BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Glynn Academy (2-4, 0-1) and Brunswick High (4-4, 1-1) will kick off what's known as the City Champion at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Glynn County's stadium. The rivalry game is the News4Jax Football Friday Game of the Week with live reports from 5 p.m. through our late news.
Brunswick High is looking to upset the winning streak Glynn Academy has been on, winning the past five years in a row. When looking back at all the city championships since 1968, Brunswick sits one game ahead, winning 37 of the games and Glynn Academy winning 36 of the games.
The focus of the game seems to be the fierce but friendly rivalry and the community's deep investment in the game, but if you can overlook that, this game is important for each team's season- a win on either side would qualify the team for playoffs and even tip the odds to play at home in the first round of the playoffs.
Fans were encouraged to arrive early for the game and enjoy the pre-game festivities, which will include a small fire-works show and the National Anthem that will be played by both bands.
Heavy traffic is expected on Highway 17, Fourth Street and Altama Avenue.
Parking for the game is free and all parking lots. Police will be there to help with parking and traffic flow before and after the game. Gates will open on both sides at 6 p.m.
Tickets will also be on sale Friday night at the game beginning at 6 p.m. and the cost will be $9 for a general admission ticket. $12 for reserve.
Stadium security has the right to inspect any item at any time for the purpose of spectator safety.
• Non-clear bags - subject to search
• Backpacks - subject to search
• Clear bags larger than 12"x12" - subject to search
Prohibited items must be returned to cars or disposed of before entry. Prohibited items include:
• Laser pointers
• Thermos bottles
• Bottles and cans
• Infant seats
• Strollers
• Artificial noisemakers
• Umbrellas
• Weapons of any kind
• Ice bags
• Hard-surfaced materials
• Ice chests
• Food/drink containers
Brunswick High and the Detroit Lions
This season, in the NFL, 60% of the Lion's secondary hails from Brunswick High School. Darius Slay, Tracy Walker, and Justin Coleman are all defensive backs for the Detroit Lions. WDIV-TV, our sister station in Detriot, spoke to Justin Coleman about today's big game and asked him his favorite memory from these rivalry games.
"My favorite memory probably had to be, of course, us winning," Coleman said. "But probably my senior year, opening kickoff, ran it back, you now, that gave me energy and hyped the team, hyped everyone else. Just one of those experiences that you can't get back."
Glynn Academy: It's about preparation and performance
Two major teams will take the field for the City Championship in Brunswick tonight, one of the biggest games of the season for Glynn Academy and Brunswick High School, with a huge turnout every year. News4Jax Reporter Brittany Muller spoke with the Head Coach at Glynn Academy ahead of the rivalry game to see how the Terrors have prepared.
"You know, I think we have to push that aside, the emotions, and let all of that bleed out in the game tonight," Coach Rocky Hidalgo said. "I'm a big believer in preparation and performance and you have to go out there to prepare to win the game. I'm a big believer in preparation and performance and you have to go out there to prepare to win the game."
The population of the city of Brunswick is around 16,000 and Glynn Academy head coach says he's expecting more than half to show up to this game.
"It's a big game for a community a lot of bragging rights for the next year," Hidalgo said, "Tonight everybody's got a favorite and hopefully at the end of the night the winners are going to be red wearing red and white."
Explosive support for the Pirates
Since 1998, when the Brunswick High Pirates football team made strong runs to the playoffs, making it to the State Championship game in 1999, touchdowns in Glynn County Stadium have been celebrated with a thunderous boom of cannon fire.
Stu Graham built the original cannon, a single barrel that fired off with loud reverberations through the stands when the Pirates burst onto the field and after they crossed the goal line, scoring touchdowns. In 2004, Stu retired from canon firing duty, and the Pirates missed the celebratory booms sorely.
In 2005 Randy Griffin decided that canon fire belonged back on the field at Pirates games. He made a slight modification, building a double-barrel cannon, cutting down on reload time for when the Pirates' kick for the extra point.
Randy & Sharon Griffin's dedication to the Pirates is long-running, all four of their children graduated from Brunswick High and now some of their grandchildren have graduated, or are still in school at Brunswick High.