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ECHS’ 34-game win streak over SEHS on the line Saturday
Harrison Crofts
South Effingham forward Harrison Crofts (No. 25) looks to solve Effingham County's pressing defense last season. ECHS won the game 70-54 and has registered 34 straight victories over the Mustangs since 2007. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
Published: Dec 4, 2024, 6:07 PM

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

SAVANNAH – It’s a streak that defies logic. Effingham County and South Effingham schools are close in proximity. Students grow up in nearby neighborhoods and play in the same parks.

So how could Effingham County’s boys win 34 straight basketball games, a streak spanning 17 years, against South Effingham?

The two schools meet on the court Saturday night in Springfield with the Rebels looking for No. 35 while the Mustangs are hoping to party like it’s 2007 – the year when they last scored a victory in the annual home-and-away series.

Tip-off for the boys game is 6:30 p.m. The varsity girls game starts at 5.

“I have friends at Effingham and (the streak) is all they talk about but it doesn’t mean anything to me,” SEHS senior forward Harrison Crofts said. “To be honest, we know they’ve been good for years but we should have a good chance. I’m confident in the guys we have here.”

In Crofts’ first three years at South, his squad lost by 24, 28, 13, 29, 16 and 34 points to Effingham County. Last season, the Mustangs took their lumps and didn’t win a game against anyone.

But some recent success has lifted Crofts’ confidence. South played Woodville-Tompkins competitively in the season opener and then beat the 22-win squad from the 2023-24 season in their next meeting.

The Mustangs held a lead against Camden County and recently, despite missing two starters, were within a point heading into the fourth quarter against Groves in the Joe Greene tournament in Savannah.

And during the summer, South may have gotten the ultimate boost of confidence – an elusive win over Effingham County during summer league play.

“That’s a positive,” Mustangs coach Rico Campbell said. “Really, this team hasn’t really been a part of (all 34 losses). In basketball, you’re always looking toward the next game. We haven’t played Effingham County a thousand times in a row. … The focus is on this year.”

And this year, rebuilding Effingham County could be vulnerable. Six-foot-6 dominant post player Jordan Goldwire, a first-team all-region performer last season, graduated. Gone is long-range shooting Hayden Eason, an all-region second-teamer, and athletic guard/forward Jeremiah Lee.

Only three Rebels on the current roster played in the varsity game against South last season.

SEHS returns most of its players from the winless 2023-24 season but they return with the mindset ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’

“2007? I was born in 2007,” Crofts says, laughing.

The Mustangs beat the Rebels 86-82 on Jan. 6, 2007 – since then only five of the 34 games have been decided by less than 10 points.

ECHS began the week with a 1-1 record to start the 2024-25 season. SEHS is 1-5.

“It’s going to be a good game,” Campbell said. “They have a good team. They’ll play hard, especially over there. We have to play hard and we have to finish.”

South Effingham (2-3) flips the script in the girls matchup. The Mustangs have won 10 straight games against Effingham County’s girls going back to Jan. 5, 2019.

But region player of the year Elena Hairston graduated and its young group (without a senior on the team) has sometimes struggled offensively.

Last season, South won 56-42 and 55-31.

ECHS (1-1) has shown improvement led by first-team, all-region guard Kyjana Jordan, who entered the week averaging 21.5 points a game. The Rebels won their home opener against New Hampstead.
Travis Hunter Makes NFL Debut as Brother Trayvis Shines for Rebels
Trayvis Hunter and Travis Hunter
Trayvis Hunter, a junior at Effingham County, has already caught five passes and scored a touchdown this season, showing he’s fast, shifty, and carving out his own spotlight while his brother Travis gets ready for his NFL debut Sunday with the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Donald Heath / Effingham Herald)
Donald Heath
Updated: Sep 6, 2025, 3:44 PM
Published: Sep 6, 2025, 3:14 PM

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – Trayvis Hunter says New York City was a nice place to visit, but he wouldn’t want to live there.

“Too compact. I need a little space,” said Hunter, Effingham County’s speedy 5-foot-8, 145-pound receiving threat who makes highlight plays in the open field.

Trayvis is the younger brother of Travis Hunter — a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Travis will make his NFL debut Sunday at 1 p.m. in Jacksonville against the Carolina Panthers, and Trayvis plans to be there.

“I should be going to his first game,” Trayvis said. “I know he’s going to try to get to some of my games, too.”

Travis and Trayvis
Travis Hunter (left) showed up at an Effingham County practice last year to watch younger brother Trayvis. Travis bought a house, and the family moved into the Effingham school district almost two years ago from outside Atlanta, where Travis starred at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee. (Donald Heath / Effingham Herald)

Making his name 

Sometimes Trayvis needs space from the swirl of questions about his older brother.

“People ask what it’s like to be Travis’ brother? I answer, we live together, it’s normal,” he said.

They both wear No. 12, with names separated by a “Y,” but they seem to be polar opposites. Trayvis, five years younger, is reserved; Travis is flamboyant.

“Trayvis is quiet, but he’s cool. He stays humble. He’s our brother, our teammate, that’s it,” Rebels teammate Isaiah “Zeke” Brown said.

Trayvis is making a name as the Rebels’ go-to wide receiver. He caught 36 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns (all six in the final five games of the regular season) last year and opened 2025 with three TD catches against Richmond Hill in the spring game.

“He’s hard to stay with. He’s fast, shifty,” said Jmere Doe-Davis, a running back who sees time at defensive back and occasionally covers Trayvis in practice.

A junior, Trayvis leads ECHS with five catches for 61 yards and a score after the first two games this season. His 23-yard reception started the Rebels’ fourth-quarter, game-winning drive against New Hampstead.

“He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands. We try to get him the ball, for sure,” ECHS coach John Ford said.

Trayvis Hunter and Travis Hunter
Trayvis Hunter, a junior at Effingham County, leads the Rebels with five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown through the first two games of the 2025 season. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Travis’ shadow, Trayvis’ path

Trayvis and his family moved into the Effingham school district almost two years ago from outside Atlanta. Travis starred at Collins Hill High School and eventually joined coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State University.

Travis followed Sanders to the University of Colorado, where his unique skills as a two-way player — wide receiver and cornerback — drew national acclaim.

And Travis, who was making $2.4 million in name, image and likeness money in college, according to Bleacher Report, bought his family a house.

Outside of carrying books in a backpack with the words “Colorado Buffaloes,” Trayvis remains casual about the family fame.

He has offers from Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, along with interest from smaller schools.

“He carries himself as Trayvis. He’s a great young man, works hard. He’s competitive. I love him,” Ford said.

“I try my best to be myself,” Trayvis said.

The difference between the two brothers?

“I’m faster,” Trayvis said.

Would Travis admit that?

“Yeah,” Trayvis answered, smiling as he munched on pizza after practice.

Brotherly bond

Travis attended a Rebels practice last season during Colorado’s off week, and players lined up for photos.

“It was cool,” Brown said.

Trayvis was in New York City for his brother’s big night, when Travis brought home college football’s biggest honor — the Heisman Trophy. That was cool, too.

For now, the Hunter brothers are chasing big dreams on different fields — one under the Friday night lights in Springfield, the other on Sunday afternoons in the NFL.