Camden County Wildcats Defeat Glynn Academy 42–13 in Frank Smith Classic
Home Statement: Collins, Green Lead Camden Past Glynn Academy 42–13
Wildcats improve to 2–0 behind four touchdown passes from Xavier Collins, three scores from Sean Green and another end-zone interception from Maliek Patterson
KINGSLAND, Ga. — Xavier Collins was nearly perfect. Sean Green was nearly impossible to cover. And Camden County made its first regular-season home game of the Tucker Pruitt era one to remember.
Collins completed 11 of 12 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, while Green hauled in six passes for 146 yards and three scores as Camden County rolled past Glynn Academy 42–13 in the Frank Smith Classic at Chris Gilman Stadium.
The Wildcats built a 29–6 halftime advantage and never relinquished control, improving to 2–0 and giving Wildcat Nation a convincing victory in its first opportunity to see Pruitt’s team play a regular-season game at home.
But the final score tells only part of the story.
Friday night featured a U.S. Coast Guard HITRON flyover, a tribute honoring Frank Smith, a highlight-reel defensive takeaway and an offensive performance that continued to show just how many ways this Camden County team can attack an opponent.
Collins Nearly Perfect
Camden didn’t need Collins to throw the football 30 or 40 times Friday night.
It needed him to make his opportunities count.
He did.
The senior quarterback completed 91.7 percent of his passes, finishing 11-of-12 for 250 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 20.8 yards per attempt and did not turn the football over.
It was a remarkably efficient performance from a quarterback who has started the season strong.
Through two games, Collins has completed 20 of 27 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 102 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
His 74.1-percent season completion rate is impressive enough.
But Friday night, Collins took efficiency to another level.
Green Explodes for Three Touchdowns
If Collins was nearly perfect, Sean Green was one of Glynn Academy’s biggest problems.
The senior caught six passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 24.3 yards per reception.
Green repeatedly provided Camden with explosive plays, turning limited opportunities into huge gains and points.
One of those highlights traveled well beyond Chris Gilman Stadium.
Following the victory, a Green highlight was selected as First Coast Sports’ Play of the Week, putting Camden County football into the Jacksonville sports spotlight.
It was fitting recognition after a performance that was much bigger than a single play.
Through two games, Green has caught nine passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns. He has also rushed for 58 yards and another score.
That’s five touchdowns in Camden’s first two games.
Friday night belonged to the Collins-to-Green connection:
11 completions for Collins
Six catches for Green
Four passing touchdowns for Collins
Three receiving touchdowns for Green
Glynn Academy simply couldn’t find an answer.
Poole Keeps Camden Balanced
The passing game produced the biggest numbers, but Camden didn’t abandon its ability to run the football.
Malakhi Poole carried nine times for 82 yards, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt, and added a successful two-point conversion.
Poole has now rushed for 189 yards on 22 carries through two games, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. Add his 75 receiving yards, and the sophomore has already accumulated 264 yards from scrimmage.
His production is part of a larger trend that may be one of the most encouraging numbers of Camden’s young season.
Through two games, the Wildcats have produced:
470 rushing yards
441 passing yards
911 yards of total offense
455.5 yards per game
The balance between Camden’s running and passing attacks is making life difficult for opposing defenses.
Load the box, and Camden has demonstrated the ability to attack through the air.
Back defenders away from the line of scrimmage, and the Wildcats are averaging 6.7 yards per rushing attempt.
Two games into the season, Camden is making defenses account for the entire field.
Patterson Protects the End Zone — Again
The offensive numbers were impressive.
One of the night’s most memorable individual plays, however, came from the Camden defense.
For the second consecutive game, senior defensive back Maliek Patterson intercepted a pass in the end zone.
And this one required only one hand.
With Glynn Academy threatening to score, Patterson reached out and snatched the football out of the air one-handed in the end zone, ending the Terrors’ scoring opportunity and producing one of Camden’s defensive highlights of the young season.
It wasn’t the first time.
Patterson also intercepted Brunswick in the end zone during Camden’s 35–21 season-opening victory.
The result is an impressive early-season pattern:
Two games
Two end-zone interceptions
Two potential scoring opportunities erased
Patterson also recorded eight tackles in the defensive statistics posted following the Glynn game.
His interception may have been spectacular.
Its impact was even more important.
Defense Helps Camden Take Control
Patterson’s interception provided the highlight, but Camden’s defensive effort helped create the conditions for the Wildcats to take command.
By halftime, Camden had built a 29–6 lead.
That meant Glynn Academy wasn’t simply trying to slow down Collins, Green, Poole and the Camden offense in the second half.
The Terrors were also trying to erase a 23-point deficit.
They never did.
Glynn added seven points after halftime, while Camden scored another 13 to finish the 29-point victory.
The Wildcats have now allowed 34 points through two games, while scoring 77.
A Flyover to Remember
Before Collins threw a touchdown, before Green found the end zone and before Patterson’s one-handed interception, Wildcat Nation’s attention turned toward the sky.
A helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron — HITRON — conducted a flyover over Chris Gilman Stadium as part of the pregame festivities.
The crew included pilot LT Patrick Flynn, co-pilot LT Jacob Sandborn, and air crewmen AMT3 Benjamin Pearce and AMT3 Mason Wallis.
The low pass produced some of the signature images of the evening and provided an appropriate connection between Camden County football and the military community that plays such a significant role throughout the region.
For those inside Chris Gilman Stadium, it also helped make the first home game of 2026 feel like something more than another Friday on the schedule.
Honoring Frank Smith
There was another reason Friday night carried additional meaning.
This was the Frank Smith Classic.
Before the game, Camden County football honored Smith and his legacy with a special video tribute, giving a new generation of Wildcat players and fans an opportunity to recognize someone whose name remains connected to the program.
It was a night that celebrated Camden football’s history while showcasing where the program hopes to go next.
Then the Wildcats provided a performance worthy of the occasion.
Two Games, Two Different Tests
Camden County’s first two victories have looked very different.
Against Brunswick, the Wildcats faced adversity.
The game was interrupted by weather. Camden had to regroup, return the following morning and finish the job.
The Wildcats did, winning 35–21.
Against Glynn Academy, Camden didn’t need to respond to the game.
Camden dictated it.
A 29–6 halftime lead put the Wildcats firmly in control, and they never allowed the Terrors back into the contest.
That’s an important distinction.
Good teams eventually have to win in different ways.
Through two weeks, Camden has shown it can respond when challenged and take command when given the opportunity.
2–0 and Building
It’s still early.
Region play remains ahead, and two victories don’t determine what this season will ultimately become.
But the numbers are beginning to provide evidence of what Camden County is building:
2–0 record
77 points scored
911 yards of total offense
455.5 yards per game
470 rushing yards
441 passing yards
And now a 42–13 victory in the first regular-season home game of the Tucker Pruitt era.
Friday night also provided something numbers can’t measure.
A Coast Guard helicopter overhead.
A tribute to Camden’s past.
A packed Chris Gilman Stadium serving as the backdrop.
A one-handed interception in the end zone.
A Camden highlight reaching Jacksonville television.
And another victory.
For one night, the past, present and future of Camden County football all shared the same stage.
FINAL: Camden County 42, Glynn Academy 13
