While the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets fell in their Elite 8 matchup Friday in Stone Mountain against Stephenson, the Jackets advanced farther than they had in 50 years.

One player head coach Jared Zito has counted on throughout the year for his play on the field, and leadership off the field is linebacker Kyle O’Brien.

  “Kyle has been a starter for three years and a key player on this team,” Zito said. “He has played the best football I have seen from him over the past few weeks and a lot of that is with him finally being healthy. He is the heart and soul of our team. He is all business and gives 100 percent at all times. He is physical and a very good tackler and leads our defense each week.”

  “I’ve really enjoyed my time here at Southeast Bulloch,” O’Brien said prior to Friday night's game. “We have accomplished a lot this year with making it to be one of the eight best teams in the state. We feel like we have a chance to go all the way and that starts with this Friday taking care of business against Stephenson. We just want to put some pads on pads and see what happens.”