Nobody in Brunswick is wasting time feeling sorry for themselves. 

It seems like it was just yesterday that the Glynn Academy Red Terrors were inside the Georgia Dome competing for a state championship title.  

In December, they were thiiiis close to their second championship win in school history, but the Buccaneers of Allatoona squeaked out the victory by a whopping 4 points (10-6).

And when you log onto Twitter (I know you have one) and you search for quarterback DeeJay Dallas, (one of the top QBs in the state, I might add), you’ll see the scoreboard with those daunting numbers as his header photo.

Why would you want a reminder that your team lost in the biggest game of the year?

“As motivation.” Dallas said.

Oh. Right. Great point.

The extremely professional rising senior took the loss pretty hard.

“We went all the way to state and I felt like I could’ve done better as a player. As a quarterback I take full responsibility for that loss. I want to get my team back to state next season.”

So humble. 

But he was pretty candid when recalling how the whole… ya know… state title game loss went down.

“The whole experience got to us a little bit and we stopped playing Glynn Academy [football]. We were pretty evenly matched, just didn’t come out the way I wanted it to.”

But we can’t live in the past can we?

Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo says that the teams’ biggest challenge as they move onto next season is learning to “survive success.” 

Wait. What? 

“The issue is that teenagers fall into the belief that we had success this year so we always will. In football, you’ve never really made it- you’re always working to get there.”

He would know.

Hidalgo, or “Coach Roc” as DeeJay called him, is entering his third season as the Head Coach of Glynn Academy. He’s been to the state title game twice now, (once with Walton in 2011 in which they lost to Grayson) and then this past year (2015). 

The Red Terrors don’t have time to think about what could have been. 

Because, quite frankly, they have a tough schedule ahead. So taking care of that is first and foremost. 

The quarterback agrees.

“It’s the leader’s responsibility to keep the team from being complacent. I am going to get our seniors together. This is a whole new rodeo. We have to live for the now, not live in the past.”

He’s right about the “new rodeo” thing… 

“We’ve got a really tough schedule,” says Coach Roc. They are on the road for the first 4 games of the season. “The first 4 are brutal.” 

‘Nuff said. 

Here’s a little study guide for you. In driving time:

- 8.19.2016: Glynn Academy @ Benedictine = 1 hour, 26 minutes

- 8.26.2016: Glynn Academy @ Ware County = 1 hour, 12 minutes

- 9.02.2016: Glynn Academy @ Ponoma High School (of Colorado) *to be played at the Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL = 3 hours, 39 minutes

- 9.09.2016: Glynn Academy @ Camden County = a measly 36 minutes

Their first home game will be September 16th against East Jackson.

Dallas is eager to lead his team once again. The senior stand out quarterback currently has 29 offers to play college ball. He plans to narrow it down to five after spring ball on May 20. 

“After my spring game, I’ll probably put my top 5 out there and from there, I’ll decide in December.” 

Ooooo the anticipation mounts.

Wanna know where he wants to play college ball? 

So do I. 

He wouldn’t budge on that, but I do know that these are among his favorites: The University of Florida, Miami, Florida State, Michigan, UCLA and Oregon. So, that’s kind of narrowed down… right?

And in terms of which position he’ll play… he says he’s the most comfortable at QB, but he’s not limiting himself. “I want to try and make it to the next level. I feel like I could thrive at WR or DB.” 

But of all the things to be excited about when it comes to football season… 

Could the most anticipated thing about this year be the fact that Glynn Academy is getting a facelift?

AKA- they’re getting a brand new weight room facility, set to open in approximately two weeks. 

Why is that a big deal?

Well, for starters, you can actually fit the football team in there. That’s a plus.

There are 174 players signed up for spring ball right now. That’s a long way from the 73 in their first year. And while we’re on the subject of numbers…In their current training room, they can only house 30 kids. 

So, you can see how trying to fit 100+ in there, miiiight be a problem. Trust me, the expectancy for this new facility is extremely high. Just as DeeJay.

“I’m so hype about this new weight room. It’s nice. What we’re in now is a total… I don’t know how to even describe it. It’s terrible the ceiling leaks when it rains. It floods. I can’t wait.” 

I think he’s excited.

Here’s a sneak peak of the weight room:

Dallas is also looking forward to working with Coach Roc for his final high school season, and recalls how he felt when Hidalgo became part of the program in 2014. 

“We needed him to come in. We needed a new, fresh face. He just came in and was like ‘we’re going to be champions.’ I was like ‘oh yeah, this year is going to be special.’

This year has that same feeling. Dallas will stop at nothing to get his team back to the Dome, but they will have to battle the challenge of going through a season with high expectations.

An official ceremony for the new weight room will be held on May 3 and the community is welcome to attend. Make sure y’all get in some squats for me. 

That will do it for now, see y’all next time!