Mustangs, Rebels get statement volleyball wins

Effingham County's freshman Brynley Jordan (No. 8) prepares to set up outside hitter Kimber Michaelis (No. 11) during a key subregion volleyball match with Lakeside Evans on Sept. 12. The Rebels stunned Lakeside 2-1 to hand the Panthers their first regular-season region loss since 2019. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

Effingham County's freshman Brynley Jordan (No. 8) prepares to set up outside hitter Kimber Michaelis (No. 11) during a key subregion volleyball match with Lakeside Evans on Sept. 12. The Rebels stunned Lakeside 2-1 to hand the Panthers their first regular-season region loss since 2019. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

Updated: Sep 18, 2024, 8:31 PM

Published: Sep 18, 2024, 8:32 PM

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

SPRINGFIELD – The volleyball Region 1-5A tournament in about three weeks just got a lot more interesting for South Effingham and Effingham County.

The Mustangs captured their biggest win of the season by knocking off subregion South-leading Glynn Academy on Sept. 10, 2-0 (25-21, 25-16).

Not to be outdone, the Rebels handed subregion North-leading Lakeside (Evans) its first regular-season region loss in five years on Sept. 12, 2-1 (28-26, 20-25, 15-8).

Both local wins avenged earlier season losses to their respective opponents and cast SEHS and ECHS among the contenders in the region tournament on Oct. 10-11 in the Mustangs’ gym.

“As far as a confidence booster, Lakeside is a great team, but this tells the (Rebel) girls they are too,” said ECHS coach Brittany Lein, who won a region title in 2022 despite Lakeside going undefeated in regular-season region play.

The Rebels won a nail-biting first set with some heroics from senior outside hitter Kimber Michaelis, who registered kills on ECHS’ 25th, 26th and 27th point before Lakeside errored the set point.

The Panthers, ranked seventh in Class 5A, won the second set but not before the Rebels trimmed an eight-point deficit to two, 21-19.

ECHS trailed in the 15-point third set, but reeled off the final eight points behind Bella Scroggs’ serving.

The win pushed the Rebels (16-12, 3-2) into second place in the North subregion, but more importantly showed they have a chance against anyone. Two nights earlier, they avenged a loss to St. Vincent’s which was ranked eighth in Class 1A-3A private.

“We talked about how important tonight would be,” Lein said. “We wanted to show we belonged.”

South (12-13, 5-1) showed it belongs at the top of its subregion after beating Glynn and gaining the tiebreaker in point differential.

If the Mustangs win their remaining subregion matches against Bradwell Institute and Statesboro, they will be the South subregion’s top seed at the region tournament.

“We played a lot of tough teams at the start of the season. I knew we’d have opportunities to get back,” said SEHS coach Haywood Ellison, whose squad began the season with a 3-8 overall record.

Ellison also points to a tweak that has worked well – using a 6-2 alignment that allowed setter Riley Stringer, the team’s most versatile player, to hit on the front row.

Clara Vorel and Anna Kate Taylor had six kills apiece against Glynn.

SEHS also knocked off subregion foe Brunswick on Sept. 10 and topped Bradwell on the 12th for a six-match winning streak – five wins coming against subregion foes.

The Mustangs lost three of four matches at the Battle at the Creek tournament at Johns Creek over the weekend. They’ll be in Springfield for a rematch with the Rebels on Tuesday (Sept. 24).

“I feel we have a group that can play with anyone,” Ellison said.

Latest

Rebels, Mustangs Clash in 32nd Effingham County Rivalry Game

Bragging Rights on the Line Friday at The Corral

J.R. McKenzie of Effingham County and Christian Magwood of South Effingham face off in a rivalry that turns friends into fierce competitors every fall.

Effingham County vs. South Effingham — J.R. McKenzie of Effingham County and Christian Magwood of South Effingham face off in a rivalry that turns friends into fierce competitors every fall.

Donald Heath

Updated: Sep 18, 2025, 5:43 PM

Published: Sep 18, 2025, 5:46 PM

GUYTON, Ga. – The stadium begins to fill before warmups have started. Kickoff is still more than an hour away. Players return to the locker room for final preparations, and the next time they run onto the field, the band is playing, and the stadium is packed.

“It’s cool because you don’t see any silver,” said South Effingham football coach Loren Purvis, referring to the silvery aluminum bleachers now covered with excited football fans in anticipation of the Mustangs’ showdown with Effingham County High School.

A Longstanding Rivalry

Friday night at the Corral, the two schools meet for the 32nd time. The Rebels hold a 19-12 edge in the annual series. Effingham County won 47-0 last season.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” ECHS running back Doe-Davis said. “You can’t overlook them, or they might beat you. You can’t overlook anyone in the region.”

Since 1996, the game between Effingham County and South Effingham has been a natural rivalry that rewards the winner with bragging rights for a year. At one time, ECHS was the only high school in the county. As the rural county grew, a new high school was formed by splitting the district.

Players from the new school donned new uniforms and colors, and the Effingham County–South Effingham matchup became the high school version of the Army-Navy rivalry, swapping Cadets and Midshipmen for Rebels and Mustangs.

Friendship Off the Field, Battle On

“It’s not like that everywhere,” Purvis said. “You don’t always see a town or a county with only two schools. These are the two schools in the county, and the rivalry is rich.”

“I love that the kids are still good friends afterward, but when the ball is kicked off, everything changes. I like (ECHS coach John Ford) a lot, but I want to beat his tail, and I know he wants to beat mine.”

Purvis and Ford experienced rivalries firsthand in their playing days. Purvis played at Irwin County, less than eight miles from rival Fitzgerald. Ford played at Brookwood, six miles from rival Parkview.

“It was a battle every year,” Purvis said.
“It was a heavyweight prize fight every time,” Ford said, recalling losing to Parkview in the second game of the 1996 season before upsetting them in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs en route to a state championship.

Unpredictable but Intense

“(The ECHS-SEHS series) is a spirited rivalry, one of the best in Georgia,” Ford said. “There’s a lot of passion, a lot of intensity. It means a lot to the community.”

During Ford’s five-year coaching stint in Springfield, the Rebels have brought some predictability to the series, winning all five matchups and outscoring the Mustangs by a combined 162-10.

Purvis has also experienced victories in the series. As SEHS’ offensive coordinator in 2019, he helped the Mustangs roll to a 41-27 win over the Rebels.

Both Teams Riding Momentum

For the first time since 2022, the two teams will enter the game on winning streaks. ECHS (2-2, 1-1 in Class 5A Region 1) topped Bradwell Institute 43-35 last Friday. SEHS (1-2, 1-0) snapped a 13-game losing streak by beating Lakeside 20-14 in overtime.

The Mustangs can point to scores against New Hampstead to make a case for a competitive battle with the Rebels this year. South lost 14-6 to the Phoenix in the season opener. ECHS held on for a 23-20 win against New Hampstead two weeks later.

“It gives you some confidence that they barely won it, and we felt like we could have beaten (New Hampstead), so maybe we’re fairly even,” Purvis said. “But I think you can play ‘would’ve, should’ve, could’ve’ with a lot of games.”