2023 Bainbridge High School Football Preview

CHAMPIONS AREN’T BORN, THEY RISE.

Greatness is not achieved overnight. It takes dedication, perseverance, competitive spirit.

It takes ambition.

It takes selflessness.

It takes you.

This is your time.

This is your year.

This is your destiny.

There is a champion inside you.

Let it rise.

Because here in Bainbridge, winning is more than a tradition. It’s always been the Bearcat way.

GOOD LUCK IN 2022!

GREATNESS STARTS NOW.

Bainbridge

Head Coach: Jeff Littleton

Previous record: 8-5

State Champions: 1982, 2018

Seniors

Javon Cox

Cam Sanders

Darius Mills

Don’Terrius Williams

Antavious Murphy

Kennan Phillips

James Jackson Corey Sanders

Jace Weaver

Nicholas Tyre

Travious Freeman

Anthony McKay

Bradley Marshburn

Kenyon Benton

Mikel Kendrick

Kahleem Murphy

Andrew Carnes

Shane Hoskins

Aidan Velasquez

Pate Beckham

Samuel Haire

The Bearcats have 21 seniors and 14 returning starters for the 2023 season. Wide receiver Antavious Murphy and running back Keenan Phillips stand out from the veteran group, both receiving double-digit college offers.

Littleton said this group of seniors is one of the biggest he’s had in his 11-year tenure as the Bearcats’ head coach. He mentioned that the seniors have built a tradition

Centennial Field

Capacity: 9950

Date Built: 1923

Address: 800 E. Louise St.

Schedule

2023 Preview

of making deep playoff runs. The group made it to the semi-finals of the state tournament in 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2022.

“They’re very, very excited about continuing that and going further,” Littleton said.

The Bearcats have a new quarterback this season in senior Cam Sanders. Sanders has played Quarterback throughout his career but has yet to start at the position for

BHS. Sanders played wide receiver last year and earned all-region honors at the position.

The team has six starters returning on the defensive side of the ball. Littleton said the team is working to rebuild on the defensive line after losing standout twin linemen Devon and Dariyon Smith. He said the secondary is an athletic group.

Eagles Lading Christian Academy

• Coffee Thomas County Central Thomasville

•

• Ware County Brooks County • Westover Shaw • Hardaway • Cairo

Offense Preview

Senior quarterback Cam Sanders leads the Bearcats this season. Sanders has a cannon of an arm and plays an athletic style of quarterback, using his legs to gain yardage when there’s not an open pass. Sanders plays basketball and football, and Quarterbacks Coach Mike Harville says he uses that experience to his advantage as a passer.

“He’s kind of like a point guard,” Harville said. “Sometimes you’re flashy passing and things like that. He’s always got some tricks up his sleeve.”

Senior running back Keenan Phillips assumes the lead back role, with seniors Javon Cox and Travious Freeman playing alongside him. The trio has been playing since 7th grade, and Running Backs Coach Larry Crosby said each one brings a distinct flair to the offense.

“With Phillips, he’s a combination back that can do both,” Crosby said. “Freeman, we call him our bruiser, and Cox our finesse guy.”

Phillips is a three-star recruit and has gained national recognition. He has received 13 offers from college football programs across the nation,

Wide Receivers Coach Blake Cecil said his receiver group this season has a family-like bond. The squad is made up entirely of returning players, most being upperclassmen.

“Everybody knows the expectations, and they do a good job of holding each other accountable,” Cecil said. “It makes the locker room better.”

Seniors Antavious Murphy, Darius Mills, Corey Sanders, and juniors Luke Griffin and Cam-

ryn “Scoop” Scott make up the wide receiver core. Junior Antavious Harris and sophomores Jah’Bari Smith and Nekorion Thomas round out the depth. Murphy is the standout of the group. The three-star prospect has 15 college offers on the table.

Protecting them is an offensive line that has grown bigger in number and size over the offseason. The line is made up of four returning starters and a group of developing sophomores to give depth. The team has a handful of 300-pounders to “finally” give the team some size, according to Offensive Line Coach Justin Palmer.

The 2023 Bearcat offense excels in athleticism, giving them an edge over their opponents and giving fans entertaining play to watch.

“I don’t think you want to get up and go to the concession stand in the middle of the game,” Harville said. “You’re liable to miss something.”

Noah Watson- The Post-Searchlight

STAR STUDDED: Keenan Phillips runs in a touchdown, trailed by Antavious Murphy. The three-star recruits have more than 20 college offers between them.

