The Knights Two-way Starter: Bryce Reily
Bryce Reilly has fond memories of his freshman football season at St. Simons Island’s Frederica Academy. The Knights posted a 10-3 record in 2018, capped by a 48-0 shutout over John Milledge Academy to win the GISA Class AAA State Championship. Bryce says the experience set the tone for the next three seasons, which included a state runner-up finish his junior year.
“The seniors were a great example for how the program should be run and meeting the standards that Coach Derrick had set,” recalls Bryce, who earned valuable playing time that first season and was a three-year starter the rest of the way. “They showed us what Frederica football is about. That season shaped how I wanted the rest of my high school career to go.”
Frederica Head Coach Brandon Derrick calls Bryce “one of our best athletes,” a statement that’s backed up by Reilly’s feats on the field. During his senior season, he was a two-way starter at wide receiver and safety, a special teams player (punter, holder, kickoff coverage), and an emergency fill-in quarterback to boot.
Bryce recorded 310 yards receiving in 2021, plus 56 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles caused as a defensive back. He stepped in at quarterback after starter Thomas Veal went down with a broken wrist late in the season opener against Valwood. Over the next four games, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns, and added 245 yards rushing.
“Being a receiver, he pretty much knew the offense, and he jumped right in there,” Derrick says. “He did a really good job of leading us through all of that.”
Bryce met the challenge head-on by applying some of those lessons learned from his older teammates three years earlier.
“I think the biggest part of that was confidence,” he says. “If people saw me in the backfield looking scared and timid, they would be the same way. I knew if I had confidence, they would too.”
It helped that Reilly and Veal are good friends; the more seasoned QB provided constant support from the sideline. “I couldn’t have done it without him,” Bryce says.
The Knights fielded only 19 players in 2021, which required many of them to play both ways. Again, Bryce led the way, reasoning that, “As a senior, I knew I needed to set an example for the guys around me by my body language, not showing I’m tired, not showing [defeat].”
Despite being undermanned, Frederica posted a 5-5 record and secured an opening-round playoff spot against Tiftarea Academy. Unfortunately, Bryce and some of his teammates were diagnosed with Covid the week of the game, forcing the Knights to forfeit.
“I hated it for them,” Derrick says. “You think you’ve got another game, then you go in on Tuesday and have to tell them their season’s over.”
Now Derrick will have to replace Bryce and several other key seniors. But if the underclassmen follow Bryce’s example, as he did the leaders who paved the way for him, Frederica should remain competitive in the coming years.
“He’s just a great kid,” Derrick says. “At practice he’s out there challenging guys, making sure everybody’s playing hard. He’s a verbal leader, and he also leads by example. He’s been a fixture here for four years. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
His football season may be over, but as a starting wing in basketball and a center back in soccer, Bryce still has plenty left to accomplish. He’s played those sports his entire high school career as well, although he broke his foot in the 2021 basketball playoffs, causing him to miss most of the soccer season that followed. (He was able to return in time for the playoffs.)
He’s excited about both sports, with basketball next on the agenda and the outlook positive for Frederica. The Knights return four starters and have a front line that includes two big men at 6-8 and 6-9.
“We’ve got a lot of talent,” Bryce says. “We’ve set some goals – to not lose at home, to win the region and to make a run at state – and I think we’re capable of doing it.
Nothing, however, will replace the excitement of those Friday night lights for him.
“I think football might be my favorite sport,” he says. “I love basketball, I love soccer, but there’s just something about football. I’m going to miss going out there on Fridays and playing in front of everybody.”
Written by: Allen Allnoch
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