By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
South Effingham football season enters must-win territory after falling to Brunswick 38-14 last Friday night, says head coach Loren Purvis.
His reasoning is twofold.
"We have to win this week (against Grovetown) and the week after (against Evans), not only to get into the playoffs, but we have to win, in my mind, to build a standard for our program," Purvis said.
South (5-3, 1-3 Region 2-6A) has shown improvement while already posting one more win than last season and producing the school's first .500 or above season since 2020.
But 7-3 and a playoff berth would certainly add nice rings to his rookie season as head coach.
"We've lost a lot in the past and our kids are tired of that," Purvis said.
Despite the lopsided loss, the Mustangs played the Pirates more competitively than in 2022. Brunswick had a 35-0 halftime lead en route to a 42-3 victory.
This time, South took a 7-0 lead on the third play of the game when quarterback Kaden DeGenaro connected with Dominic Martell on a 72-yard scoring pass.
It was 7-7 after the first quarter, but the Pirates scored three touchdowns in the second quarter including a back-breaking 40-yard TD pass from quarterback Grant Moore to Jordan Hicks with 12 seconds left before intermission.
Brunswick got the ball first to start the second half and drove for a touchdown to make it 35-7.
But South continued to fight. Running back Gannon White scored on a 12-yard run to trim the margin of defeat.
White, who leads the team with seven touchdowns, has scored in six of the Mustangs' eight games this season.
"I felt like we came to fight, but we were overmatched," Purvis said. "A lot of times our players were in position to make plays, but (Brunswick) was just physically stronger and faster."
No doubt, the Pirates are the two-time defending region champions for a reason. Region 2-6A Player of the Year in 2022, wide receiver Terry Mitchell, caught nine passes for 149 yards and a touchdown against the Mustangs.
Running back Jamarious Towns carried 10 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Moore, making his first start, completed 11-of-20 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
And 6-foot-7, 265-pound tight end Heze Kent was more than a little problem. Along with catching passes and dragging defenders, Kent lined up at quarterback in a wildcat set and ran for a score.
But Purvis and his Mustangs can forget about Brunswick for at least another year and focus on their next challenge – not looking at numbers and getting too confident for this Friday's matchup with Grovetown.
The Warriors (2-7, 1-4 Region 2-6A) have lost five games in a row. Last Friday, they lost to Lakeside (Evans) 37-7. A week earlier, South beat Lakeside 22-19.
"Grovetown is athletic and they have kids who can hurt you when they get the ball in space. We have to be ready to play hard," Purvis said.
