Coastal Pines Technical College Players of the Month

Posted 2/22/2021 at 12:45 pm

 By Kevin Price

Update: Camden County has officially hired former head football coach Jeff Herron as the new coach of the Wildcats football program.

Camden County schools released a news bulletin mid-morning Monday announcing Herron as the football program’s next head coach. The news of Herron’s pending hire was first reported by 912 Sports Connection early Monday morning.

Multiple sources close to the situation told 912 Sports over the weekend that Herron had accepted the Wildcats’ post on Friday. We talked with several of them about Herron’s return for our earlier story which can be read in its entirety below. Herron said he would discuss Camden football with 912 after the new coach had been named. 

Camden principal Steve Loden said the school is honored to have Herron return.

“Coach Herron has an enduring legacy of building football programs that produce not only state champions but also student-athletes who are defined by their outstanding character and sportsmanship. We are excited for this next chapter in Camden County football and look forward to seeing our community turn out to support the Wildcats under the lights of Chris Gilman Stadium this fall.”

Posted 2/22/2021 at 08:00 am

 By Kevin Price

The Camden County Wildcats plan to make an official announcement regarding a new head football coach this week which will end weeks of speculation regarding this important issue in a community where high school football is a big deal. And based on what 912 Sports Connection has learned in recent weeks, this upcoming announcement will most likely create a fervor

unlike any other inside the county lines and also places well beyond because of who the next coach will be for the Wildcats which compete in Class AAAAAAA in the Georgia High School Association.

Multiple sources have confirmed to 912 Sports that former Camden head coach Jeff Herron has accepted an offer to return as head coach of the Wildcats which have been looking for a new coach since Bob

Sphire resigned as the team’s head coach on Feb. 4.

“It’s going to be like a revival,” said Allen Rassi, former president of the Camden Wildcat Quarterback Club who remains an active supporter of the football program. “I’m excited for Camden County. I

believe our administration and our school system have handled this in a first-class manner.”

Herron coached the Wildcats for 13 seasons from 2000-2012 and won three state championships with the program during that time.

Herron declined comment with 912 Sports on Sunday night but said he would comment on the Camden coaching search when a new coach is named.

Sources close to the search have told 912 Sports that an official announcement from Camden County Schools regarding the hiring of

Herron will likely be made this week and could be forthcoming as early as today.

School officials would not confirm the hiring of Herron over the weekend, but Camden athletic director and former head football coach Welton Coffey did respond in a text message to 912 Sports that an announcement will be made soon. 912 Sports plans to be in Kingsland Monday to report on Herron’s

return as head coach. His hiring is still pending approval by the Camden County Board of Education.

We will provide updates on this story as it develops.

Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for any breaking news as it happens. We will continue to provide the latest information on 912Sports.Net as well.

We have been following the Camden coaching search since Sphire submitted his resignation earlier this month. 912 Sports was aware that Sphire could be leaving the program following Camden’s 2020 season even before the Wildcats lost in overtime at Parkview in the opening round of the state playoffs in late November. Sphire is returning to Kentucky, where he grew up and also previously coached, to become head coach at Highland High School in Fort Thomas.

He won a state championship with Lexington (Ky.) Catholic in 2005 prior to coming to Georgia and becoming head coach at North Gwinnett which he established as a state power before coming to Camden prior to the 2017 season. Sphire was 23-20 in his four years at Camden, taking the Wildcats to the Class AAAAAAA state playoffs the last two years. This past season, Camden finished with a 5-6 record.

“The biggest thing I can say about Coach Herron coming back is that he knows what to expect from us and we know what to expect from him,” said Artie Jones Jr., who is on the board of directors for the Camden quarterback club. “We know him, and he knows us, and he

can hit the ground running.

“By far, he’s the most successful coach in Camden County football history. I know I like his coaching style. He brings out the best in all of his athletes. He doesn’t hold them back. He doesn’t care whether the

score is 0-0 or 50-0, he wants you to play your hardest and do your best.”

Camden won its first state championship in 2003, beating the Valdosta Wildcats 21-7 in the final game at storied Cleveland Field before it was

renovated and then named Bazemore-Hyder Stadium at Cleveland Field to carry the names of Valdosta’s most-known head coaches in their illustrious history.

Camden won back-to-back state crowns under Herron in 2008 and 2009. The Wildcats defeated Peachtree Ridge in the 2008 title game and prowled past Northside-Warner Robins in the 2009 state final.

Herron became Camden’s head coach the first time following a state-championship season at Oconee County in 1999 which was his third

season with the Warriors who went 33-6 in his time with the program. Oconee, which fell to Pierce County in this year’s Class AAA state final, had only won eight games in the previous four seasons

combined prior to Herron’s arrival.

