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Professional Eye Care of Statesboro presents Prep Sports Spotlight
Kate Yawn – Senior, Infielder, Statesboro
Kate Yawn
JOSH AUBREY/staff
jaubrey@statesboroherald.com
Published: Sep 29, 2024, 5:19 PM
The Statesboro softball team recently snapped a losing streak with a 13-0 win over Bradwell in Hinesville.
If the Blue Devils are to make a run into the region playoffs, they will be counting on some of their senior leaders to step up. One player coach Karry Parker is counting on both on and off the field is senior infielder Kate Yawn.
“Kate's leadership and experience on the field and at bat provides our younger players with direction and examples to learn from,” Parker said. “Kate accepts every challenge and always gives it her best effort.”
“I believe my role on the team is to lead by example both on and off the field, and to support and encourage the younger players during practice and games,” Yawn said. “As a senior leader I also take on the responsibility of promoting a positive team environment and ensuring that our plan for the game is executed effectively.
“Our team’s success relies on our strong communication and dynamic, which helps us navigate challenges and overcome obstacles. Additionally, the trust we place in each player to make crucial plays or deliver key hits during tough games is vital to our overall performance as a team.”
After advancing to elite eight in 2024, Yellow Jackets looking to go farther
Southeast Bulloch running back Colby Smith, center, breaks through the line and takes off on a long touchdown run in the August 2024 game against Statesboro High.
- photo by SCOTT BRYANT/file
LUKE MARTIN
Herald Correspondent
Published: Aug 13, 2025, 1:07 PM
Following the most successful campaign in more than 50 years, Southeast Bulloch will look to use the triumph of 2024 as a springboard into the 2025 season.
The Yellow Jackets went 8-2 in the 2024 regular season and advanced to the elite eight of the state playoffs, notching road wins over Heritage and Harlem in the first two rounds before falling to Stephenson High School in the school’s most successful season since the 1973 state championship team.
“Every season is different. Every team is different,” said Yellow Jacket Head Coach Jared Zito. “You hope to build on success, but there are new challenges. We have different guys in different spots.
“We’ve got a good, solid group of returners and the experience they bring to the table. They’re battle tested and know what it takes to go deep into the playoffs.”
The good news is that the Yellow Jackets return a lot of firepower from an offense that averaged more than 27 points a game last season.
However, they’ll be starting someone new under center in 2025, after Rhett Morgan decided to focus on baseball following a sophomore season in which he threw for 720 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 159 yards and three scores.
“We’ve known about that since about a month before spring practice,” Zito said. “We’ve been prepping for that. We’ve had two guys taking those snaps — Aiden Peterson, who starts on defense and will continue to start, and Colton Zito, our JV quarterback, has been handling varsity reps.”
Neither Peterson nor Zito has varsity quarterbacking experience, but both will be juniors who have been running the same offense at the junior varsity level.
Senior running backs Colby Smith and Jayden Murphy return to lead an offense that ran for more than 3,200 yards in 2024. Zito said both players had excellent spring practices.
“They’re better, bigger and faster,” he said.
The duo combined for 2,439 yards and 27 touchdowns last season and will be counted on to carry the load again this year.
However, it doesn’t fall on them alone, as Zito said Chase Douglas and Stevie Padgett will also see time in the backfield, as will DJ Brooks, who Zito called a “rising star at running back.”
Clearing the way for the backfield will be an offensive line that returns three starters from a year ago in Daniel Shuman, Bear Fretwell and Jerrad Maddox.
“They’ve done really well. I’m pleased with the three guys we have returning,” Zito said.
SEB Head Coach Jared Zito
Meanwhile, Austin Miller, Herman Marsh, Carson Kirkland and Alex Chester are expected to compete for the other spots on the line.
“They’ve done a really good job. They’ve bought into the mentality we need them to have,” Zito said. “We’ll be fine up front.”
Zito said the Jackets will look to replace their two starting tight ends from 2024, both of whom graduated. Among the contenders are Brant Horst and Greg Peden, but Zito said there are a “slew of guys” in the mix for that position.
The wide receiver position is one that Zito is excited about for the upcoming season.
“We’ll have a little more length and speed at that position and really keep the defense honest,” he said.
Among the players competing for playing time there are Tyrone McGee and Jacheon Howard. Whoever doesn’t win the quarterback job between Peterson and Zito could see time at receiver as well.
Defensively, the Yellow Jackets held opponents under 19 points a game in 2024 and will be looking to replace some key contributors. Among those are Christ Jones, Forrest Fretwell, Mike Dixon and Kyle Obrien, who contributed to 124 total tackles on the year.
Zito described his defense as “a bunch of young guys and not young but experienced old guys who didn’t start before.”
Cam Miller is back up front on the defensive line and could be joined by Austin Glover and JR Palmer, among others.
The linebacking corps will be anchored by returners Horst and Chase Douglas, with Bailey Hutchins, DJ Brooks, Orion Williams, Taylor Chaney and Murphy also getting time there.
In the defensive backfield, Peterson and Wells are expected to start at corners while McGee, Smith and Padgett should see time at safety.
Zito said one of the challenges he expects to address with his defense is the lack of starting experience.
“Starting the game off, the first series or two, and learning how to deal with the emotions and the adrenaline is something we’re going to have to be cognizant of,” Zito said. “Learning how to start the game off will be important. Some guys want to go 1,000 miles per hour right from the start.”
Zito said the special teams unit also returns intact with long snapper Talon Stokes, kickers Thomas Edge and Owen Turner, and Horst as punter.
“You don’t realize the importance of those guys until you don’t have them,” he said.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2025 season the same way they did in 2024, with a cross-county clash with Statesboro High School. The Aug. 15 game will be played on the Blue Devils’ home field, Womack Stadium.
Last year saw SEB come away with a 23-18 win that Zito said helped set the tone for the season.
“Starting with Statesboro is a good and bad problem,” Zito said. “It helps with summer motivation and helps in the beginning of preseason with players and fans for excitement. It’s an important game, but after that, we have a full region schedule.”
While acknowledging that every region game is significant, Zito said the matchups against Calvary Day, Liberty, Jenkins and Long County are the ones that stick out.
“Those, to me, get your attention. It doesn’t mean the others won’t be good, but we’re going to have to beat those teams to have a chance at the postseason,” he said.
Zito said there’s a difference between a team that is building toward success and one that’s already tasted it after having a season like the Yellow Jackets did in 2024.
“It’s easy to motivate when you’re building it,” he said. “Now that you have success, are you satisfied or do you want more? It was exciting to play in the quarterfinals, but how do we get back there and play in the semifinals?”
