Last season, a little-known junior stepped up and helped Glynn Academy make it to the third round of the state playoffs. This season, Morris Demery has pushed himself to be ready for his senior year and, hopefully, another deep run in the playoffs. A two-way player for the Glynn Academy Red Terrors, he is also considered the most improved player on the team. Demery has become stronger, faster, and more coachable over the past year.
“I can catch on to things faster than last year,” Demery says. “I’m also more physical than last year.”
Upping his mental game was a big step for the senior. He was already a physical player, especially at safety, where he was known for making big hits on opposing running backs and causing fumbles. Against archrival Brunswick High, Demery jump-started the Terrors. He scored the first touchdown on a screen pass from his slot position on offense, and then had an interception from his defensive position of free safety. The big plays ignited his team to victory. “It was like I lit the spark. I pushed the tempo up,” he says. Demery has the speed to keep running backs from making the corner and the ability to run down pass plays.
Being the most improved player at Glynn Academy is quite an accomplishment. Head coach Rocky Hidalgo says Demery has pushed himself over the past year to become a team leader. “His energy and enthusiasm are infectious. He has always been explosive, but he has worked very hard at his route running, conditioning, and strength,” Coach Hidalgo says.
His hard work paid off last year during a record-setting season for the Red Terrors. Glynn Academy finished as the third seed from Region 3-AAAAA, but then stunned everyone by winning their first two playoff games, including a huge win over defending state champion Creekside. It was the first time in over 40 years that the Terrors had made it to the state quarterfinals, and Demery was a big part of the equation.
Demery is more than just a football player at Glynn Academy. He is a standout in the classroom (with a 3.2 grade point average) and also is a member of the track and field team in the spring, running the 100-meter dash, the 100-meter relay, and the long jump. But it has always been football that has topped his list of favorites. Demery started playing when he was five years old. He got his first big play as a member of Judge Bart Altman’s Broncos team at the Glynn County Recreation Department.
“We were playing an island team, and I scored my first touchdown. A 30-yard run,” Demery says.
He continued to play through middle school, and then became a Terror, where he started making an impact on the field his junior year. His favorite part of the game is learning new techniques to help him win.
“I like being coached,” he says. “The coaches inspire me to do better and be better.”
Although he hasn’t had any college offers yet, a few schools have been looking at Demery, including Kennesaw State University.
During the offseason, Demery has pushed himself in the weight room and on the field. His drive to improve himself has impressed his coaches, and he strives to get better day-by-day.
“I try to stay humble and keep working hard, on and off the field, to improve,” he says.
Part of the process has been watching film and working with his coaches to develop his skill set.
Demery rarely leaves the playing field during games. He encourages himself to score on offense and to get the ball on defense. Mostly, his attitude is to stay humble and win. Despite playing both ways, coaches see Demery as energetic any time he is on the field.
“Morris is like the Energizer Bunny,” Coach Hidalgo says. “He just never stops.”
SE-MI-0815-Demery
MI – Morris Demery
Glynn Academy
(W) Rob Asbell
(P) Jeffrey Griffith
Stepping Up As A Senior
