MIDDLE SCHOOL TALENT: Over the course of a season, I watch a lot of football games. Most of the games are either film of Bradwell or of Bradwell’s opponents, but I do catch the occasional college or NFL game. This past week, however, I had the chance to watch three teams I normally don’t get to see - Lewis Frazier Middle, Snelson Golden Middle, and Midway Middle.  

Wednesday, I went over and watched Lewis Frazier and Snelson play their first head-to-head matchup of the season. And Saturday morning, I went back to Lewis to watch them play Midway Middle. The scores of both games were a little lopsided, as things tend to go in middle school football games, but the level of talent on all three teams is obvious.

Each team has its obvious strengths: Lewis Frazier is fast - VERY FAST, Snelson has some of the biggest linemen I have seen at the middle school level in a long time, and Midway has an abundance of natural athletes who can play anywhere on the field.  There are other strengths for each team, of course, but these things really stood out. I think it’s obvious that football is going to be a highlight for this community for a long time to come.

REGION OPENER VS BRUNSWICK: The Tigers open up region play this week, traveling to the Golden Isles to take on Brunswick High School. Everything we’ve done to this point has been in preparation for the next four weeks, and it all starts Friday night.  

Coach Sean Pender is in his first year leading the Pirates after a long stint at Pierce County High School, and he does a great job week in and week out getting his kids ready to play. For us to be successful, we have to eliminate the mental mistakes and penalties that have plagued us.  
 
MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT: On Oct. 13 we’ll have our first region home game when Richmond Hill comes to town for a 7:30 kickoff. It will also be the night we honor our armed forces at Olvey Field. Any active or retired member of the armed forces will receive a free individual pass to the game with a military ID. The Tigers will also have a couple of surprises for military personnel before the game and during halftime.
 
TIGER FOOTBALL TRUNK-OR-TREAT: Oct. 28, the Bradwell football players will hold a Trunk-or-Treat in an effort to give local kids a safe, fun place to celebrate Halloween. Keep an eye on the Bradwell website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed for more information.
 
As always, if you have some free time Friday night and want to watch two teams get after it on the gridiron, come down to Brunswick and cheer on the Bradwell players. Having great community support and a strong fan base will be an added motivation for these hardworking kids.
 
GO TIGERS!


A former award-winning sportswriter, Couch is in his first year as head coach of the Bradwell Institute football team.