Herron left Camden following the 2012 season and coached at Prince Avenue Christian in Bogart for three seasons, going to the quarterfinals and semifinals in those three years while compiling a 31-

6 record in his three years with the school.

He coached at Grayson in 2016 and led the Rams to a 14-1 record and a state championship in his only season with the Gwinnett power which won this year’s state championship in Class AAAAAAA under

Adam Carter. Carter hails from Herron’s coaching tree along with Franklin Stephens who has won several state titles as a head coach. Stephens coached several seasons at Ware County and is now head

coach at McEachern in Cobb County.

Herron left Georgia following his only season at Grayson to coach at T.L. Hanna in Anderson, S.C. He led Hanna to records of 11-1 and 14-1 in the 2017 and 2018 seasons with his 2018 team playing for a state championship. His two Hanna teams won region championships

and the 2018 team also won the Upstate championship before losing in the state final.

Jones said there might be critics out there who don’t think Herron can rekindle the magic again at Camden, but he believes the Wildcats are

making a smart choice in turning to Herron again as they look to again contend for state championships.

“In this world, you’re not gonna get 100 percent agreement on anything,” Jones said. “We could bring in the coach who just won the Super Bowl, and there would be critics. “Football is big business, and our program has been the heart of Camden County. It brought us together as a community when he was

here. We had 4,500 or 5,000 people following our team when we went on the road, and the other team liked to see us coming because we generated a lot of revenue for them. 

“Camden has been losing a lot lately. When you only have 400 or 500 people following the team, that is pretty bad. I want to see our stands

full again, and the only way we are gonna be full again is to start winning. We want a winner and we can win. We have the kids here to do it. We are gonna have to build it up again, get that spirit going again.”

Of course, Herron is the one who created that buzz around the Wildcats for all those years.

He actually retired from coaching after his second season at Hanna and sat out the 2019 season before joining the staff at Tennessee

Tech in early 2020 prior to the postponement of the fall season due to concerns related to the Covid19 pandemic. 

Carter, who led Grayson to that aforementioned state crown this past season, believes Herron will be successful again in Camden.

“He will make an immediate impact on those guys,” Carter said. “It won’t take long. He’ll be in the dogfight in Region 1 this year, they’ll be in the mix. He’s the best there is at what he does.” Carter said an older Herron is as good as the Herron that arrived at

Camden back at the turn of the century.

“He’s got a lot left in the tank. He’s not going into it washed up I promise you.” Carter said. “They’ll be ready. You can take that to the bank.”

Blue chips and blue bloods highlighted the Warriors’ roster, most notably 6’6'' Jake Johnson, the nation’s consensus No. 1 prospect at tight end among juniors. Meanwhile, Johnson’s father Brad, who quarterbacked Tampa Bay to victory in Super Bowl XXVII, called offensive plays for Oconee. OCHS also boasted the All-Region tandem of brothers West and Whitt Weeks, sons of another Oconee assistant, former University of Georgia center David Weeks. 

Evenly matched as well as well as any two teams record-wise, Oconee (12-0) and Pierce (12-1) also bore a striking resemblance with their seasonal defensive production (9.8 points per game for Oconee, 9.9 for Pierce). The game’s initial 24 minutes played true to that script - a scoreless draw - though PCHS forced two turnovers. The first came on an interception by Allen Boatright, off a pass tipped by Baker. Then Baker got the first of his own two interceptions. At halftime, the teams were nearly deadlocked in total yardage (Oconee 69, Pierce 68). 

PCHS finally appeared to hit its offensive stride on the second drive of the third quarter. From the Bears’ own 17-yard line, Bell rambled 46 yards into Warrior territory, only to see PCHS fumble it away on the ensuing snap.

“You’ve just got to go to the next play,” said Herring of the lost fumble. “At that point, the defense is out there, and we’ve got to get a stop. If you can play good, sound defense you always have a chance.”

PCHS indeed forced OCHS to punt on the ensuing drive, but Oconee pinned Pierce at its own nine-yard line. Following the Bears’ three-and-out series, the Warriors became the first team to start a drive north of midfield, at the Bears’ 41. Oconee subsequently scored the game’s first touchdown when Johnson snagged Jacob Wright’s 13-yard pass in the corner at the 10:09 mark of the fourth quarter. 

Down but not despaired, the Bears responded with the most enduring drive of the game for either team, marching 80 yards in eight plays. PCHS engineered a crucial third-and-16 conversion when Zay Plummer caught an over-the-shoulder pass from Jermaine Brewton for a 45-yard gain to move the chains. Bell punctuated the drive with a five-yard touchdown run and Robert Jacobs booted the extra point to knot the score at 7-7 with 7:23 left in regulation. Exchanging punts afterward, Oconee then ran out the final moments of regulation. That set the stage for just the 10th overtime game in GHSA history and the second such in as many days. 

