BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Effingham County football coach John Ford compares his players to firemen.
Glynn Academy caught fire Saturday night, and the Rebels needed an extinguisher.
“The heat tells us where we have to go,” Ford said.
Wide receiver Malik Letman and quarterback Matthew Dillon were on call.
Dillon’s fourth touchdown pass of the night, a 70-yard strike to Letman with less than 10 minutes left, doused a run of 25 straight Red Terror points and led ECHS to a 36-25 win over Glynn Academy at Glynn County Stadium.
The Rebels (4-2, 3-0 Region 1-6A) won their fourth straight game and, coupled with Bradwell Institute’s upset of Brunswick, moved into first place in the region standings.
“We started the season having to replace five offensive linemen, a quarterback and players on the defensive line and at linebacker,” Ford said. “The defense has jelled. The offensive line is getting better. It took time and reps.”
Fast start
It took almost no time for ECHS to jump out to a 22-0 lead.
Taking advantage of 1-on-1 coverage, wide receiver Isaiah Brown, a 6-foot-4, 193-pound junior, beat his defender twice on fly patterns, and Dillon dropped in perfect passes for 23-yard and 43-yard touchdowns.
Brayden Edwards kicked an extra point, and Jmere Doe-Davis ran for a two-point conversion after the two scores.
Later in the quarter, ECHS ran a screen to Brown, who broke tackles and scooted 53 yards for his third touchdown in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“We started fast but then we hit a lull,” Ford said.
Glynn fights back
And Glynn found a spark.
The Terrors scored 17 points in the second quarter to get back in the game.
In the fourth quarter, the Terrors returned a fumble 65 yards to take a 25-22 lead.
“I didn’t sense any panic,” Ford said about a blaze that seemingly got out of control. “There was urgency. There was tension, but I said to them, ‘Hey guys, we’re going to have a great comeback.’”
Two plays later, Letman beat his man on a slant pattern over the middle. Dillon delivered another strike, and the Rebels were back in front, 29-25.
About three minutes later, Jordan Mydell scored on a 12-yard run to make it 36-25.
The smoke had cleared, and ECHS had a victory in its sights.
“It was great to see us overcome adversity,” Ford said.
The Rebels will be off next Friday before tackling cross-county rival South Effingham on Oct. 16.
