A heavy downpour rolled through Emanuel County last Thursday ahead of the latest chapter of the Swainsboro-ECI rivalry, but by kickoff, the rain had cleared and Rountree Stadium was ready for football.
The weather did little to keep the crowd away. Swainsboro made the short trip down the road to face Emanuel County Institute, and fans from both sides packed Rountree Stadium for a rivalry that brings together two teams, two fan bases and one Emanuel County community.
For one night, though, everybody had to pick a side.
In an electric atmosphere that felt every bit like a rivalry game should, the Tigers battled their way to a 28-21 victory over the Bulldogs, giving first-year head coach Dwight Smith his first career win.
The game was played Thursday instead of the traditional Friday night because of a shortage of officials across the state. The schedule change may have moved the rivalry away from Friday night, but it did nothing to take away from what unfolded once the lights came on.
ECI received the opening kickoff and put together a steady drive before taking a shot downfield. Swainsboro safety Kamarion Dukes ended the threat with an interception, giving the Tigers their first possession.
Swainsboro responded with a promising drive of its own, but ECI forced and recovered a fumble. The Tigers’ Wrecking Crew defense answered by forcing the Bulldogs to punt, setting the tone for a back-and-forth opening quarter.
ECI finally broke through in the second quarter, turning a screen pass into a long touchdown down the Swainsboro sideline for a 7-0 lead.
The lead did not last long.
On the ensuing kickoff, senior Jaden Wilcher, No. 18, broke free and took the return all the way to the end zone. The extra point tied the game at 7.
Wilcher was not finished.
Later in the quarter, he intercepted an ECI pass to give the Tigers excellent field position. Swainsboro capitalized when junior quarterback Joshua Gray connected with sophomore Kyle Johnson on a screen pass for a touchdown. The extra point gave Swainsboro a 14-7 advantage.
Throughout the night, Swainsboro’s defense kept pressure on the Bulldogs, forcing ECI’s quarterback to use his legs and extend plays outside the pocket.
The Tigers came out of halftime leaning on their running game and quickly moved deep into Bulldog territory. Gray eventually found Johnson again, this time for a touchdown after Johnson made an impressive adjustment on the ball in the end zone. The score extended Swainsboro’s lead to 21-7.
ECI refused to go away.
The Bulldogs began finding a rhythm offensively, and several costly Swainsboro penalties helped put ECI in scoring position. A quarterback run for a touchdown cut the Tigers’ advantage to 21-14.
The Bulldogs controlled much of the third quarter, and the rivalry remained a battle as the game moved into the fourth. Swainsboro eventually found the end zone again after putting the ball in the hands of senior Ja’Bios Smith, giving the Tigers their final touchdown of the night.
ECI continued fighting until the end, but Swainsboro held on for the 28-21 victory.
Following the win, sophomore Kyle Johnson was named the Tigers’ Offensive Player of the Week after finding the end zone twice and making an impact throughout the night. Senior Jaden Wilcher earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after making plays in multiple phases of the game, including an interception and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
For Smith, the victory was his first as a head coach and came in one of the most meaningful games on Swainsboro’s schedule.
When asked what made him most proud of his team, Smith said:
“I was most proud of the way our guys competed. We didn’t play a perfect game by any means, and there are certainly things we can clean up, but our guys competed for all 48 minutes. To go into a tough environment against a very good ECI team and come away with a win says a lot about the character and toughness of this football team. That’s the kind of fight and resilience we want to continue to build at Swainsboro.”
When the clock reached zero, Smith’s thoughts went beyond football as he reflected on what his first career victory meant personally.
“Honestly, I took a moment to think about my parents and my brother who are no longer here on earth with me. My parents worked extremely hard to put me and my siblings in a position to be successful in life, and I’m so thankful for everything that they sacrificed for me. And my brother was like my best friend. There were a lot of sacrifices he made as well to help put me in the position that I’m in today, so I took some time to think about them and thank God for blessing me with such great parents and great siblings.
“After that, I got to celebrate with our team and our coaching staff. We truly have one of the best coaching staffs in the state, and that first win was just as much theirs as it was mine. I’m extremely grateful to have the people around me that I do, and I’m excited about what we’re building together.”
The Swainsboro-ECI rivalry carries additional meaning because of the close ties between the two communities, something Smith knows well.
“Personally, it’s always great to win against your rivals, whether it’s ECI or any of the other teams we consistently compete against in our area. But this game is a little more special because of the connections between the two communities. There are families and friendships on both sides. People work together, go to church together, live next door to each other, and have known each other for years, so there’s naturally a little more meaning behind this rivalry.
“This year, we even had brothers competing against each other, which made it even more unique. At the end of the day, we have a tremendous amount of respect for ECI, their players, and their coaching staff. They’re a very talented and very well-coached football team, so it was special for us to come away with a win in a rivalry game like this.”
The Tigers now turn their attention to another major challenge as Toombs County comes to Tiger Field.
“The biggest thing I want our guys to do is focus on us. We want to get better every single week and continue to find out just how good we can be. We firmly believe that nobody can beat Swainsboro but Swainsboro, so our focus has to remain on doing what we do and doing it the right way.
“Toombs County is one of the best football teams in the state, regardless of classification, and we know we’re going to have a tremendous challenge in front of us. But this is exactly where we want to be. It’s time for us to embrace those challenges, continue to grow, and see how we measure up against the best.”
Before turning the page to Toombs County, Thursday night was another reminder of what makes the Swainsboro-ECI rivalry special.
Two schools separated by only a few miles, both proudly representing the Emanuel County School System. Players, coaches, families and friends are connected throughout the county. For a few hours, everyone picks a side, but when the final whistle blows, it is still one community.
The atmosphere at Rountree Stadium showed what this rivalry can be. Maybe one day it even gets its own Saturday, turning Swainsboro-ECI into an all-day Emanuel County football tradition with tailgating and a buildup worthy of the rivalry. Call it our own small-town version of Georgia-Florida.
For now, the bragging rights belong to Swainsboro, and another big challenge awaits.
Tiger Nation, pack Tiger Field this Friday night as the Tigers welcome Toombs County. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Come early, fill the stands and make some noise for the Tigers.
