Oh, to be a Thomas County Central Yellow Jacket. The 2013 season started so high yet ended so low. The year started with the Yellow Jackets as a favorite to win a state championship. They had a team that was deep and talented. Headlined by quarterback Adam Choice, who is now a Clemson Tiger, TCC was a 5A juggernaut that had its way with just about every regular-season opponent they faced. The Yellow Jackets lost early in the season to the Valdosta Wildcats, but gave the ‘Cats everything they could handle and more. The region title was theirs to lose. And lose it they did in the last regular season game of the year when Choice, who had already amassed 258 yards rushing against Harris County and become the Yellow Jackets’ all-time leading rusher, saw his season end because of a devastating shoulder injury. Harris County won the game and Lee County, which TCC beat 45-14, ended up winning the region title. The Yellow Jackets lost their first-round playoff game and saw their season come to an end about four games too early.
Now, it’s a year later and we’re still talking about Choice and the disappointing way the 2013 season ended. It’s probably not fair to the 2014 team. It’s a new season. Thomas County Central has dropped down to 4A. The Yellow Jackets will have a new quarterback and a new offensive line. The defensive side of the ball will have to set the tone early for the Yellow Jackets, and they have two of the best defensive players in the state in free safety Ernest Harris and defensive end Austin Bryant.
Ernest Harris is a hard-hitting, ball-hawking free safety who destroys everything in his path. At 6’2” and 180 pounds, he’s one of the bigger defensive backs in the region. He finished the 2013 season with 68 tackles, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles. A defensive specialist, he wanted to use last year to get his name out there a little more. One of his goals – besides doing his part to help the Yellow Jackets win a state title, of course – was to do what he needed to do in order to land a college scholarship. He’s a very coachable player who works hard each day to improve. He has the natural athletic ability to be a dominant player but he understands that ability without work ethic won’t get you very far. “Sam Pickett is my defensive back coach. He has gotten me to where I am today. I’m a better player because of him,” Harris said.
And just how much better is Harris today? At the moment, he has scholarship offers on the table from Troy and Cincinnati. Other schools have also shown interest in him. Right now, though, he is keeping his options open and waiting to see who else makes him offers. “I love playing football. You’ve got to work hard but connecting with the other players – it’s amazing. This year, I want to focus on improving and making another run to a state title. Then we’ll see what the next step is,” Harris said.
His teammate and best friend, Austin Bryant, is an athletic 6’5,” 250-pound defensive end who started his career with the Yellow Jackets as a quarterback. Bryant, however, had two things working against him: His size and Adam Choice. “I’ve always been big. Still, I was a quarterback as a freshman. But we had Adam a year ahead of me and honestly, in our Veer Offense, we didn’t need a 6’5” quarterback,” Bryant said.
Bryant was an outside linebacker as a sophomore but moved to defensive end last year. It was a good move for both TCC and Bryant. He is faster and more athletic than just about every offensive tackle he faces, and he feasts upon those lopsided matchups. Bryant finished the year with nearly 70 tackles and seven sacks. His best game came against rival Cairo, which the Yellow Jackets won 21-0. Bryant had three sacks and several tackles for a loss.
Bryant’s talent earned him a trip to The Opening, a prestigious football camp hosted by Nike at its Oregon headquarters. At The Opening, Bryant went up against the best offensive linemen in the country. “It’s not every day that you get to play against guys 6’6” and 350 pounds. It was great competition and I had a great time. I won some of those matchups and I lost some. But that’s going to happen when you face the best,” he says.
This year, he knows that the defense will have to step up and set the tone for the Yellow Jackets while the offensive players get their collective legs – literally and figuratively – under them. “The Class of 2014 was the rock of this team last year. We’ve got to replace a bunch of players on offense, including our whole line. The focus has to be on getting everyone to mature and grow up. This year, the defense will be that rock, and I want to be a leader for everyone. I want to be someone that the offense and defense can look up to. I want to encourage everyone and to lead by example. I also know I’ve got to disrupt everything I can on defense,” Bryant said.
Bryant plans to attend Clemson, just like his former quarterback, Adam Choice. Bryant, however, insists that the decision was his and his alone. “I had over 20 offers. But I chose Clemson because they had what I wanted academically. Also, the playing situation was right. They will graduate their whole defensive line this year so that will be open. Adam didn’t try to recruit me to Clemson. It’s a plus that he’s there but it was my decision to go there,” he said.
Both players are also standouts in other sports as well. Harris runs track and went to state in the 400 meters last year, where he finished ninth. He plans to run track again this year. Bryant played basketball for his first three years but likely won’t play this year. A power forward and center, he believes he needs to focus on his strength and conditioning as he gets ready to go to Clemson. “Once the games start, I know I’ll know I’ll miss it. But I won’t miss those late practices after football,” he said jokingly.
Harris and Bryant are as close as – and maybe even closer than – brothers. They hang out together and play together. When you see one, you see the other. And they depend on each other on the football field. “Blood couldn’t make Ernest and me any closer. He can fly and he will lay you out. When I’m pressuring the quarterback, I know he’s back there ready to make a play. And when he’s in the secondary holding things down, that keeps the ball in the quarterback’s hands and gives me a chance to get a sack. We play well together,” Bryant said.
“Austin and I are like brothers. He’s great with his hands and he uses his size well. He can really play and I love being on the field with him,” Harris said.
Favorites:
Ernest Harris:
College football or pro football? College
Team: Alabama
Sport you wish you could play: Baseball
Superhero: Spiderman
Superpower: Fly
Food: Macaroni and cheese
Person to meet: Richard Sherman
What’s the first thing you would do with $1 million? “Buy a house.”
Austin Bryant:
College team besides Clemson: Georgia Bulldogs
NFL team: Carolina Panthers
Sport you wish you could play: Lacrosse
Superhero: Thor
Superpower: Super speed
Person to meet: President Obama
What would you do with $1 million? “By my parents a new house.”
Player Spotlight/South Georgia/September 2014
Ernest Harris and Austin Bryant
Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets
Thomasville, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Best friends demolish opposing offenses for the Yellow Jackets
