BROOKLET — Rain or Shine, the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets Varsity flag football team has taken on a winner takes all personality. That sentiment rang true as the Jackets defeated the Harris County Tigers, 7-0 to secure their spot in the final four.
Now 80-1, the Jackets are rolling to the next. After losing approximately 10 good players in the past two seasons, the Jackets have really had to feel the gaps with some younger players this year and those younger players have really stepped up according to head coach Marci Cochran.\
“These younger players have shown that they are here and they’re ready for the spotlight,” Cochran said.
In the first quarter the Jackets moved the ball really well and on some of their beginning drives senior Paige Nelson broke out for a huge touchdown to set the tone for the game. That was a big play for the Jackets to open up with and then defense came on the field to establish that all around dominance that they have been showing all season long.
“We’ve been saying for three years since we started this program that defense is going to win for us and that’s what happened tonight,” Coach Cochran said.
Because that will to win is so strong for the Jackets, sometimes the adrenaline from the game can become overwhelming and in the second quarter that seemed to happen. Offensively the Jackets stalled and seemed to get out of sorts with energy.
After halftime the Jackets started to look like themselves and started to move the ball little by little getting some three to four yard bursts. They unfortunately missed some big plays in the endzone offensively, but made some big ones defensively, getting three stops within the 20-yard line on multiple occasions.
Senior Jadyn “The Jedi” Williams led the team in sacks with three, junior Kelsey Johnson led the game with seven flags pulled and Paige Nelson was right behind her with six flags pulled.
At the start of the postseason, Coach Cochran said her team needed to go 5-0. Now 3-0, the Jackets are getting ready to take on the Dodge County Indians who are (17-1,9-0) overall and in region play. Their one loss came from Lowndes who the Yellow Jackets beat 27-0 back in October at the Fred Shaver Invitational Tournament at the beginning of the season.
Coach Cochran is feeling good about her team’s chances, especially after pulling out this win against a really good Harris County team.
“We knew they were going to be a good team, and if we can pull that win out tonight, I have a lot of confidence in our team going forward,” Cochran mentioned.
The Yellow Jackets will be taking on the Dodge County Indians in the Final Four on Thursday, December 12, at Dodge County for the 2024-25 GHSA Division 1 State Championship Playoffs.