Defense

Defense Preview

The Bearcat Defense looks to build a cohesive unit this season.

The defensive line has two key starters returning, seniors Bradley Marshburn and Don’Terrius Williams. Defensive Line Coach Brian McCorckle is looking to them to lead the line this season. Marshburn said the line will use speed to its advantage.

“We’re not the biggest line, but we’re fast,” Marshburn said. “We try to out-speed our opponents and be more physical than they are.”

The Linebackers will be the “quarterback of the defense” this year, according to Linebackers Coach Jahseari Patterson. He said senior Javon

Cox will lead the group.

“We lean into having a high IQ and knowing exactly what to do, putting yourself in the right position to make a play,” Patterson said.

The defensive backs have a number of returning players. Their experience with each other is something senior cornerback Jace Weaver said will be to their benefit.

“Knowing that we ain’t lost nobody, and now we know the coverages and how to communicate with each other, it’s gonna be pretty good to see,” Weaver said.

Coaches Bios

Coaching Staff

Jeff Littleton Head Coach

Coach Littleton is a 1988 graduate of Worth County High School. He was a defensive back for the Rams and was part of two State Championship games in high school as a player, winning the state title in 1987. Coach Littleton graduated from Valdosta State University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree and was certified as a teacher in 1995. He went on to obtain his master’s degree in Kinesiology in 2011 from Georgia Southern University. Coach Littleton has coached at Lowndes, Dooly, Worth, Tift, and Cairo. He has also been a part of three State Championship games in his 30 years of coaching high school football. He is entering his 11th season as Head Football Coach of the Bainbridge Bearcats. Coach Littleton’s wife, Kristi, teaches Geometry at Bainbridge High School. They have two daughters, Anna Kate who will be a sophomore at Georgia Southern and Emily, who is a junior at BHS, and cheerleader for the Bearcats.

Coaches Bios

Mike Harville

Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

Coach Harville is entering his ninth season with the Bearcats, his 43rd overall. Coach Harville attended Madison Central High School where he played football and baseball. As a player, Harville played quarterback and defensive back, earning all-district honors his senior year. A native of Richmond, Kentucky, Harville began his career as the quarterback’s coach at his alma-mater. Harville earned his master’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University while serving as the wide receiver’s coach in 1990 and 1991. He earned his specialist degree in 2007 from Cambridge College in Administrative Leadership. Harville has seven years of experience as a Head Coach in highly competitive regions of Florida and Kentucky earning one regional championship and voted regional coach of the year in ’93 and ’94 at North Laurel High School in Kentucky. As the head coach of DeLand, Florida; his quarterback was voted 1999 Gatorade player of the year for 6A. He has 29 years of experience as an offensive coordinator, with this year being his 7th with the Bearcats. While in Georgia, Harville previously coached at Brantley Co., Baldwin, and Lee County. Harville is married to Becca Harville of Montgomery, AL.

Joe Dollar

Defensive Coordinator / Assistant Head Coach

Coach Dollar is a Bainbridge High School graduate. He is in his 9th year back home, at BHS, coaching, and teaching. After Dollar attended Valdosta State University from 2000-2004. Prior to moving back to Bainbridge, Dollar spent ten years coaching at Thomas County Central. He has three sons: Gambler, 16, Benji, 13, and Grant, 9.

Brad Almon

Defensive Backs Coach

Almon is entering his second year coaching with the Bainbridge Bearcats. He is a 1992 graduate of Georgia Southern with a Health Science Degree. Almon was a part of the Eagle’s Division 1 AA National Championship Teams. He obtained a master’s of Health Science from Grand Canyon University. Almon has been coaching since 1992. He served as an assistant coach on Cairo High Schools’ 2008 state championship team and 2011 state semifinals team. Almon coached at Coffee High School from 2018-2021. He is married to his wife, Gaye Almon.

Coaches Bios

Larry Cosby Running Backs Coach

Coach Cosby is entering his 18th season coaching for the Bainbridge Bearcats. He is a graduate of Bainbridge High School and attended Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee. Cosby played running back for the Pioneers and lettered for three years. Cosby graduated with a B.A. degree in Health & Physical Education. He has two sons, Lance, 25, and Daylon, 21.

