BROOKLET – On their first play from scrimmage, Southeast Bulloch ran for a 12-yard gain. That was followed by back-to-back eight-yard runs. Then a five-yard run and finally a nine-yard touchdown run to finish off the drive.
That series pretty much set the tone for the Yellow Jackets as they showed a workman-like offensive effort all night en route to a 42-8 win over Islands High School in the Region 3-AAA opener for both teams. The Yellow Jackets (1-2, 1-0) would go on to score on each of their first four possessions of the game, two on runs and two passes, to take a commanding 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter and effectively ending any doubt as to the outcome of the game. “I thought we played with a toughness and we were able to run to set up the pass,” said senior quarterback Caleb Carter. That passing game has been on display more this year as SEB Head Coach Pat Collins has gained more and more confidence in his senior signal caller. “We played well because we had great play from our quarterback,” Collins said. “He’s too humble to say anything, but I’m his coach and I’ll say it. He played really well for us tonight.” Carter finished the night with 132 yards passing and had two first-half touchdown passes, one each to junior Josh Proctor and then a 61-yard strike to Jontrell Wells. While Carter was taking care of the passing game, fullback Chase Walker had the game SEB fans have grown accustomed to seeing. Walker finished the night with 113 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries as the Yellow Jackets piled up 225 yards on the ground. “I thought our boys played with a passion and toughness tonight,” Collins said. Islands (0-4, 0-1) meanwhile, struggled offensively all night as the Yellow Jacket defense was able to hold the Sharks to just 144 yards in total offense. After Walker opened the scoring, the Yellow Jackets were able to pounce on a Sharks’ fumble on Islands’ second offensive play. Five plays later, Carter found Proctor for an 18-yard touchdown pass. After forcing a turnover on downs, SEB proceeded to march 65 yards on 10 plays that culminated with a 15-yard touchdown run by Georden Batton. Walker and Brandon Breda each added short touchdown runs in the second half to finish off the scoring for the Yellow Jackets. In fact, the only two drives SEB didn’t score were at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. Despite the dominating win, Collins still sees room for improvement from his team. “We’re still climbing the mountain and trying to get better each week,” Collins said. “We’re going to keep working because there were still some things out there that were a little ragged.” Collins and his coaching staff will address those issues in practice next week as they prepare for Jenkins. “It’s always better to go back to practice after a win than the alternative,” he said. “We’d played two tough games so it was good to get out there and get a win.”
