Win-loss records can be deceiving.
Southeast Bulloch’s opponent Friday night, Windsor Forest, comes into the game with a 1-3 record and is 0-3 in Region 3-AAA. Two of those losses, however, are by only a single point, including a 22-21 loss in overtime two weeks ago against Beach.
The Knights are led offensively by senior quarterback Anthony Williams who has averaged 145 yards passing in three games so far. His favorite target is junior Jayden Thomas who has seven receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Jaysen Jackson has added 167 yards on 12 catches and three touchdowns.
“Their quarterback does a good job of scrambling and making plays,” SEB Head Coach Jared Zito said. “We’ve got to keep him in the pocket and keep him contained.”
He also said Thomas was an athletic receiver and stopping him was going to be a key factor for the Yellow Jackets as they try to keep pace in a top-heavy region so far.
“Our secondary has done a good job so far this season and we’re going to need them to play well again,” he said.
The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, head into Friday’s game at 3-1 overall and 2-1 in region play. Southeast Bulloch used a dominating second half performance to shut down Johnson High School en route to a 35-13 win at home.
Through three region games, Calvary Day, Jenkins and Long County are all 3-0 in region play with SEB sitting in fourth at 2-1.
Aside from obviously being pleased with the region win last week, Zito said he continued to see improvements from his team week in and week out.
“We had a couple of penalties that aided them getting first downs and led to a score so we need to take care of that. And we put the ball on the ground and we’ve got to take care of the football. Overall there’s been improvement but there’s still room to grow.”
The Yellow Jackets have been led offensively by running back Colby Smith. He’s averaging nearly 11 carries a game and has more than 400 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Jayden Murphy is averaging more than 80 yards a game and has three scores as well.
Zito said the Yellow Jackets will need to be clean on the offensive line and make sure they’re lined up properly as the Knights will try to outnumber SEB near the line of scrimmage. It’ll be important for them to take what the defense gives them, Zito said.
He also said when they run play-acton pass plays, they need to connect on those shots they take. Doing so is a key component of their offense and helps keep the defense from focusing entirely on shutting down the Yellow Jackets’ offense.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 in Savannah.
