As the Southeast Bulloch football team flooded the field following its second round state playoff victory over Harlem in Augusta, no one was in the mood to hear the old adage of “acting like you’ve been there before,” because none of the Yellow Jacket players have.
And any players with fathers who also suited up for SEB haven’t either.
Southeast Bulloch has won multiple playoff games in a season for the first time since capping off 1973 with a second consecutive state championship. When the Jackets (10-2) travel to Stephenson (9-3) on Friday, it will mark 50 years to the day that SEB has played a game so late in the calendar.
“This has been a great year with a very special group,” SEB coach Jared Zito said. “We have talent, leadership, chemistry and we’ve mostly stayed away from injuries. We’re playing with more and more confidence and have been getting dangerous down the stretch.
“Any coach wants to bottle this up.”
As the No. 3 seed out of its region, SEB has been racking up the mileage over the last two weeks. The opening round took them within a long field goal of the Tennessee state line, but the Jackets brought a 35-9 victory over Heritage back to Brooklet. Last Friday brought about a shorter and more familiar drive up to Augusta and the Jackets responded again, blanking region champion Harlem 21-0 to set up a state quarterfinal showdown that sends SEB packing again - this time to Stone Mountain to take on an explosive Jaguars squad.
Stephenson is the reigning champion of Region 5-AAA and has lit up the scoreboard throughout the season. The Jags have scored 32 or more points in seven games, including a 44-37 shootout against Whitewater in the first round of state and followed up by a 41-7 dispatching of Jenkins last week.
The Jaguars are paced by sophomore running back Jaydon Johnson (1,289 yards) and junior Anthony Booker (793) yards. The duo has combined for 22 rushing touchdowns and combine with junior receiver Will Chaney (38 receptions, 598 yards, 7 TD) to form a balanced and dangerous unit.
“We’re going to have to be disciplined and execute like we know how,” Zito said. “They have a lot of speed, but the real danger is that they’re great at extending plays, breaking tackles and turning small plays into big ones. We can’t give them anything extra.”
Former SEB playoff squads have been more tortoise than hare in the game plan, but this Yellow Jacket squad has plenty of sting to respond. Junior running back Colby Smith has been the focal point throughout the season, amassing 1,633 rushing yards and crossing the goal line 22 total times. The Jackets mainly stick to the ground, but sophomore quarterback Rhett Morgan has been opportunistic, racking up nine touchdown passes to only four interceptions.
There’s little doubt that Stephenson is the toughest playoff test yet on paper. But now defeating a region champ on the road is a place SEB can say it has been before.
“One thing I’ve seen from our guys this season has been the competitiveness and maturity,” Zito said. “There was a lot of pressure on us last week, trying to win that second playoff game for the first time in a long time.
“This is a team that works hard and that has responded to corrections and honest feedback from a great group of coaches. We’re ready for a battle, but now we feel like the pressure is on everyone else.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Stone Mountain.
