BROOKLET—Southeast Bulloch has boiled tonight’s matchup against Bleckley County down to a simple catchphrase — “Make them snap it again.”
    Okay, so that’s really just how the defense has boiled the game down. But when your offense is a time-consuming, ground-eating, opponent-pounding rushing attack like the one used by the Yellow Jackets (1-1), the little mantra works there, too.
    If nothing else, the game at Fred Shaver Field will be about a contrast in styles.
    Bleckley County will look to spread the field with wide receivers and use short passes to set up the running game. Southeast Bulloch will line up in the reliable Wing-T formation and do everything they can to pound Bleckley into the Bronze Age.
    Think of a Hemi versus a turbo.
    These sort of games make high school football interesting and keep coaches awake at night.
    If Southeast Bulloch head coach Pat Collins is tossing and turning, it is because his charges will need to be disciplined and execute the nuts and bolts of the game well. Did anyone mention that SEB is regularly trotting out 12-13 sophomores?
    “This group that are tenth graders now were very successful in the eighth grade and successful again in B-team ball,” Collins said. “It’s been a baptism  by fire for them.”
    Last week, the young Jackets got their first win, a 27-21 victory over Long County. With any team, the first win of the season is important. With a young team, the initial victory is especially big.
    But a second win would be great, too.
    Collins hasn’t been shy about using young players in SEB’s first two games. He hasn’t been silly about it, either. More experienced players will tend to be on the defensive side of the ball. In the case of tonight’s game, senior corners Aaron Rowe and David Davis will do a lot to direct traffic against the wide open attack of Bleckley County.
    Although the multi-receiver sets may look like the array of a team bent on passing the ball all over the field, Bleckley will be running the ball whenever they can. Short passes will not only set up the running game, but Collins says Bleckley will take some shots deep, too.
    The offense, called the “Tony Franklin Spread” after the current Louisiana Tech coach who refined the attack at Auburn and Kentucky, puts pressure on the opposing defense to make plays. Missed tackles and blown assignments turn short gains into big plays, and the Jackets don’t need Bleckley ripping off big plays.
    “[Rowe and Davis] will have to be sure tacklers in space,” said Collins.
    In the middle, Jamal Johnson will be dealing with threats up the middle. Johnson, who has given a verbal commitment to Georgia Southern, Collins said, was moved from the defensive end to the middle linebacker spot this year.
    “He’s probably a true defensive end,” said SEB assistant Jack Webb. “We thought if we put him on one side or the other, teams would just run away from his side. If we put him in the middle, they’d have to deal with him.”
    Ty Beggs, another two year starter, and James Coto, a junior, will be Johnson’s best allies.
    Coto already has 20 total tackles, second only to Johnson’s 37 on the team. Outside linebacker Ryan Adams also returns to the linebacking corps after sitting out a week with an injury he suffered against Portal in the season opener. He will share time with Nick Harden.
    “There are some first downs out there for [Bleckley County] to get,” Collins said. “We just don’t want them to get the big plays. We want them to keep snapping the ball and we want to constrict the field as they get closer to the end zone.”
    SEB’s offense could do a bit to help, too.
    Four sophomores —Will Collins, Luke Barnwell, John DeMerliar and Alex Viljoen — will team with senior Mitchell Duke to hopefully keep the SEB offense moving and the ball out of Bleckley’s possession. Last week, two Jackets rushed for over 100 yards. Antonio McMillian racked up 147 yards on the ground and Tyler Epps chipped in 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
    If the Jackets can get similar production tonight and both teams keep snapping the ball, it should be an entertaining affair and a real contrast in football styles.