Christian Malone
QUITMAN — The Brooks County Trojans head to the Okefenokee Swamp tonight for the second round of the Class AA state playoffs.
Brooks (9-2) faces Charlton County (10-0-1) tonight in a battle of historically-strong small-school South Georgia football programs. Kickoff at Indian Field comes at 7:30 p.m.
Brooks County head coach Maurice Freeman looks forward to tonight’s matchup.
“I’m pumped up,” Freeman said. “It’s the playoffs. We’ve got to take it to another level at this point. The players need to take it to another level, and the coaches do, too.
“We’re ready. I’m just happy to be in the playoffs. I want to play as long as we can. We want to be practicing during Thanksgiving week.”
Freeman is impressed with Charlton, a perennial AA power that, as usual, is loaded with talent. And, as Brooks’ coach points out, speed.
“They’re a great program,” he said. “Their tradition says they can play. I’m real impressed with their team speed. They run the spread, with four and five wide (receivers). Their wide receivers are fast. Their quarterback’s about 6-1 or 6-2, 190 (pounds), and he’s fast. He’s left-handed, and he throws the ball well. Their running back is about 5-7, and he’s fast. They play an exciting brand of football.
“On defense, they run a 3-5, and they’re fast on that side of the ball, too.”
Beating Charlton, especially in Folkston, will be difficult. But Brooks also understands that, in the playoffs, the competition is usually tough.
“We’re looking forward to playing them,” Freeman said. “We like lining up against those kinds of teams, because then you learn what you’ve got.”
“It’s a tough place to play,” he added. “Their crowd gets loud. They love their Indians ... We want all of our fans to come on down to the swamp and support us. We’ve got a great group of fans, and I know a lot of them will make the drive.”
So what do the Trojans have to do to beat Charlton tonight?
“We’ve got to come ready to play,” Freeman said. “We’ve got to do the same things we did against Putnam. We’ve got to tackle on defense. Our offense did an outstanding job of keeping Putnam off the field. We’ve got to move the ball, and have some long drives. Our defense has to play four quarters.”
Brooks and Charlton clashed three times in the 1990s, during Freeman’s first tenure at Brooks, and four times earlier this decade, back when both schools were in the same region. Charlton leads the all-time series between the two schools, 6-3.
“They’ve been good for a long time,” Freeman said. “Back (in the 1990s), they had those Bailey boys (including Champ and Boss Bailey, who went on to play in the NFL).”
Charlton averages 41 points per game, and allows 19 points per game. Last Friday, the Indians beat Dublin 30-8 in the first round.
Last week, Brooks defeated Putnam County 35-12 in Eatonton. The Trojans’ option offense put five touchdowns on the board, and their defense shut down the War Eagles’ offense, limiting them to just 12 yards in the second half.
The Trojans were led by their 1-2-3 punch last Friday. Quarterback Keojuan Rose (No. 1) rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown, and passed for another 49 yards. Keith Christopher (No. 2) rushed for 104 yards on 12 carries, and scored four touchdowns. Kendrick Christopher (No. 3) added about 55 more yards for Brooks.
“Our guys did everything they needed to do,” Freeman said. “Our offensive and defensive lines did a great job. Keojuan Rose turned into Superman. He had (219) total yards. Keith Christopher had (104 rushing yards) and Kendrick Christopher had about 55 yards. Our defense limited Putnam County to 12 yards in the second half.
“I’m going to ask (our team) to do it again this week.”
Directions to Charlton County: Take U.S. 84 east to Waycross. In Waycross, head south on U.S. 1. Turn left when you get to the school.
