The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets were able to give their starters another break last Friday at Fred Shaver Field, jumping out to a 50-0 lead and going on to beat Windsor Forest, 50-15.

After a hard-fought 28-24 loss to sixth-ranked Calvary Day, the Jackets have scored 97 points in the following two games, while allowing 28. Head coach Jared Zito said the team is as healthy as it has been all season, which is important this week as they go up against the 4-1 Liberty Panthers.

“The good thing about our last two games is we have jumped out to a big lead,” Zito said. “By doing this we get to pull our starters out and give them rest, as well as giving our younger kids a chance to play, which will benefit us this year or in the future. While our starters have been in there, I really like the way they have attacked on both sides of the ball."

The SEB offense has been running on all cylinders with nearly 100 points in their last two games. Zito has been impressed with his offensive line and the ability of his offense to come up with big plays that haven’t necessarily come strictly on the ground.

“We have been able to show that we can go to the air when we want to,” Zito said. “I think adding that makes us much more dangerous as teams can’t just load the box against us. Our running game is what we are going to lead on, but it is important to keep teams on their toes knowing we can throw the ball.”

This week, the Jackets will be going up against a team that also has been able to come through with explosive plays when they head to Hinesville to take on the Liberty County Panthers.

Liberty is currently in a four-way tie with SEB, Calvary and Long County behind undefeated Jenkins, making this matchup very crucial in the region standings

The Panthers are led by running back Elijah Brown, who is averaging 126 yards per game and has 10 touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jaeir Roberts has thrown for more than 700 yards and four touchdowns and has rushed for 235 yards. Leading the way defensively is senior linebacker Tyrese Alexis with over nine tackles per game.

“Liberty always has a lot of athletes and this year is no different,” Zito said. “They have a really good quarterback and a running back who is big and strong and tough to get to the ground. They have kind of been a nemesis for us and have beaten us twice since I have been here. We are going to have to contain their quarterback and tackle well in space. On offense, we just need to hold onto the ball and make sure we continue to do what we have been doing and that is executing at a high level.”