Pierce won the coin toss and deferred, giving Oconee the ball first at the Bears’ 15-yard line. On the first play of overtime, Baker leaped, snagging Wright’s over-the-middle pass and putting PCHS in position to clinch the title.

“The unique thing is that Coach Swane Morris (PCHS defensive coordinator) drew up that scenario during our pre-game meetings,” said Herring. 

Morris explained. “We had watched it several times and Coach (Russ) Rothar actually noticed how with their motion, the corner needed to go out and we didn’t need to leave the middle vacant. So we showed the secondary that same check to make sure Daytin knew he was in the middle and reminded the kids to make that check-down. You can see on the film when the play started, Austin Jernigan recognized it, called it, and looked at Daytin and said ‘you’ve got the wing, I’m on Nine (Johnson).’ So, all that, with kids working hard and making sure they made that check right, that’s what made it perfect.” 

Baker, an All-Region player who also made the Georgia Public Broadcasting All-Finals team, described the clutch play this way: “Coach Morris said, ‘this has got to be your pick because they always throw it to that seam. It was based off instinct, off what we looked at, and off what we knew they were going to do and how they lined up. We knew that running back was going to motion out and A.J. Staten would take him, Austin would have No. 9 and I would have No. 7 (West Weeks), the wingback. Austin told me, ‘Daytin, you switch over and get No. 7. And it happened...just like that.” 

PCHS then got the ball “first and glory” at the 15-yard line with Bell operating from the “wildcat” formation. The sophomore speedster broke off the left side, shedding would-be tacklers en route to the title-clinching touchdown. As Bears fans rejoiced, a wild, on-field celebration ensued with Herring hoisting the school’s first football championship trophy aloft. 

“I think God’s hands have been involved in this since the beginning. How I wound up here in southeast Georgia the first time, I never knew,” said a jubilant Herring, who served as a PCHS assistant from 2001-03.” 

By Kevin Price

Photography by Michael Brinson

Max is the Man; He Can Hoop; He’s a Baller

(Whatever You Want).

Glynn Academy’s Max Hrdlicka is looking forward

to playing college basketball starting next season

at the University of North Florida - the school he

signed with just days before the Red Terrors

tipped off their 2020-21 season on the hardwood

back in November.

And coaches around Region 2-AAAAAA are looking

forward to seeing Hrdlicka play beyond high

school, too.

That’s because they want to see him shine on the

next level as a representative of Southeast Georgia

as much as anyone, but the coaches also admit

they will be glad they no longer have to worry

about trying to stop the Glynn standout from

scoring when they coach against the Red Terrors in

the future. 

“I had a fever and lost my taste,” he said. “It was

just like the flu. It took like five days to get over it.

Christmas Eve was the last day I didn’t have

symptoms at all.”

Hrdlicka also mentioned to his parents that his

heart felt like it was pounding in his chest at times,

and they presented this issue to his regular doctor

at his next appointment because they were aware

that Covid-19 had been known to cause heart-

related issues even among those who easily

               recovered from the virus and seemed                   otherwise healthy.

His personal doctor suggested Hrdlicka see a

cardiologist who might order further testing on his

heart before allowing him to return to playing basketball.

And, that’s exactly what happened. It’s a good

thing it did, too.

His examination with a Brunswick-based doctor

included Hrdlicka wearing a heart-monitor for a

24-hour period that revealed an irregular

heartbeat. That was indeed a cause for concern,

especially knowing what could have transpired as

a result of the stress placed on the heart by the

           physical exertion someone puts forth when            playing basketball.

Worst-case scenario, the heart specialist told him,

a return to the court could have been fatal.

Area fans might be aware of two other players

who collapsed in recent months while playing

basketball. One died and the other survived.

This past summer, Statesboro High player O’jaryn

Reese collapsed during an AAU game in metro

Atlanta and later died. He was not believed to

have had any prior health issues, according to

those who were reached for comment for a

newspaper article about Reese’s tragic death.

Also back on Dec. 12, University of Florida

basketball player Keyontae Johnson collapsed

during a game at Florida State and needed

emergency medical attention at the arena.

He was taken to a Tallahassee hospital that day

and placed in a medically induced coma for three

days. He began breathing on his own again on Dec.

15 and was released from the hospital on Dec. 23.

Johnson was back around the Gators team in early

January and a return to action before season’s end

had not been ruled out when this story was

written. Johnson did test positive for Covid-19

earlier, according to Florida and his family.

