In the end, the Blue Tide’s final game of the season was much like too many others this fall as Long County High School fell 49-14 to Toombs County.

The Tide only won one contest this year.

But even though Long County celebrated a single victory, the team continually played hard all season, which is a credit to the players and the coaches. Now, Long County can begin to look toward next year in hopes of posting better records.

The Tide will need to find replacements for key players like running back and linebacker Marcus Williams, defensive lineman Chris Stock, wide receiver Lamar Sims and lineman Caleb Bailey.

But the team will return several upperclassmen next fall, including wide receiver Johnnae Jones, wide receiver and defensive back Jermaine Gibbs, wide receiver David Stewart and multi-purpose athlete Brandon Hope. All will be seniors.

In addition, several younger players now have a year of varsity experience under their belts. They should be bigger and stronger when the 2011 season gets here.

Three key sophomores who should be back next year are quarterback Jacob Turner, wide receiver Luke Golden and defensive back Jeffrey Hall.

This year, Hall was one of the standouts on defense. While on the offense, one of Turner’s favorite targets was Golden, who had some of the best hands in the region.

In addition to these players, the Tide will have several freshmen vying for playing time, so when that first game rolls around in August, the Long County team will be ready to roll.