Sandersville stays “Title Town!”
On Saturday, November 23, the Brentwood War Eagles football team soared down to Statesboro to claim the Georgia Independent Athletic Association Classification 2A State Championship.
The #2 overall seeded Eagles upset the #1 top seeded Southwest Georgia Warriors of Damascus by a final score of 28-6.
The game was played at 5:00 p.m. on the turf of Allen E. Paulson Stadium – the home for another team of Eagles at Georgia Southern University.
Entering as underdogs in a “clash of the titans,” Brentwood went to war with the Warriors – winding up victorious to tie the school record for wins in a single season. Their 11 wins in 2024 matches previous State Title winning seasons in 2021 and 2002.
In the midst of a historic run of football success, the War Eagles won their second State Championship in the past 4 seasons. Three years ago, B-wood defeated Terrell Academy, another south-Georgia squad, at Mercer University in Macon to claim their first football top title in 18 years.
Brentwood has appeared in the GIAA AA State Championship Game 4 times in the last 5 years. The lone campaign without a title game berth was last year in a 5-win, 6-loss season.
In 2023, Brentwood School Athletic Director Adam Lord assumed the reins of the storied program. He was tasked with following Bert Brown, the longest tenured and winningest Head Coach in school history, who won 3 State Championships across his 23 seasons.
Coach Lord is a 1998 graduate of Brentwood School. The now State Champion head man returned to Sandersville in 2019, first rejuvenating the Boys Basketball program over 5 successful seasons.
After an Elite 8 Round run in the State Tourney last season, the Eagles made enormous strides in 2024, winning 6 more games and over doubling their points scored.
Under the offensive instruction of first year football Offensive Coordinator Tucker Shull, Brentwood completed the campaign scoring 41.67 points per game – the most for any team across the 4 classifications of GIAA and top 10 in the state of Georgia when including all private and public schools within the 7 classes of the Georgia High School Association.
The offensive output topped the previous school record for PPG that was set in the 2021 title season.
Led by a “large and in charge” offensive line that included Gray Waller, Will Hodges, Cooper Smith, Cordy Francis, and Z.J. Scott – assisted by tight ends Thatcher Andrews, Jackson Bragg, and Riley Helton -Brentwood totaled over 4,700 total yards through their 12 games – an average of just under 400 yards per contest.
Operating out of the familiar Wing-T formation that has brought supreme success to Sandersville since the turn of the millennium, the War Eagles rushed for nearly 3,600 on the season – an even 300 yards a game.
Two-time State Champion Senior Zach Denton led the charge by rushing for more than 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns. He completes his illustrious career with more than 3,800 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Freshman phenom Tristan Robinson introduced himself to new audiences to the tune of over 1,500 all-purpose yards in his initial varsity campaign – just under 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving. He finished second in the 4-class GIAA in total touchdowns with 22.
Robinson accounted for over 130 yards and 3 TDs in the State Championship-winning effort. He helped to start the scoring on the Eagles opening offensive drive when they executed a “hook and ladder” trick play to perfection. Quarterback Baylor Cobb hit Abe Williams on a 4-yard curl route. As the defense converged on Williams, he lateraled the ball to Robinson, who easily ran the next 44 yards for the touchdown.
Including Denton and Robinson, 5 Eagle rushers toted the rock for at least 20 times this season – each averaged a first down per carry. 6 players had 1 carry of at least 50 yards.
Sophomore fullback Jones Sheppard was the “man in the middle,” providing just under 500 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024.
In his second season as maestro of the offensive orchestra, Sophomore quarterback sensation Baylor Cobb himself rushed for 200 yards. His talented right arm handled most of his damage, though – passing for almost 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns to only 1 interception. Cobb’s nearly perfect TD to INT ratio added up for a Quarterback Rating of an amazing 138.5.
Outside of the previously mentioned Robinson, the quarterback’s favorite target was Junior Abe Williams, who tailed 4 receiving TDs. Others top options included Junior Zion Andrews and Sophomore track star Quez Collins.
While the record-breaking offense continually garnered a majority of the fan attention this season, it was the ever-improving defense that propelled the team to its ultimate prize.
Brentwood allowed a mere 6 points on only 1 score to a Southwest Georgia offense that entered action adding up 36.8 PPG – 2nd in AA behind the War Eagles.
Allowing but 17.17 points per game, it was the best defensive statistical season since the previous 2021 State Title year.
Like many other schools of similar size and enrollment, most of the Eagles defenders played “both ways” on offense and defense. Although, they were led by defensive specialists tackling machine Junior linebacker Thomas Moye, sack-master Sophomore Jackson Bragg, Sophomore Jaylen Johnson, Junior Austin Albright, Sophomore Tucker Collins, Sophomore Chase Daniel, Junior Riley Helton.
In the Title Game, Moye was involved in over 12 tackles – four behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of yards. He also caused a fumble.
Bragg recorded 3 tackles for a loss. Denton, Waller, Williams, and Helton also filled up the stat sheet.
On the season, the War Eagles outscored opponents by an average of more than a touchdown double what they allowed. Brentwood beat their weekly opposition by average margin of 24.5 points, the most in 48 years since the school-record 25.3 in 1976.
In their sensational season, even the special teams were special, as Freshman kicker Bryaden Tyson nailed 90% of his extra point attempts. The 9th grader was also a perfect 2 for 2 on his field goal tries, hitting a season long of 33 yards.
With Saturday’s thrilling and decisive victory, Brentwood claimed their fourth State Championship in school history. Previous state crowns were claimed in 2002, 2003, and 2021.
Seniors on the 2024 rendition of the War Eagles that were also on the team as freshman in 2021 joined those that were members of the back-to-back title teams in ’02 and ’03 as the only Eagles to win multiple State Titles in their careers.
As is often the case, history again found a way of repeating itself this season. The dominant win over Southwest Georgia mirrored the 2003 State Title Game win for Brentwood, which was also against the Warriors.
21 years ago, the Eagles flew down to Damascus – just north of Florida and just east of Alabama – as underdogs only to blow out SGA 52-25.
Brentwood is now 4-1 all-time versus Southwest Georgia. All 5 meetings have been in the postseason. The Warriors won the initial match-up in 1987. The War Eagles have won the 4 games since then – which also includes one-score victories in Sandersville in 2009 and 2017.
Southwest Georgia owns one of the winnigest football programs in state history, victorious in over 62% of their more than 600 games, claiming 17 Region and 6 State Championships.
In Saturday’s loss, SGA dropped only their second game of the season – the first against a non-4A opponent. They were previously undefeated versus AAA, AA, and A schools, winning contests by almost 34 PPG, and owning a thrashing 30-0 win over the now-3A State Champ Deerfield-Windsor.
Head-to-head, Brentwood scored 18 more points than what the Warriors allowed per game on the season. The Eagles defense held Southwest Georgia to 30 points less than their season average.
For those wishing to experience or relive the weekend’s magical moment, an audio recording of the game is available on our website under the On-Air Archives tab. Video versions of all other games this season are also accessible at waco100fm.com.
Tune into WACO 100 on Thursday, December 5 at 6:00 p.m., as we broadcast our State Championship Celebration Show, spotlighting the highlights of a “season to remember” and holding in-depth interviews with key coaches and players.
Photos Courtesy of Jennifer Wright
