40 LOVE VS. LIFE Ravien Green, Ware Co. High School
DRIVEN Emma Thomas Ware Co. Middle School
ALMOST PERFECT Glynn Academy
Reaching the Goal
GAME SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
May 2018
IN THE
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Nico Bulatao Glynn Academy
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e u s s I s i h tT
Reaching the Goal
Nico Bulatao, Glynn Academy
40 Love Vs. Life
Ravien Green, Ware Co. High School
Almost Perfect Glynn Academy
A New Foundation
Brian Crawford, Brunswick High School
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Driven
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The Double Double?
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Lady Gators Win Region Title
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A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Ware Co. High School
Pierce Co. High School
Emma Thomas, Ware Co. Middle School Ross and Ryan Rush, Jeff Davis High School
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Reaching the Goal Written by: Rob Asbell Photography by: Michael Brinson
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For many years, the great soccer players of the world have been known by a single name: “Pele,” “Messi,” and “Renaldo” just to name a few. In Southeast Georgia, people take notice of the name “Nico” — as in Nico Bulatao, the Glynn Academy senior who was co-Region 2-6A Player of the Year last season.
“All teams know we play through Nico and he gets the ball more than any player we have,” said Bobby Brockman, Glynn Academy head soccer
coach.
Bulatao is a center midfielder and two-year captain for the Region champion Terrors. He has been a starter since joining the team as a freshman and has been named all-Region each year he has played. At 5’7”, Bulatao is compact and fast. He keeps possession well and plays with confidence, yet is a
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humble player who leads by example. A fierce competitor who hates to lose, Bulatao has great technical ability. He is a strong header and tough tackler. He has worked hard to become a star player for the tradition-rich Glynn Academy soccer program. “I’ve learned over the years that the saying, ‘What you put in is what
you get out,’ is as true as it gets," Bulatao said. "If you want it, and I mean really want it, then you will do anything in your power to make sure you get it.” He started playing soccer at 6 years old when his parents signed him up to play in the inhouse league at the soccer complex on Jekyll Island. He continued playing through sixth grade
when he added travel soccer. “It got a lot more competitive,” he said. He started out on the “B” team in travel soccer and had to work his way up. “I wasn’t anything special," he said. "I was a kid that was on the heavier side with large legs and mediocre pace. Then, I started to really commit
“I REALLY wanted to play on the ‘A’ team when I was younger, so I did everything I could to accomplish that goal.” — Nico Bulatao
myself to working on my craft.” The additional benefit was that he started to lose weight and gain speed. The next season, he not only made the “A” team, he was a starter. “I really wanted to play on the ‘A’ team when I was younger, so I did everything I could to accomplish that goal,” he said. Bulatao worked hard In The Game | 9
ALMOST PERFECT Written by: Rob Asbell Photography by: Gena Churchwell
It may not have been perfect, but the Glynn Academy girls soccer team still had a season to remember. Despite flirting with a perfect record, the Lady Terrors fell in the GHSA 6A championship game 3-2 to Alpharetta. “The season was great overall despite losing the final game, but I’m very proud of my girls and the way they handled the pressure all year long,” said Thomas Lemmon, Glynn Academy girls head soccer coach. The title game was played at a neutral site: on the artificial turf at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. A large contingent of Terror fans made the trip to the northwest side 18 | itgnext.com
of metro-Atlanta and cheered on the team, including a standing ovation for a freshman who had to fill in at goal for 30 seconds. It was the first trip to the big game for the Lady Terrors, who had won all 21 of their previous games this season, 16 of them by shutout. Things changed in the championship game, with Glynn taking on the most potent offense it had faced all year. The two teams stayed close the entire game. Alpharetta scored first on a breakaway nine minutes into the game. The Lady Terrors answered back quickly when, a minute later, senior Mady Carroll found the net to even the
score. The Lady Raiders scored on a penalty kick to take the lead once again. With just under six minutes to go in the first half, freshman Sally Brock took advantage of an Alpharetta miscue and slammed a loose ball into the goal to tie it at 2-2. Alpharetta took the lead for good early in the second half with a powerful shot on goal that slipped past the outstretched arms of Glynn Academy goal keeper Bliss Hutchings. Prior to the championship game, she had not allowed a goal in more than a month. She had not been scored on in the previous seven matches, including the four state tournament
games leading up to the championship. A senior, Hutchings will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point next year. She is one of five seniors who will graduate which means Glynn will have 18 returning players on the 23-person roster in 2019. “We will have to wait and see what next season brings us," Lemmon said. "We’re very young this year, but lose a lot of great senior leadership.” Many players made a huge impact for Glynn this season. Brock, Anna Meredith, and Haley Williams were up top, while Marley Johnson, Whitley Barbee, Beth Kelsch, and Lacy Tucker were dom-
inate on the defensive side of the field. “We are very young, and the young players got a good taste of what it takes to get to the state final,” Lemmon said. “I’m very proud of my girls and what they have accomplished this year, but we have unfinished business that will help fuel them for next season.” Glynn Academy was undefeated during the regular season and won Region 2-6A with an 8-0 record. In the playoffs they shutout Northside (Warner Robins), Heritage, Creekview, and Pope.
A New Foundation Written by: Rob Asbell Photography by: Michael Brinson
Every time Minnesota seed in the state playoffs. Twins center fielder By- Being named head baseron Buxton makes a play, ball coach this year is the Brunswick baseball coach culmination of a great Brian Crawford smiles just deal of hard work and a little. He was there when patience by Crawford, the phenom got his start who relishes the chance at Appling County Middle to lead the program. School in Baxley. “It is the first real base“He (Buxton) was ball opportunity to do committed to playing the what I have wanted to do game with the respect the for a while, and I am so game demands,” Craw- grateful,” he said. ford said. He brings a winning atCommitment, respect, titude formed from a great and discideal of pracpline are tice and hard Commitment, the founwork by the dations team that respect, and u p o n bought in to discipline are which the C ra w f o rd ’s first-year the foundations program of coach is inuing upon which the cont building improvefirst-year coach ment. the Pirates baseball “He is alis building the program. ways telling Pirates baseball us we can A l ready this do things program. spring, better,” said Crawford senior Harhas led the relatively rison Trawick, voted the young Pirates to a win- 2018 Region 2-6A Player ning season and a No. 3 of the Year. “If we beat a In The Game | 19
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