PEMBROKE -- A season which looked promising two weeks ago has suddenly taken a turn for the worse for Bryan County.
The Redskins, thanks to the GSHA’s switch to a power ranking system for the playoffs, were optimistic about their chances of being a playoff team after missing post-season play the last two years.
However, rubber has now hit the highway and Bryan County (0-2) finds itself in a deep hole following a 28-14 loss at Portal (1-1) last Friday night. That defeat followed a 36-7 loss to Treutlen County in the season opener, a game in which the Redskins were a six-point favorite.
Portal scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull out the win in the non-region game, the caveat being that by going to the power ranking system all games are equally important now which puts additional pressure on Bryan County going into Friday night’s game at Islands. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Sharks, coming off a 1-9 season following three straight 0-10 campaigns, will provide a strong test as second-year coach Russell Perry has his team sitting at 2-0 following a 65-3 win over Savannah High.
The Redskins struggled offensively against Treutlen and didn’t fare much better against the Panthers who met every challenge and dominated time of possession.
The Redskins took an early 7-0 lead on a 35-yard fourth down run by sophomore quarterback Jamariyan Cosey on his team’s opening possession. Bryan County went 41 yards on four plays after having recovered a Panther fumble.
It stood that way until 21 seconds left in the half when the Panthers scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass. Facing a third-and-five with the clock winding down sophomore Omod Thomas hit junior slotback Zeke Percell at the goal line to make it a 7-7 game at the break.
Bryan County had the ball on four possessions in the first quarter. After Cosey’s score the Redskins turned it over on downs twice and lost a fumble.
Portal had the ball for 10 minutes in the second quarter as the Redskins had the ball for only seven plays.
In the opening minute of the second quarter Bryan County looked poised to go ahead when it stopped Portal on a fake punt at the Panther 28. Cosey picked up eight yards on first down but three running plays netted only one yard with the Panthers taking over with 8:57 on the clock. That drive ended with Percell’s touchdown catch.
Percell, who was third in the 200 meters and fifth in the 100 in last spring’s region track meet, rocked the Redskins when he went 90 yards for a touchdown on the first play following a Cosey interception at the 6:53 mark in the third quarter.
Bryan County answered by going 60 yards in five plays. Gerome Lee picked up 22 yards on first down and Gunner Ennis ended it with a 22-yard dash up the middle off a counter play to make it a 14-14 game.
That concluded the scoring for the Redskins but Percel and the Panthers weren’t finished.
Portal took the ensuing kickoff and held onto the ball for the next six and a half minutes with Percell scoring on a 12-yard run around the left side.
Down 21-14 Bryan County got one last opportunity when it got the ball at its own 20 with 5:00 on the clock. However, any hopes of possibly forcing overtime ended when Charles Weaver picked up a Cosey fumble at the Redskins 44-yard line and ran it for a touchdown to seal the win.
PSR Formula Revisited
The Postseason Ranking formula is fairly straightforward: PSRF = a team’s winning percentage x 0.35 + its opponent’s winning percentage x 0.35 + it’s opponents’ opponents winning percentage x 0.30.
The system replaces the old region-only qualification model, ending the era of weak-region champions advancing easily while stronger teams from stacked regions were left out.
Now a 7-3 team with a strong schedule, for example, can outrank a 10-0 team that plays weaker and lower classification teams. Region champions still earn automatic bids and top-16 seeds which preserves motivation for region play. Teams two through four are no longer guaranteed playoff berths.
While it is now behind the eight-ball Bryan County has plenty of opportunities to improve its playoff chances. Its remaining opponents have started the season with a combined 11-8 record with Calvary Day, Islands and Windsor Forest all off to 2-0 starts. Also, there are 56 teams in Class 2A but 16 are privates which have their own playoff thus 32 of 40 public schools get in.