By Steve Carter
TIFTON — Over the past two seasons, Tift County’s Charlie Edwards has been an All-State place-kicker in 2005 and appears on his way to get all-star recognition as a punter in 2006.
On punts, Edwards is by himself and on place-kicks he has Marqus King holding for him. But a big part of his success goes un-noticed, long snapper Justin Wilson.
“He is huge. Charlie gets a lot of publicity and a lot of recognition, but Charlie would not be as successful as he is without a great snapper,” Tift County High head coach Jay Walls said. “Justin has been a great snapper not only this year, but last year and he is still only a junior. We are very fortunate to have him.”
Wilson has been a long snapper since beginning his football career at Tift County High.
“At my first Brodie Camp I got lucky and I asked the coaches what they wanted me to do,” Wilson said. “He said ‘what do you do on special teams?’. I said I don’t know, so he told me to go to long-snapper.”
The coach in question was former Tift County Blue Devil Tyson Summers, who is currently at the University of Georgia as a graduate assistant secondary coach.
“He showed me and that’s how I got started,” Wilson said.
Wilson has progressed to the point where he is a crucial member of Tift’s special teams.
“He is extremely important,” Edwards said. “He’s one of the reasons if our field goals are good or not. He is very vital in our field goal kicking and punting process.”
Wilson knows he has an important part in the success of Edwards and the special teams.
“If I don’t get the ball to him, he don’t get to kick it,” said Wilson. “There is no punt unless I snap it to him. We work out every day.”
Wilson also remembered the other key person in Tift’s place-kicks, the holder.
“If Marqus is not there, Charlie don’t get to kick it,” Wilson said.
On punts, after Wilson snaps the ball he is free to run down the field to make the tackle.
“He is normally the first one down to make a tackle on punts,” Edwards said. “He gives 100 percent every time he runs down the field.”
Wilson said his ultimate highlight is getting a good snap and a good hit on a punt. But there are times it does not work out that way for the junior.
“If I don’t get a good snap, but get a big hit it sort of takes away from my enthusiasm and pride about it, because you did bad, but yet you did good,” Wilson said.
With the success of Edwards’ punts, as well as his snaps, Wilson has not had many opportunities to make the hit this season.
Edwards leads Region 1-AAAAA with a 44.9 yards per kick average on his punts. Also 11 of those kicks have been inside his opponents’ 20 yardline.
Walls said having Wilson on the punt team is an important key to Tift’s success.
“The thing he brings to the table as far as snapping is he can run,” said Walls. “So on punts he can snap and cover and that’s huge. He is athletic, he is an athletic snapper so that is really good on the high school level.”
Besides being high on Wilson as a football player, Walls also thinks highly of Wilson as a person.
“He is a great player and a great talent as a long snapper, but he is an outstanding kid,” said Walls. “He is a great student and has great character. He’s the kind of kid that you would love to have 100 of, because not only would you be really successful, but every day would just be a lot of fun.”
Wilson hopes to be able to continue his long-snapping at the next level.
“If there is a possibility, I would,” Wilson said about a possible college football career.
