TOP OF THE REGION: Brunswick High, Glynn Academy clean up all-region honors

Defensive Player of the Year

Devin Smith was named the 2022 Region 2-6A DPOY as the leader of the Black Flag. As a junior, Smith played nine games for Brunswick High before an injury against Evans kept the star linebacker out for the rest of the season. While on the field, Smith tallied 63 tackles with 10 tackles for loss (six sacks), 1 fumble caused and three fumbles recovered.

Coach of the Year

Brunswick’s Garrett Grady was named the 2022 Region 2-6A COY in his first year at the helm. Taking over Sean Pender after his departure to North Hall, Grady kept the Pirates rolling with another undefeated regular season, a 55-21 City Championship Game over Glynn Academy, and a region championship for Brunswick High.

Special Teams Player of the Year

Kody Arnold of Glynn Academy was named the 2022 Region 2-6A Special Teams POY in his final year as a Terror. The do it all 5 Star kicker/punter had strong moments to help push the Terrors into the playoffs. Kicking a 43-yard field goal for the win against Evans and two more field goals against South Effingham, Arnold went 32/35 on XP attempts. Taking kickoffs, Arnold had 39/46 reach the end zone. Punting for Glynn, Arnold had a punt average of 41.8 (38 attempts) with 25 inside the 20-yard line.

Brunswick High First Team OffensE

J.R. Elkins: The 6-foot-4 lefty junior quarterback took over the reins of Brunswick’s prolific offense. In his first year as the quarterback, Elkins threw for 1,393 yards and 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Jayden Drayton: The senior swiss army knife had 843 yards of total offense with 375 coming on the ground and another 293 through the air. Drayton tallied 10 total touchdowns for the Pirates.

Caleb Butler: The sophomore tight end/fullback caught one pass on the season for a seven-yard touchdown. Helping lead a Pirates rushing attack that put together 2,247 yards, Butler created holes and was recognized by other coaches.

Jamal Meriweather, Josh Walker, and Eli Smith were all named to the first team on the offensive line. The three helped lead a Pirates offense that put together 3,695 yards of total offense and 45 touchdowns.

Glynn Academy

First Team OffensE

Greg Peacock: The sophomore tailback for the Terrors had 1,037 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns as the workhorse for his team. Through the air, Peacock added two touchdowns on 164 yards receiving before adding two special teams touchdowns against Grovetown.

Hank Noonan: The senior running back/tight end was a reliable offensive weapon for the Terrors. Taking handoffs from the backfield or in the Wildcat formation, Noonan had 238 yards rushing and a touchdown. Noonan also added 112 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

David Prince: The 6-foot-5 junior wideout had 28 catches for 607 yards and seven touchdowns. In the first-round playoff game against Northside, Prince had a 92-yard touchdown to keep the Terrors in the game.

John McCleod and Jack Hunt: McCleod and Hunt helped guide a Terrors offensive line that clicked as the season moved along. The two were key components in helping Glynn Academy reach 2,688 yards of total offense and 32 touchdowns.

Brunswick High

First Team DefensE

Ka’ Shawn Thomas: The senior nose tackle drew double teams on every snap and accumulated the third most tackles on the team with 54 tackles. Thomas added five TFLs, one sack, and a fumble recovery for the Black Flag defense.

Jordan Jimerson: The senior defensive lineman tallied 44 total tackles with six TFLs and three sacks (second most).

Lionel Twitty: The senior outside linebacker totaled 50 tackles with five TFL’s, one sack, and a pass breakup to seal the win for Brunswick over Camden County in week two.

J’Shawn Towns: The sophomore inside linebacker led the Black Flag defense with 76 tackles. Towns added five TFLs, one sack, and an interception.

Ivan Johnson: The senior defensive back played both sides of the ball for Brunswick High. Johnson ran for 457 yards and four touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, the senior had 44 tackles, three TFLs, an interception, and a fumble recovery.

Keon Leggett: The senior defensive back finished with 30 tackles, one TFL, a caused fumble, and two interceptions.

Taivon Gadson: The junior corner had 36 tackles, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery for the Black Flag defense.

Glynn Academy First Team DefensE

Xzavia Cummings: The senior defensive lineman finished with over 20 plus tackles on the season, adding four TFLs and a sack.

Daniel Smiley: the senior outside linebacker/wideout had five TFLs, one sack, two blocked punts, and 15 yards receiving for Glynn Academy.

Glynn Academy

First Team Special Team

David Stanphill: The 5-star long snapper who is committed to the naval Academy to continue his football and academic career, helped lead a special teams unit at Glynn Academy that was one of the best in the region.

Second Team Offense

Tyler Devlin, Glynn Academy: The senior quarterback had 1,008 yards passing for 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Devlin added 200 yards rushing and six touchdowns for Glynn Academy.

McClain Fineran: The junior punter/kicker had six punts downed inside the 20 with his longest being 52 yards. He also earned an honorable mention as a kicker.