Hurricane Helene has left schools all over the state trying to reschedule games, and the newly-arriving Hurricane Milton is throwing more wrenches into the machinery.

Originally scheduled for Thursday night in Savannah, school closures for the latest storm have pushed the matchup between Southeast Bulloch and Jenkins back to Friday night and about 50 miles west as Brooklet will now host the contest.  

The matchup is a pivotal Region 3-AAA game as both the Yellow Jackets and Warriors enter with a 3-1 record in region play. Southeast Bulloch is 4-1 overall while Jenkins is 3-2.

“I told our guys if we want to host a first round playoff game, this one and Long County, not to look past the other games, but this one and Long County are ones we have to win,” said SEB Head Coach Jared Zito. 

Jenkins has a high powered offense that is averaging 35 points per game through their first five games. Six running backs have more than 100 yards rushing on the year with senior Jayaun Albert and sophomore Ryan Scott leading the way with 515 yards and seven touchdowns between them.

The Warriors don’t pass often, averaging less than nine attempts per game, but when they do, they tend to target Trenton Rhodes who has 11 receptions and two scores on the season.

Zito said Rhodes and Dominique Johnson, a threat to both run and catch the ball, as explosive playmakers Southeast Bulloch will need to contain. 

The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, will look to continue churning out yards on the ground and controlling the line of scrimmage as they’ve been able to do for most of the season. Junior Colby Smith has been the beneficiary of the work done by the offensive line as he’s run for 525 yards and seven touchdowns so far. 

Jayden Murphy, also a junior, has averaged 10 yards a carry and has three touchdowns as well for the Yellow Jackets. 

Zito said the delay from Helene poses challenges in terms of getting his team back into the routine of the season. He also said there are concerns when it comes to tackling, saying that’s a skill that needs to be practiced every day. However, he said it also afforded his team a mental and physical break in the middle of the season.

Kickoff is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 in Brooklet. The Yellow Jackets will have  quick turnaround as they play again on Tuesday against Liberty County in another rescheduled Region 3-AAA matchup.