Blake Cecil Wide Receivers Coach

Coach Blake Cecil is entering his 11th season of coaching with the Bainbridge Bearcats. He is a 2004 graduate of Woodland High School in Cartersville, Ga. After graduation, he accepted a baseball scholarship to Andrew College, followed by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. In 2011 Coach Cecil graduated from Jacksonville State University with a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education. Coach Cecil earned his master’s degree from Georgia Southern in the summer of 2020. He has made coaching stops at Adairsville and Cairo High School. Coach Cecil teaches PE at Bainbridge High School. Blake resides in Cairo with his wife, Brandie, and their children, Hayes and Liza.

Justin Palmer Offensive Line Coach

Coach Justin Palmer is beginning his ninth year of coaching with the Bainbridge Bearcats. Palmer is a 2009 graduate of Cairo High School and played offensive line for the Syrupmakers. He attended Valdosta State University, playing on their football team. Palmer transferred to Georgia Southern University and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education. He went on to obtain his Master’s degree in Health and Physical Education in 2020. Palmer is married to Bainbridge native Samantha Hager Palmer and is the instructional technology specialist at Hutto Elementary School. He and his wife have two children, Knox and Blakely.

Coaches Bios

Jahseari Patterson

Coach Jahseari Patterson is entering his 1st season of coaching with the Bainbridge Bearcats. He is a 2017 graduate of Cairo High School. After graduation, he gained a scholarship from the D2 college of The Fort Valley State University. He graduated from The Fort Valley State University In 2021 with a B.A in psychology. Coach Patterson served as a Linebacker and Defensive Line coach at Central High School out of Macon, Georgia, for his first year of coaching. He then decided that he wanted to move back home and co-teach while supporting the Bainbridge Bearcats.

David Johnson

Strength and Conditioning Coach / Tight Ends Coach

Coach Johnson will begin his 36th year of coaching and his second at Bainbridge. He is a graduate of Troy State University with a BS degree in Biology and History. He spent 17 years coaching in Alabama where he was a part of seven State Weightlifting Championships. He was also the co-defensive coordinator for Luverne High School when they won the 2A State Football Championship in 1997. Johnson made the move to Georgia in 2004. Since then, he has coached at Lee County, Cairo, Pelham and Mitchell County. He is married to Diana Applegate Johnson and they have two children, Brittany and Brady, and three grandchildren.

Brian McCorkle

Defensive Line Coach

Coach Brian McCorkle is entering his 16th year of coaching with the Bearcats. Coach McCorkle is a 1995 graduate of Cairo High School. After high school, he attended Valdosta State University where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. Coach McCorkle also holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction as well as an Educational Specialist Degree in Secondary Education. Prior to Bainbridge, Coach McCorkle coached at Albany High School and Pelham High School. He also has experience coaching soccer, baseball, swimming, and track. Coach McCorkle is married to the former Michelle Pittman of Bainbridge. Michelle teaches science at Thomas County Central High School. They have two sons, William, 19, a graduate of BHS, and Lee, 17.

Coaches Bios

Terrance Quarterman

Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

Coach Quarterman enters his fifth year coaching for the Bainbridge Bearcats. Quarterman is a 2006 graduate of Hephzibah High School. He graduated from Augusta State with a Bachelor’s de gree in Kinesiology and went on to obtain his Master’s Degree in Education and Athletic Coach ing. Quarterman teaches 8th grade Science at Bainbridge Middle School.

Martavious Flowers

Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

Coach Flowers is entering his third year of coaching with BHS. He is the son of Vickey and Beverly Flowers. He was born and raised in Climax, Ga. He is a 2017 graduate of Bainbridge High School. He was an all-region performer during his senior campaign. He has one daughter. He resides in Bainbridge.

Harold Smith

Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach

Coach Harold D. Smith is a native of Decatur County, graduating from BHS in 1990. Coach Smith completed his undergraduate studies in 2006 in Physical Education at Florida A&M University. He went on to further his education, completing his master’s degree and specialist program at Nova Southeastern University. Coach Smith’s coaching career started at Godby High School in Tallahassee, Fla., where he coached football and volleyball. Coach Smith is beginning his 18th year as a coach, where he is currently helping coach both BHS and BMS Football, Basketball & Track. Coach Smith is married to Tammara Smith, and they have 4 children and 1 grandchild.

College Offers

Bearcat Brothers

The Bearcat Brothers

Cam and Corey “CJ” Sanders are twins. The pair of seniors play for the Bearcats: Cam at quarterback and CJ at wide receiver.

When they were young, the twins had different views on football from each other. CJ said his love for the game developed early.