It was reported by a Gainesville (Fla.) media outlet

following his collapse that Johnson was diagnosed

with acute myocarditis, or heart inflammation, but

that had not been confirmed by university officials

or his family at press time for this magazine.

The coronavirus can cause myocarditis, and when

severe, it can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and

has been a documented cause of death in young,

otherwise healthy athletes.

The SEC and other conferences within the NCAA

require heart evaluations for any athletes testing

positive for Covid-19 before they can return to

play, but such testing is not currently mandated by

the Georgia High School Association.

In early January, Hrdlicka wore a heart monitor for

an additional two days and the results were

already more favorable than those from his initial

test which was a good sign.

His doctor is confident his complication stemmed

from him having the virus and expected a full

recovery for Hrdlicka in due time. He is scheduled

to visit the doctor again on Feb. 8 and it’s very

possible his heart could be functioning completely

normal again by then.

The Terrors’ are scheduled to play their final

regular-season game on Feb. 5 with the region

tournament slated for Feb. 11-18. The state

tournament, which includes the top four teams

from each of the eight regions in the state, is set to

open on Feb. 23-24.

But Hrdlicka and his parents made the difficult

decision in mid-January for him not to attempt to

play in the postseason with the Terrors even if he

were to be cleared by his doctor to resume

physical activity.

He also is no longer attending classes at Glynn

since he had already met his requirements for

graduation. With his prep career done, Hrdlicka

planned to focus on his health, work a job and

prepare for college basketball while waiting to

enroll at North Florida which likely will take place

this summer.

Through eight games this season, he was scoring

17.4 points per game while also averaging 6.3

boards, 6.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks while

playing mostly point guard early on.

Hrdlicka, an all-state pick as a junior, finished last

season averaging a team-high 17.2 points a game

while also leading Glynn in assists (2.3) and blocks

(1.0) and ranking second on the team in

rebounding (7.1).

Two of Hrdlicka’s better scoring nights during his

              prep career took place last season against                      rival Brunswick.

In the second meeting of the season against BHS,

Hrdlicka scored a career-high 36 points including

33 in the second half as the Terrors flirted with an

upset of the 10th -ranked Pirates who overcame a

double-digit deficit in the final quarter to pull out a

close win on their home court.

He scored 19 points in the third period alone as

Glynn took a 46-33 lead into the fourth quarter.

“I didn’t know I scored 36 points. It didn’t feel like

it,” Hrdlicka said. “I knew I played pretty well, but

didn’t really think about it because we lost.”

Less than two weeks later, Glynn upset Brunswick

in the region tournament semifinals to deny the

Pirates the chance to win a fourth straight region title.

The Terrors routed their rivals 69-48, jumping out

to a commanding early lead with Hrdlicka scoring

all of his game-high 21 points before halftime as

Glynn took a surprising 39-16 advantage into the break.

Once he was sidelined for the rest of this season,

Hrdlicka remained a part of the Glynn team. He

attended practices and sat on the bench during

games, watching the action between the lines and

supporting his teammates while they played as

difficult as it was for him to sit there and not be

running up and down the floor with them.

“The games are the worst,” he said about not playing.

Terrance Haywood, head coach for the Terrors,

had hoped to get his big gun back in the lineup

before the end of the season, but knew all along

that Hrdlicka’s health was most important

especially considering the bright future that awaits

him in college hoops.

“We miss him. He makes everyone better,”

Haywood said. “He was our leading scorer last

year and was leading us again this year. We’re

having to adjust and just trying to do the best we

can without him.”

Glynn was 3-2 in the five games it had played

without Hrdlicka when this story went to press in

mid-January. The team was 9-5 overall and 3-3 in

region games at the time.

Hrdlicka felt the Terrors still had a chance to finish

strong and get to the state tourney. “We can beat

every team in the region,” he said.

Haywood says Hrdlicka can be proud of his high-

school career even though it came to a sudden ending.

“He’s a great kid, straight-A student,” Haywood

said. “On top of that, he’s the best player on the

court. He’s been a coach on the floor, a great

leader. He was in our program for four years.”

Haywood said Hrdlicka’s versatility makes him a

special player. “That’s definitely his biggest asset,”

the coach said. “He can run the point, play on the

wing, go down low and be really good, also. He’s a

big-body, and as a defender, he’s long, can jump

                    out of the gym and can block shots.                                   He’s done a lot  for us.”

Hrdlicka’s all-around skill-set will hopefully make

him a valuable commodity for North Florida, too.

There, he will play for veteran coach Marcus

Driscoll who led the Ospreys to the regular-season

ASun championship last year.

“North Florida was always my top choice,” Hrdlicka

said. “They were the first to offer me, and I just

like Coach Driscoll a lot.”