folkston against Charlton County in the debut of its first-year coach DeMario Jones. Brantley County went on to a 2-8 finish with the Indians posting a 5-6 record and a first round playoff loss at sithranked and unbeaten Lincoln County.
“Charlton County is a very dangerous team,” said Shores. “I think as some of our inexperienced players continue to grow, we could be a pretty solid team by mid-season. The key will be staying healthy.”
BCHS and Charlton County renew acquittances for the 48th time in a series dating back to 1970. The Indians have won three consecutive times and 25 of the last 27 meetings in building a 3710 series lead.
“That was a shellacking,” Shores referenced to last year’s opener. “It was really tough because we (coaches) and nothing to prepare off of going into that game. There was no film to be seen. We sort of had to guess at a lot of it and we really unprepared.
“It felt like a trap game and, boy, we fell in it. We’re hoping to fair a little better this year. We’ve (coaches) got a better idea about what they like to do, what kind of playe r s they have and what we need to do.
“That’s going to be a big gage of what kind of improvement we’ve made from last year. I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve changed a lot offensively, scheme-wise, to try to fit our personnel a bit better.”
The one-time Class AA power under legendary head coach Rich McWhorter, who went 288-79-2 in 29 seasons on the reservation and 303-105-2 overall after finishing up at Jackson County, has fallen on hard times.
Charlton County has posted a losing record in four of the last six seasons (27-37) after one during McWhorter’s tenure. The Indians have not won 10 or more games in a season since 2014, the last of 18 under McWhorter.
Charlton County’s offense will be directed by junior signal-caller A.J. Glover (5-foot-11, 165 lbs.). Senior Omari Wilson (5-10, 190) is the leading returning rusher. Senior tight end Trevan Cobb (63, 200) is the leading returning receiver.
Along the offensive front, seniors Joseph Zetmeir (6-1, center) and senior Jordan Hamilton (6-5, tackle) are the anchors.
On the defensive side of the ball, Charlton County is coming off is worst season since 1981. The Indians surrendered the second most points in school history (379; 414 in 1981’s 0-10 season). They also allowed three opponents to surpass the 50-point mark for the first time in school history.
Charlton County held four opponents to 14 points or less with the other seven foes scoring at a 48.6 clip.
Senior Christian Brown (6-2, 200) and Cobb are slated to play the defensive end positions. Sophomores Aiden Glover (6-2) and Colton Beard will work the def ensive tackle slots. Junior Stephen Ty Harris (5 10, 190) and Wilson are the outside linebackers with junior Elijah Bryant (6-2, 205) expected to start in the middle.
Seniors Trayvon Jones (6-foot, 160) and Khalil Smith (5-11, 165) are in the rotation in the secondary.
BCHS vs. CCHS Indians lead 37-10 BCHS CCHS 1970 ...........8..............14 1971............0 ..............7 1972 ..........20 ............14 1973...........12.............15 1974 ...........0..............15 1975 ...........6..............13 1976 ...........0 .............18 1977 ...........0 .............46 1978 ...........0 .............32 1979 ...........0 ..............7 1980...........6..............19 1981 ..........30 .............0 1982 ..........14..............8 1983..........26 .............6 1984 ..........27.............12 1985 ..........34.............14 1986 ..........12..............6 1987 ..........14..............7 1988...........7 .............28 1989 ...........7..............12 1990...........6..............15 1991...........14.............21 1992 ..........12.............34 1993 ..........16.............21 1994 ...........7..............35 1995 ...........6 .............27 2000..........0 .............33 2001...........8 .............42 2002 ..........0 .............36 2003 ..........7..............47 2004 ..........7 .............49 2005..........21.............55 2006 ..........7..............37 2007 ..........0 .............48 2008 .........14.............53 2009 .........22 ............30 2010..........26.............41 2011 ...........6..............41 2012...........0 .............20 2013...........6 .............34 2016..........32 ............29 2017 ..........18.............33 2018...........0 .............43 2019..........34.............16 2020 ..........0 .............39 2021 ..........19.............27 2024..........13.............61