“Everybody was in the living room every Sunday watching the Cowboys,” CJ said. “I was sitting there, smiling, just watching, not even knowing what was going on. I’ve always loved the game of football. Can’t nothing change that.”

Cam had to come around to it. Before he and CJ started playing, Cam said he was more into basketball. He was better at the sport and didn’t like getting hit in football. When the brothers were pre-school aged, their father, Corey Sanders, found a fix to the fear.

“He bought us some shoulder pads,” Cam said. “He set us up in the backyard and put two cones about 10 yards apart, and we had to run head up all day.

CJ said they ran the drill every day until Cam wasn’t scared anymore.

“I loved it, hitting him especially,” CJ said.

Cam said he didn’t like the drill at first but came accustomed to it because it was the only way he would be allowed to play football.

“My dad told me if I wanted to play football, I had to do it,” Cam said. “I wanted to play, so I had to do it. The love for the game made me do it.”

Cam conquered his fear of contact after three years of running the fun-sized Oklahoma drill. Cam and CJ started their football careers with flag football at seven, and their father started his coaching career as the team’s head coach.

“I was their head coach every season,” Sanders said. “I coached Peewee, from flag to tackle… until they got to middle school.”

Cam said though his father’s coaching stopped on the field, it hasn’t stopped off of it.

“Some coaches don’t give us tips that he’ll give us,” Cam said. “Life tips that relate to football and football lessons that relate to life.”

Sanders said he’s excited to watch his boys play together this season.

“Hearing their names called together, you know, ‘Sanders and Sanders,’” Sanders said. “It’s a crazy feeling, one that we’ve been waiting on since they were born, and we started them in football.”

He described Cam as a natural-born quarterback.

“The other day at practice, the camera didn’t catch it all. Cam threw a 60-yard touchdown pass off his back foot running left,” Sanders said. “He was just smiling. He was so excited about tell-

ing me,... I promise you. You will have the delight of watching him perform with his team.”

Sanders said CJ is “born to be a football player” and that his drive and work ethic make him special.

“‘It’s the willingness to always compete. If he’s faster than me today, by next week, I’ll be faster,’” Sanders said about CJ. “He has a heck of a drive.”

Cam and CJ are one of three sets of twins in the Sanders family. Their mother, Brandie Sanders, said she’s proud of them for being good role models to their younger brothers.

“It warms my heart to see how positive of a role that they’re being for their little brothers,” Sanders said.

Football has brought the twins closer. They said aside from spending time together at practice, football has shown them how to care for each other.

“In a game, you do something wrong, everybody’s raining down on you,” Cam said. “But you know you’ve got this one person, he’s going to tell you there’s something wrong, but it’s going to be love coming from him,... When you do something good, and you think you’re not getting enough praise, you’ve always got somebody that’s going to give you that praise.”

Videographers

Bearcat Videographers

One day, the previous videographer didn’t show up, and they were asked to fly the drone for that session. They agreed, it stuck, and Sapp continued to help out under the previous videographer. Lewis said he couldn’t commit to helping last year due to the responsibilities of being in the band. He is not in the band this season. Sapp and Lewis shoot game footage for the Bearcats as well.

cross-country runners Jahlae Sapp and Eric Lewis are the Bear cats’ videographers this season. They spent time after morning cross country practices at the football field taking video of the team.

“As soon as we get done running, we stretch out, and we come back here,” Sapp said, sitting with Lewis in a shaded nook of the field house during a football practice.

Sapp and Lewis shoot film for the football team using a drone. The drone, a DJI Phantom X, has a camera attached to the underside of its body, allowing Sapp and Lewis to shoot birds-eye footage of the team. They position the drone 30-40 feet above the field and shoot video from behind the offense, facing downfield toward the defense.

“The main thing is, you always film from the side where the offense is,” Sapp said.

The pair fly the drone back every so often to change the battery. Sapp said the battery life is 30 minutes, but he brings the drone back before that to avoid possible overheating of the battery.

“When the battery overheats, it can mess up the drone,” Sapp said. “We had two [drones], but the other one, it overheated. The screen just shut off, and it dropped.”

The drone dropped while Sapp was bringing it back, and the impact rendered it unusable. He said he once had a drone drop onto the field.

“It fell in the middle of a play,” Sapp said. “It was like thirty, forty feet in the air, and all you saw was it drop. I was scared for myself.”

Sapp still has the job today, everything still working out afterward. After practices are over, Sapp and Lewis extract the video from the drone and send it to the coaches to watch and prepare for the team.

The best ability is availability

This is Sapp’s second year and Lewis’s first piloting the drone. The two said they got the job out of coincidence. They carpooled from practices with running back Kennan Thompson last season. They said they would wait at the football field and watch practice if cross country ended before football.

Runner first

Sapp is looking forward to a big year on the cross-country team this season. He said his goals for the season are to finish top ten at states and break Bainbridge’s 5k record. Sapp shaved two minutes off his 5k time last season, running a 17:30, and is a little more than two minutes shy of the school record of 15:22.

“In the past years, I didn’t have the right training,” Sapp said. “But now I’ve got the right training. I feel like I can get to it. I’ve just got the mindset of, like, if I can break two minutes last year, I can do two minutes again and break the school record.”

Sapp also runs track and said he has similar goals to break the 3200 and 800-meter school records this year.

The Bearcat cross country team has its first meet on Aug. 19 at Sherwood Christian Academy in Albany.

Position Groups

Quarterbacks OFFENSIVE LINE

Position Groups

Wide Receivers RUNNING BACKS

Position Groups

DEFENSIVE BACKS Safeties

Position Groups

Defensive Line Tight ends Special Teams

Senior Photos

Senior Photos

Senior Photos

Senior Photos

Senior Photos

Senior Photos

Where Are They Now?

Where Are They Now?

MARISSA BRANTLEY LANEY BRANTLEY

ELI LOGUE

CAMYRN "SCOOP"SCOTT

Cheer Preview

Bearcat Cheer looks to return to form this year under new head coach Haley Helms. Helms was a Bearcat cheerleader from 2013-2017, and said she’s excited be the coach of a program she was once a part of.

“I’m excited to transform this program into something traditional,” Helms said. “Something like back when I was cheering.”

She said though she’s a new coach, the cheer team will be the same squad on Friday nights.

“We’re going to get on that field on Friday nights and not just be a face, but be the ones getting the crowd together,” Helms said. “We want our boys to go as far as they can in those playoffs,... and we want to be the ones that gets the crowd involved.”

Helms wants the team to be a part of the com-

munity. She said she plans to have the cheerleaders at fundraisers, downtown events, pep rallies and other similar events. Helms said involving the cheerleaders in the community means being role models for younger girls in town

“I want to be a role model for these girls so the girls can be role models for the young girls,” Helms said. “Girls in our community look up to the cheerleaders like they’re famous.”

The team has six seniors that Helms said she’ll be relying on to be the leaders of the team. Helms is looking forward to being involved with the Bearcats once again.

“I always saw myself on the sidelines doing something when I came home,” Helms said. “I’m very excited to be the head coach.”

Senior Cheer

Band Preview

For nearly four decades, the Bainbridge High School Band has been one of the strongest band programs in Georgia. Our award-winning accomplishments, 38 consecutive years of Superior Ratings, and 17 national appearances speak volumes to the dedication and hard work given to the program by the students, parents, community, staff, and administration.

This year’s show theme is “JUST DANCE.” Our show will feature the hit songs “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “Dancing On The Ceiling” by Lionel Richie, “Turn The Beat Around” by Gloria Estefan, and “I Hope

You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. The halftime show will once again continue to honor our band program’s longstanding traditions and standards.

The band isn’t just working toward their marching band performances. They also look forward to performing for many community events throughout the school year. In addition to those performances, we will be preparing our students to continue the Superior traditions of our Concert and Symphonic Bands at state events and community and school events. Our Jazz program will also be offering perfor-

Band

mances during the Winter & Spring. In our band program, we encourage students to have fun while learning responsibility, mental discipline, teamwork, self-esteem, leadership and an enjoyment and lifelong appreciation of music.

In April, the Bainbridge High School Marching Band will travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National Cherry Blossom Parade. This will be our 3rd appearance in this historic and prestigious event, and we are very much honored to represent once again our school, our communities, and all of Decatur County on this national stage!

We are very fortunate to have a very hardworking and dedicated staff and vol-

port us in everything we do.

To all of the citizens of Decatur County, the Board of Education, Decatur County Schools Administration, and the faculty & staff of Bainbridge High School, thank you for your continued and dedicated support of our band program. This is going to be another GREAT YEAR for the “Pride of Decatur County!”

Courtesy of James Sewell, Bainbridge High School Band Director