Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Classic Team Previews - Brookwood

Brookwood enters the season with a new head coach in Chad Nighbert and will feature a new signal-caller after the graduation of CJ Franklin, who passed for 13 touchdowns and rushed for two touchdowns last season. But with talented and experienced players returning, the Broncos will look for a quality opening of the season at the Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Classic while hopefully carving out a deeper playoff run following last year’s first-round exit.

Mascot: Broncos

County: Gwinnett

Head Coach: Chad Nighbert (1st year)

Coach’s School Record: 0-0

Coach’s Overall Record: 0-0

2024 Record: 7-4

2024 Region Record: 6-1

2024 Region Rank: 2nd

2024 Playoff Finish: First Round (L 24-10, West Forsyth)

Overall School Record: 355-156

State Championships: 1996 (4A), 2010 (5A)

Returning Offensive Starters: QB Ashton Defreitas, RB Brayden Tyson, WR Will Hagelgan, WR Zayden Walters

Returning Defensive Starters: OLB/SS Jeremiah Brinson, MLB Daniel Diggs, CB/FS/OLB Damyon Pearson, FS Julian Elzey

Returning Kickers: Wesley Dawson, Brady Palma

Offensive Formation: Spread

Defensive Formation: Multiple

School Enrollment: 3,774

Nighbert had served as Brookwood’s defensive coordinator since 2021 after having coached at Effingham County, Jones County and Colquitt County. He was an All-American linebacker at Georgia Southern and enters as Brookwood’s fifth head coach as a defensive mastermind of sorts. He follows previous head coach Philip Jones, a 1996 Brookwood graduate who played on the Broncos’ first-ever state championship team under head coach Dave Hunter.

Jones, who took over in 2015, led the Broncos to the semifinals in 2016 and the quarterfinals in 2021. But, in 2023, Brookwood missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and last season, the Broncos fell to West Forsyth 24-10 in the first round.

On offense, the team will have to replace Franklin and rising senior Ashton Defreitas and rising junior Gary Chatman are options. The team returns rising junior Brayden Tyson, who had 209 carries for 2,123 yards and 26 of the team’s 32 rushing touchdowns last season. As a sophomore, Tyson led receivers with 20 catches for 326 yards and three touchdowns. The team will also have to replace kicker Caitlyn Soroka, who was 35-of-37 on point-after tries last season.

On defense, middle linebacker Daniel Diggs, a rising senior, and outside linebacker/safety Jeremiah Brinson return to anchor the defense. Free safety Julian Elzey and cornerback Damyon Pearson will hold down the defensive backfield and cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks.

‍