By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
GUYTON – Corbin McGuire’s Thursday started at 7:45 a.m. He arrived at South Effingham a few minutes early for 8 o’clock weightlifting.
He spent a few hours lifting with his Mustang football teammates before heading outdoors for practice. He finished by noon, went home, ate lunch and returned to school by 2 for basketball practice.
A few hours later, McGuire and his basketball teammates boarded the team bus for Savannah. South played Beach High in a summer league game at 5:15 p.m. at Savannah High.
“It’s my senior year, the last go-around, so it seems a little weird,” McGuire said. “It feels really weird to not see all the seniors (graduated players) you’re used to seeing. Now you’re the senior. You’re the leader. It feels weird; but I’m excited.”
Double workouts might seem tiring, but McGuire relishes multiple opportunities to be part of upcoming SEHS athletics.
He’ll have a chance to start at inside linebacker on the football team and shooting guard on the basketball team.
In basketball, McGuire earned second-team, all-region honors. Although the Mustangs went winless, he provided several team highlights. His three-pointer at the buzzer of regulation tied a holiday tournament game against George Walton Academy. He also had a 27-point night against Brunswick.
McGuire was optimistic about both teams’ future success. The football team won six games last season – the most wins in a season since 2019.
McGuire played in just four games but posted 24 tackles, three tackles for losses, two sacks and six quarterback hurries.
“We’re a little out of shape right now, but we’re working to get back in shape in the weight room and on the field,” he said. “Six wins were good last year, but we’re looking to build on that. We want to be a playoff team, not just be a first-round playoff team, but go deep into it.”
And basketball? Summer league success has bred confidence. South beat Savannah Country Day (the Region 3-3A tournament champion last season) and played competitively against Woodville-Tompkins (a 22-win team last season).
“We’re going into a new region so there’s a lot of unknowns,” McGuire said. “Hopefully, we’ll have new opportunities to go deeper.”
And the busy senior hopes to have new opportunities to show his skills. During the Memorial Day off week, he attended camps at Mercer University and the University of Memphis.
“In football, I’d like to make 100 tackles and in basketball my goal is to score 500 points,” McGuire said.
