5 Takeaways from Camden County’s win over Brunswick

Travis Roland made the switch from Florida to Georgia, winning his first game in the Peach State

Camden County opened up the season with a impressive win over Brunswick / Andy Villamarzo

BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA- When Travis Roland decided to leave Mainland High School back in Daytona Beach for the opportunity to coach Camden County, he just had to take it.

A chance to take over a storied South Georgia program after leading the Buccaneers to the Class 3S state championship was a once in a lifetime chance and Roland ran with it. Friday, he showed why Camden County made the right choice.

After trailing 14-3, the Wildcats roared back to scored 27 unanswered points en route to a 51-41 victory over Brunswick at Glynnn County Stadium.

Here are five things we learned from this contest:

1. Doesn’t matter where, Roland can coach

Mainland coach Travis Roland celebrates after his Bucs earned a 21-19 win over St. Augustine on Thursday in the Class 3S state championship game in Tallahassee. / Nadia Zomorodian/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Many around the Sunshine State wondered if Roland was making the right decision leaving the friendly confines of Daytona Beach, where he’s revered as a hero after leading Mainland to the Class 3S state championship in 2023. Now it’s just one game, but Roland had the Wildcats ready to go, even after a slow start. Trailing 14-3 in the first quarter, the Camden County lead man remained calm and made adjustments. The right buttons clicked at the right time certainly equaled to the turnaround.

2. Expect Georgia commitment Elyiss Williams to surpass 10-plus touchdowns this season

Looking at Williams and he’s an impressive looking specimen at tight end, standing at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds. The Georgia commitment last season was very helpful in the run game when it came to his blocking and hauled in seven touchdowns. Something tells us in Roland’s offense, he’ll be catching a lot more scores and then some. Williams (five catches, 44 yards) scored two times in the first half and added another in the second half, should continue seeing plenty of targets all season long.

3. Brunswick’s special teams woes

Now, not taking anything away from what Camden County did on the night, but Brunswick sure did a good job gifting them ideal field position time and time again. In just the first half, the Pirates had three mishandled punts and one blocked, leading to three Camden County possessions beginning inside of Brunswick’s 10-yard line. Without a doubt adjustments were made, but Brunswick certainly didn’t help its own cause.

4. Zachary Taylor helped clear the way when the Wildcats would need it most

Let’s give the offensive lineman some love, huh? One lineman that really stood out in the firework scoring fest between the two teams was senior offensive tackle Zachary Taylor. Standing at 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, the lineman was the go-to whenever Roland wanted to run in short yardage situations, especially inside the redzone. Taylor currently has offers from schools like Bethune-Cookman, Howard and Morgan State.

5. Heze Kent played more as a traditional tight end for Brunswick

Brunswick tight end Heze Kent / Andy Villamarzo

Kent is a 4-star rated tight end by 247Sports, but the 6-foot-5, 240 pound athlete was used in a variety of ways last season for the Pirates. Against Camden County, Kent played a lot more as a traditional tight end, playing a lot on the line and sometimes as the lone receiver to one side of the field in trips spread sets. Not seeing Kent (three catches, 33 yards) take any Wildcat quarterback snaps was a surprise seeing that the athlete was very effective running the ball downhill against opponents.

Follow SBLive Georgia throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

---

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivega