Home finally sweet for Bryan County athletics as district invests $5.2 million in facilities

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PEMBROKE - Everyone at Bryan County Middle High School has a bounce in their steps and it’s hard to blame them.

For years an underlying current of being considered second-class citizens has permeated the air near the shared campus in north Bryan County, especially in comparison to fellow county school Richmond Hill.

Thanks to what is shaping up to be an outstanding year for the school’s athletic teams and an all-out effort by the Board of Education to improve facilities, things are definitely looking up for the Redskins.

The football team is showing signs it’s no longer everyone’s favorite homecoming opponent, the softball team is looking like a state championship contender and there’s a large construction crane hovering over what is going to be an athletic complex equal to any in the area once completed.

The first facility to be completed was a weight room, which has been doubled in size to 4,000 square feet, along with a new softball field. Still to come are a baseball field, a track and baseball and softball fields for the middle schoolers.

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Once finished the project, which is being paid for out of ESPLOST funds, will have a cost of approximately $5.2 million, according to Assistant Superintendent Jason Rogers. The improvements are part of the district’s ongoing master planning.

“Whenever we initiate a new project, we always evaluate (whether) it make sense to accomplish anything else at the same time,” Rogers said. “Our sports programs at BCMHS are growing. With the grade levels having to share facilities it was sometimes less than optimal with scheduling and practicing. The addition of the combination middle school softball/baseball field provides a remedy for this issue.

“Also, the weight room addition served this same purpose not only for our athletes but our conditioning classes for students during the school day. New drainage plans necessitated the relocation of the JROTC course and now our raiders (team) enjoys one of, if not the nicest, courses in the area.”

New home for successful softball team

Softball coach Jason Roundtree is in his fifth season and he welcomes the team’s new facility.

The Redskins previously played either on the school’s baseball field, which was reconfigured for softball, or at Hendricks Park, a county facility located nearby. It was less than an optimal situation, according to Roundtree.

“This is a great facility,” Roundtree said of the new field. “It’s something we’ve needed and it’s great we’re getting it for this season. We’ve got a group of seniors who I think are capable of winning a state championship.”

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The Redskins are favored to win the Region 3A-DI championship which means they would host the first round of the state playoffs. The Georgia High School Association has changed the format this season with a region winner hosting the second, third and fourth seeds from other regions in a double-elimination tournament.

"Winning the region and being the host team would be a great showcase for the school and community,” Roundtree said.

The winner will advance to the Final Four.

“This entire complex is something we can all be proud of,” Roundtree said. “For our seniors to play here with a chance to go to the Final Four would be fitting.”

Facilities to be proud of

While the coaches are appreciative, the improvements are more personal for Athletic Director Blaine Ennis and baseball Coach Dustin Covington.

Both are Bryan County graduates and were athletes:  Ennis played softball and Covington played baseball for the Redskins.

While Covington is focused on what it will mean for his team to be back playing on a field it can call its own — the Redskins were forced to play at Hendricks Park last spring and then later at Statesboro after the April tornado — as the athletic director Ennis is looking at the big picture.

“The Board of Education has put a focus on our facilities and supporting our athletes with a number of updates,” Ennis said. “We are playing on one of the best softball and baseball facilities in the area.

“We have a state-of-the-art weight room, a new Raiders (JROTC) course and we will finally get to host a high school track meet,” Ennis said. “Our athletes have more pride in what it means to be a Redskins scholar-athlete. “

Facilities as recruiting tools

The new facilities, Ennis believes, will help in attracting more students to participate. Numbers have always been an issue, especially in football where the team finished the season three years ago with 21 players in uniform. This year’s team has 51.

“We’ve seen an overwhelming number of athletes come out for each sport,” Ennis said. “This is definitely a turnaround from three years ago. Combining the middle school has allowed our coaches to be on more cohesive levels. It provides a stronger opportunity to have vertical alignment among all sports and this in turn equals continued success.”

Covington, who will have the core of a team which reached the second round of the state playoffs for the first time in school history, gushed when was asked about the new baseball field.

“This says a lot to our players, school, community and the program,” Covington said. “It proves our Board of Education and leaders in our administration are committed to the growth and success of our athletic programs as well as providing our student body and community with great facilities.

“Now we’re going from not having a home to one of the best athletic complexes in the region. To see the ground broken gave us great anticipation and now to see the final touches being applied is like staring at the presents underneath the Christmas tree."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Bryan County Middle High School gets athletic facility upgrades