Head Football Coach Bradley Warren Reflects on Difficult 2023 Season as Buccaneers Prepare for 2024
Following a successful 2022 season that saw his team finish with a region championship and a 10-2 record, McIntosh County Academy head football coach Bradley Warren was looking forward to rolling that momentum into the offseason and straight into the 2023 regular season.
“We were coming off that 10-win season and region championship, so we were all looking forward to doing that again,” Warren said. “We couldn’t wait to get started.”
The Buccaneers put the finishing touches on a successful 2023 offseason in the weightroom and at various camps with back-to-back wins in their two preseason scrimmages against Brunswick and Long County.
Then came the regular-season opener, in which McIntosh County Academy’s defense shined in an impressive 26-0 victory over the Johnson Atomsmashers.
With a 1-0 record, Warren’s team hosted Glynn Academy, a Class 6A team also coming off a shutout win in their season opener.
The Buccaneers played well against the much larger Red Terrors, taking them to the wire in a hard-fought 14-6 loss.
Despite the loss, momentum was squarely at the backs of the Bucs to start the 2023 season. Warren’s team was playing well, and McIntosh County was poised for another 10-win season and a second straight region title.
But that’s when the good fortune took a U-turn.
“Everything fell apart,” Warren said.
Buccaneers’ 2023 Football Season Hits a Roadblock
McIntosh County Academy was 1-1 and playing really well when the good fortune that had blessed the Bucs just disappeared.
An ATV accident involving two of the team’s key players sidelined them for the rest of the season. The injuries were not life threatening, and both players have since recovered. But for a Class 1A team with a small roster, the loss of two talented starters had a major impact.
The problems didn’t end there.
“We lost two more players due to a discipline issue,” Warren said.
The head coach did not name the athletes involved in either situation. He only said that all four were key players.
Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, they did.
A few more important players suffered injuries, and what had been such a promising start to the 2023 season became something altogether very different.
Warren, who is in the sixth year of his second stint as the school’s head football coach after serving the first time from 1999 to 2002, said last year’s events amounted to by far the most adversity he has ever faced in a single season.
“It was just constant,” Warren said. “It completely changed our approach to the season.”
A Change of Plans for McIntosh County
With so much misfortune surrounding the McIntosh County football team, Warren had to reevaluate their 2023 season.
“We just had to stop and regroup,” Warren said. “Our goals changed. Instead of thinking about winning a region title, we just simplified things and decided to play for a playoff spot.”
What was the message to the team?
“We kept encouraging them to stay positive and keep their heads up, and when their name and number was called to make the most of it,” Warren said. “But the truth is we didn’t really have to say a whole lot. Everybody could see the challenges we were facing.”
Warren switched to a new, easier-to-run offense. Instead of the hybrid wing-T and spread offense that the Buccaneers like to run, he changed it to an I-formation.
“We were so beat up (that) I didn’t have the luxury of using multiple running backs like we usually do in our regular offense,” Warren said. “We went into the Jenkins game (in Week 7) with exactly one healthy running back.”
From Adversity Comes Opportunity for the Buccaneers
If there was a positive that came from last year’s season of problems, it was the opportunity for McIntosh County’s younger athletes to see playing time well ahead of schedule.
“We had to play some very young guys,” Warren said. “And they had the talent, but their lack of experience came through during games, and they got knocked around pretty well. We kept encouraging them to stay positive, and they did. The young guys were anxious to get in there and play, and they did OK.”
McIntosh County’s Fighting Spirit
Despite everything falling apart around them, McIntosh County Academy fought through the challenges and accomplished their revised goal of making the playoffs.
“We were fortunate to hang around and win a game or two, and that allowed us to keep our heads above water and sneak into the playoffs,” Warren said.
He said that the team’s grit and fighting spirit carried over into the 2024 offseason.
“It has been interesting seeing our guys this summer, considering everything they had to battle through last year,” Warren said. “They have been fun to watch, and we are looking forward to this season.”
Several of the McIntosh County football players who missed time last year will be back for the 2024 season.
Warren said the Buccaneers have nine starters returning on defense, with many of those same players also seeing time on offense.
Let’s hope that means brighter days lie ahead for head football coach Bradley Warren and his McIntosh County team.
