By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
GUYTON – Rebuilding for South Effingham’s flag football program became a little tougher this season – the Mustangs now have to construct a spot for trophies.
South (10-3) clinched its first area championship by defeating Statesboro 25-0 on Nov. 14 and will enter the Division III state championships on Dec. 5 as a No. 1 seed.
The Mustangs, 5-0 in Area 1, entered the week with one area game remaining against Camden County on Nov. 19, but the results won’t affect the standing because South holds the tiebreaker over second-place Richmond Hill after a 19-12 win against the Wildcats on Oct. 24.
“Honestly, I expected the determination to be there, but entering a new (area), I didn’t know what to expect,” SEHS coach Turner Davis said. “I thought, ‘Let’s go out and play hard and let the chips fall where they go’.”
SEHS has steadily improved in a sport that was only sanctioned by the Georgia High School Association four years ago. The Mustangs went from one win in 2021 to six in 2022 to eight in 2023.
The Mustangs advanced to the state playoffs last season but lost an important playmaker when heady quarterback Anna Elliott graduated.
But Davis found a replacement. Junior quarterback Arden Thompson and the offense have averaged almost four points a game more this season. South’s only losses came against McDonough (10-4 record), defending state champion Southeast Bulloch (12-0) and New Hampstead (12-1).
Davis said the Mustangs gained some confidence from the first day of the season by playing SEB competitively before falling 14-6.
“I think the girls realized we were pretty good too,” Davis said. “(The SEB game) was an eye-opener to them. Me too.”
After the opening doubleheader, South has won 10 of its last 11 games.
“We’ve tried to establish the same gist of plays, but maybe throw it more forward,” Davis said. “Arden got her feet wet throwing the ball at the end of last year so she already knew what to expect this year.”
Against Statesboro, Thompson completed 24-of-27 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns.
She’s thrown for 1,464 yards and 24 TDs during the season.
Senior Malaya Signal, who caught three TD passes against the Blue Devils, has 688 total yards (398 receiving, 290 rushing) and has scored 80 points (13 TDs, two PATs).
Freshman Karianna Dorsey (6 rec, 44 yards, 1 TD), senior Allie Grassi (3 tackles, 2 sacks) and sophomore Morgan Hetzel (1 interception) played key roles in the Statesboro win.
After playing Camden, SEHS will have 16 days off before state playoffs.
“Having that many days off can be good and bad,” Davis said. “You’ll have extra time to prepare, but you lose that rhythm of playing, especially if you’re playing well.”
In the state championships, South already knows it will host a four-team grouping. The Mustangs will play the No. 4 seed from Area 5. Also, the No. 2 seed from Area 8 would play the No. 3 seed from Area 2.
The winners of the two games then play for a spot in the Elite Eight on Dec. 9.
