By Kevin Price For GCS Athletics The Brunswick High Pirates have won a region championship in two of the last three seasons. And here in 2025, the Pirates will be looking to go back-to-back as region champions for the fourth time in school history. The last time Brunswick accomplished the feat was in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Sean Pender was the BHS head coach in the 2021 season before current head coach Garrett Grady took over the helm prior to the 2022 season. The Pirates are set to open their 2025 campaign Friday night at Camden County. They also will take on Wayne County next Friday night at home before an off week to get ready for the league schedule which kicks off on Sept. 5 with a home game against Effingham County. Brunswick is coming off an 10-2 season a year ago which included only one regular-season loss to Camden in the opener and then the second-round playoff loss to Coffee at home. The Pirates go into this season with a strong nucleus back from an offense last season that set school records for points scored in the regular season (460 total for a 46.0 average per game). Brunswick also set a new single-season high for rushing yards with 3,800 while passing for another 2,630 yards. Back for their senior seasons are senior quarterback Grant Moore and senior tight end and four-star recruit Heze Kent who verbally committed to the Florida Gators this summer. Moore, who took over as the starting signal-caller midway through his sophomore season, was impressive last fall in his first season as the full-time starter. He passed for 2,525 yards and 22 touchdowns while throwing only five interceptions in the 12 games the Pirates played. His favorite target was Kent, who the Pirates plan to utlize once again as a ball-carrier and pass-catcher as they will move him around the offense. The massive tight end caught 41 passes for 983 yards last season while running for 211 yards and totaling 16 touchdows on the season. Brunswick is deep at wide receiver. Leading the depth chart is junior Waseem Murray who had 31 receptions last fall for 642 yards and six touchdowns. BHS lost its leading rusher to graduation in William Heck and also Jamarious Towns who had big-play potential as a runner and receiver, but juniors Nigel Gardner and Josiah Gibbons are set to assume featured roles in the backfield and perhaps become the next lethal running-back combination for the Pirates. Gardner, a junior speedster who was a member of the BHS 4x200-meter relay team that won a state championship this spring, ran for just shy of 1,000 yards a year ago on 70 carries while averaging over 14 yards per attempt. In the Pirates’ preseason scrimmage last week against Ware County, he broke loose for two scoring runs that covered 80-plus yards. Gibbons, also a junior, rushed for 528 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The offensive line for the Pirates features three returning regulars from a year ago. Those players are University of Central Florida commit Kasi’yah Charlton, fellow senior Chase Richardson who has earned preseason all-state recognition, and junior Chris Wingster. The Brunswick defense is in a bit of a rebuilding mode as it was hit hard by graduation a second straight year. Gone from last year’s unit that gave up 19.8 points per game are four starting linebackers including tackling machines J’Shawn Towns and Caleb Butler and also three standout defensive linemen. The only player returning for the Pirates in the front seven with extensive playing experience is junior lineman Chozen Owens who played well up front as a sophomore. The Pirates do have more experience in the secondary where cornerbacks Aviyon Addison and Antwan Kirk give the Pirates solidarity on the perimeter and junior Samir Dobbins also provides stability at free safety. Also slated to start on the back end of the defense for the Pirates is junior strong safety Zi’yan Rankin, the younger brother of Brunswick’s two-time state high jump champion Riyon Rankin who is now starring at the University of Georgia. Landon Etheridge, a senior, is set to handle the kicking and punting duties for the Pirates. Coming Next: A preview of Brunswick High’s first game at Camden County on Friday night.