The offensive line is a group that won’t get a lot of coverage. You won’t see their name in the stat line or watch them make the big catch. But the o-line makes all the difference in a football game and it’s that ideology that the offensive line unit at Southeast Bulloch thrives on.
    Today, the Yellow Jackets will face top-ranked Pierce County for the season opener at Fred Shaver Field and look to break a four-game losing streak against the Bears.
    This time, all eyes will be on a young offensive line that replaced three starters from last year’s 5-5 team.
    “We have some new faces, but we have some guys that have potential to do a really good job. They’ve worked their butts off in the weightroom,” said offensive line coach Brandon Peterson. “They take a lot of pride in what they do. They don’t get the recognition but they understand the game is won and loss at the line.”
    Peterson, a former offensive lineman himself, said his unit has worked hard all summer in the weight room and that hard work is starting to pay off.
    Senior right guard Jacob Jackson, center Amhaad Fields and tight end Tyler Collins are the leaders for this young offensive line, Peterson said.
    “Those guys are our returning starters so we’re looking at them to set the tone,” Peterson said. “They approach practice the right way and they have experience.”
    Experience will be a key factor in the game, but so will the crowd. The atmosphere for Friday night’s game should be electric. This season, the Yellow Jackets will host seven games at Fred Shaver Field and the first opponent is arguably one of the  toughest SEB will see this year.
    The Bears are coming off a 10-3 season under head coach Sean Pender. In the last three seasons, the Bears have a record of 30-7. The Atlanta Journal Constitution ranked Pierce County No. 10 in Georgia in class AAA football coaches poll.
    “Pierce County has represented this region in the state playoffs for the last four or five years. This is the season opener and the home opener and it’s going to be a playoff-like atmosphere,” said head coach Pat Collins. “What better way to start the season than to measure it all up and see where we are and take on Pierce County. It’s going to be a tremendous football game.”
    Collins said this game will be a great test for a program looking to turn the corner and make it to the state playoffs.
    “I told our guys this is the type of game that you sign up to play in. If you’re just in it to beat some team 50-0, then I question your competitive spirit,” Collins said. “This is going to be like a University of Georgia versus South Carolina game on a Thursday night. This is a big time region 1-AAA high school football game.”
    Tonight's game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Live streaming of the game can be seen at statesboroherald.com.