BROOKLET—For Southeast Bulloch, the season is becoming a trial by fire, but the fire may finally be forging something positive.
    The Yellow Jackets fell to powerful Region 3-AA foe Laney Friday night, 40-0 as the Wildcats overcame a scrappy effort by SEB and pulled away in the second half. After one quarter of play, the game was scoreless and Laney (4-1, 3-0 Region 3-AA) only led 12-0 at the half.
    “The first half was exactly what we needed to do to win the game,” said SEB coach Pat Collins. “In the second half, it slipped away from us.”
    Wildcat quarterback Leo Myers topped off his 186-yard passing performance with a 54-yard deep strike to Tharius Pryor on the third play of the second half and George Meyers added two touchdown runs to put the Wildcats beyond the reach of SEB (1-4, 0-3 Region 3-AA), which has not scored a point in its four losses this season.
    The Yellow Jackets might have broken that streak, but a late 35-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. Southeast Bulloch had threatened to score earlier in the game, but Laney intercepted a pass inside the Jackets’ 10-yard line.
    Despite failing to light the scoreboard, the SEB offense was much improved over their effort of a week earlier against Screven. The Jackets gained 164 total yards, including 142 on the ground and picked up nine first downs.
    Three costly lost fumbles kept the Jackets from doing more damage.
    “I thought our team played harder tonight than I’ve seen them play since I got here,” Collins said.
    Southeast Bulloch looked strong and aggressive in the first half. After fumbling the ball in Laney territory on the first drive of the game, the Jackets took the ball back when David Davis intercepted Leo Myers pass on the one yard line and returned it 57 yards to the Laney 43. A second SEB fumble, this time on just the second snap of the drive, killed SEB’s hopes for an early lead.
    Laney responded with a seven-play drive that ended with Leo Myers taking the ball in on a run from three yards out.
    The Jackets mounted one of their most impressive drives of the year in response, picking up three first downs and marching 55 yards to the Wildcats’ 6-yard line before throwing the interception on second down.
    “We had been having some success running the ball and want to change it up with a play-action pass,” Collins said. “We called a high percentage play but just didn’t execute it.”
    The Wildcats used their gift well, going 98 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Leo Myers hit George Meyers for a huge 41-yard screen pass on second-and-21, setting up another Leo Myer rushing touchdown from four yards out.
    Laney dominated the second half, although the Jackets did put together two determined but ultimately unsuccessful drives. The long pass to Pryor was a back-breaker, but the play was perfectly executed by Laney.
    “He [Leo Myers] threw a perfect pass, a perfect spiral down the field,” said Collins. “We had a player there, but give Laney’s man credit. Their guy just made the play.”