Football, sausage, and cornhole were the order of the day at the third annual Southeast Georgia In the Game High School Media Day in late July. The Frederica River was the backdrop as coaches and players from 17 schools gathered at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island for this year’s event.
A packed house listened as each coach gave a preview of the 2017 season, introducing members of their teams who were in the audience wearing their jerseys.
“This was the best Media Day to date,” said Shawn Smoak, publisher of ITG’s Southeast Georgia magazine. “It was great to see so many high school football fans come out to get ready for the season. We really appreciate Southeast Georgia Health System for being our title sponsor this year.”
Media Day was also presented by Coastal Pines Technical College, Lang BBQ Smokers, Sea Palms Resort, Gibson Animal Clinic, and Coastal Charters Trailways.
Schools represented were Bradwell Institute, Camden County, Wayne County, Glynn Academy, Bacon County, Appling County, Liberty County, Jeff Davis County, Brunswick, McIntosh County Academy, Ware County, Charlton County, Frederica Academy, Pierce County, Long County, Richmond Hill, and Brantley County.
ITG’s John DuPont was the emcee of the event as writers Rob Asbell and John Wood hosted “In the Game on the Radio” on WWUF 97-7 the Wolf and broadcast on Facebook Live. The players on hand glimpsed the crowds they will soon be playing before on Friday nights.
“It’s a good experience, and we are learning a lot about other teams,” Long County’s Christian Bass said. “It’s going to be a good season.”
Bass – a tight end being recruited by Georgia Southern, Army, and several other colleges – was one of several highly-recruited players at Media Day. Attendees included Ware County’s Jaylynn Strickland, a North Carolina State commit; Richmond Hill’s Sam James, who is headed to West Virginia; and Glynn Academy quarterback Randon Jernigan.
The smell of Lee and Davis Country Meats permeated the Strickland Auditorium as John Moore delivered plates of sausage freshly cooked on a Lang Smoker Cooker.
The day concluded with a cornhole tournament featuring coaches playing the popular tailgating pastime in which players toss beanbags at a hole on a slanted board. The competition was fierce as each coach tossed the beanbags hoping for a ringer. It finally came down to two coaches new to the area, Camden’s Bob Sphire and Wayne County’s Ken Cribb. Sphire hit two ringers in the final round but still came up just one point shy of Cribb. And with that, the Lang Smoker Cooker was hooked to the back of a truck headed for Jesup, Georgia.
There was also a drawing for a lucky person to have a two-night stay at Sea Palms Resort on St. Simons Island.
It was a perfect way to start the 2017 football season. Long County defensive back Cody Cox, one of the players in attendance, summed up everyone’s excitement headed into the season: “I’m ready to pad up, strap up, and do what I was taught and what we have been practicing. I’m ready.”
SE-SF-0917-Media Day
By Rob Asbell
Photography by Michael Brinson
