BROOKLET—It wasn’t as bad as it looked. Really. This isn’t just a “hometown newspaper” thing.
    Understandably, Southeast Bulloch’s 23-0 loss to Bleckley County wasn’t the most desirable result Yellow Jacket fans could have hoped to see. Most of the time, scoring a few points is nice.
    But considering that Bleckley was clearly bigger, faster and generally more athletic than the Jackets, the shutout came with more than a couple of positive points to build on.
    First, though, let’s get the unpleasantness out of the way.
    The Royals of Bleckley County (1-2) scored on their third play from scrimmage when Tavon Ross found Jaquantae Burns for a short completion in the flat which Burns turned into a 29-yard touchdown.
    The scoring strike came on the heels of one of SEB’s outright mistakes of the evening, a fumble on the game’s second play.
    Bleckley stretched the lead to 10-0 when Blake Lucas booted a 41-yard field goal.
    The Yellow Jackets (1-2) contained Bleckley until the waning moments of the first half when Marquez Pitts stunned the home crowd with an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown. The teams would continue to trade possessions until the fourth quarter when Ken Hughes ran in Bleckley’s final touchdown on a 39-yard quarterback keeper.
    That sums up the unpleasantness for the home team.
    Otherwise, there were notes of promise.
    In the “glass half full column,” it is worth noting that the Jackets committed just the one (costly) turnover. SEB also had only a single penalty. They held Bleckley to just 219 total yards, with 62 of those coming on long scoring plays.
    The Jackets had 11 first downs to the Royals’ seven and just five penalty yards compared to 75 penalty yards enforced against Bleckley.
    The speed of the Royals kept the Yellow Jacket running game contained. When the Jackets opened holes with the offensive line, those holes closed quickly. When SEB runners bounced to the edge, Bleckley’s defenders were there to keep the gains minimal.
    Twice the Yellow Jackets made it as far as Bleckley County’s 35-yard line. Both times drives died there on fourth down.
    The passing game turned out to be the difference for Bleckley. Both teams rushed the ball for almost identical yardage—Bleckley put 134 yards together on the ground, SEB 133. But the short passing of the Royals was just enough to keep the Jackets honest.
    No, a shutout loss is never good. But this one was a long way from bad.