Finishing 0-10 last season, head football coach Greg Hill was determined to do whatever he could to get the Tigers’ minds off of 2014 and motivated for the upcoming season.
“We were certainly ready to get back in the weight room and get after it, because we a lot more hungry and confident going into this coming season,” Hill says.
This season, Bradwell will look like a different team. After last season, Hill decided to abandon the traditional helmets for a white helmet with blue diagonal paint from the facemask to the ear hole (in Naval Academy fashion). In a nod to his alma mater, Georgia Southern, the BI logo has been replaced with the uniform number.
New uniforms are great for aesthetics and psyche, but nothing outweighs strength and technique. In the winter, players went through Blue Dawn weight and speed workouts. To hone their techniques, Hill’s Tigers went to pad camps at Ware County and Jacksonville University.
Hampered by a cramped school schedule, daily South Georgia afternoon thunderstorms, and the dreaded beeps of the increasing heat level on the wet bulb, the Tigers have continued to practice at 5:30 a.m. at least once a week.
Originally, Bradwell was supposed to host Toombs County for its scrimmage on the 14th, but field issues moved the game from Olvey Field to “The Pit” in Lyons. Toombs edged the Tigers last season in the scrimmage, and both Hill and Bulldogs head coach Lyman Guy are entering their second season at the helm in their respective programs. Both teams get a strong measure of where they are in the implementation of the their scheme.
However, in the offseason, Bradwell hired a former a Tiger quarterback alumnus, Sultan Cooper, as offensive coordinator, moving Bradwell away from last season’s triple-option attack that Hill perfected, and won a national championship with under Paul Johnson. Though Bradwell is a multiple formation Cooper has re-instituted the Wing T as the bread and butter offense for Bradwell.
Retuning to the Wing-T has allowed quarterback senior Duane Johnson to get stout and strong alongside senior Luther Echols. Echols is hoping for a breakout year similar to his freshman
and sophomore seasons, when he held the lion’s share of the running duties for the Tigers. Echols battled injury last season, but leadership and work ethic in the weight room should deter injury.
The early verdict on the Tigers’ 2015 potential is certainly positive with a 28-6 victory over Toombs County.
Bradwell’s offense broke loose for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Echols led the ground game with 82 yards on three carries, including a breakaway 78-yard touchdown run. Junior Christian Evans had 66 yards for the offense.
Defensively, Bradwell’s secondary picked off three passes. Johnson also added 30 yards in the air off of four passing attempts including a 22-yard scoring strike. Safety Deion Stewart had a pair and strong safety Joshua Ingram grabbed one.
“Toombs County is a good football team; they are well-coached and have decent size. So being able to come out against them and play is a good thing, and it certainly builds confidence, but this also doesn’t count on the record,” Hill says.
Hill was happy with the offense, but he also knows that there is a lot to clean up before opening against crosstown rival Liberty County High School. The Panthers open against Bradwell’s region rival, Effingham County.
“We scored points, but a lot of those points came off big plays, and as a team you can’t depend on big plays. We have to be able to sustain drives and not shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers,” Hill says.
Even with having to work on a few specific areas, Hill says that an air of confidence is visible among the team.
“We adopted ‘big team – little me’ as our team motto and I think it’s helped us. We are excited for the season and region play, but right now, we just want to get ready for a talented Liberty team and take it one game at a time after that,” Hill says.
It appears the early start to offseason training and adding pounds of muscle, power and strength, has paid off for Bradwell Institute football.
SE-9.15-Bradwell-Football
Tigers confident coming into 2015 season
By John Wood
