Trojans send a message; Braves shut out; Dawgs lose a region heartbreaker

John Milledge – 21
Stratford – 7

The Trojans travelled to Macon on Friday night and reminded everybody why they're the kings of GISA football. 

JMA scored touchdowns on its first two possession, and it appeared as if the Trojans would be on cruise control, just like every other game. Quarterback Briggs Eady set up both touchdowns with long runs.

The Eagles rallied back with a third-quarter touchdown, however, narrowing the gap to 14-7.

Things got even hairier in the fourth quarter, as Stratford's offense had several opportunities to tie the game. The JMA defense ultimately flexed its muscle. On 4th and 8 inside of JMA territory, the Eagles threw a lateral, which was picked up by a Trojan and returned to the house. 

The two teams have played sparingly over the years, with Stratford entering the game with a 4-1 all-time advantage in the series. Friday night marked the win for the Trojans over the Eagles since 1990.

Stratford (5-3, 0-1) was one of the schools that made the move back to private school ball during the off-season after doing a stint in the GHSA. During the off-season, much of the chatter was about whether or not JMA would still be the team to beat with so many of the old guard Macon schools returning. The Trojans on Friday night passed the first test.

Friday marked the first time since September 2019 that another team has come within two touchdowns of beating John Milledge. Now 7-0 and 1-0 in GISA Region 6-AAAA, the Trojans have now won 43 consecutive games, and they haven't lost in nearly 47 months.

Perry – 35
Baldwin – 0

The home cooking hasn't been so good for the Braves this season. In four home games, the Baldwin offense now has scored a grand total of three touchdowns. 

On Friday night, Baldwin's offense only had three first downs in the first three quarters, and one of those three Baldwin first downs was on a fake punt. Baldwin, however, wasn't the first offense to struggle against Perry this season, as the Panthers' D has only allowed two touchdowns in four region games.

Perry entered the game ranked No. 3 in the state in GHSA Class AAAA.

Regardless, it was still brutal for Baldwin (2-5, 1-2). Junior tailback Micah Welch, a 4 star recruit by Rivals, had very few running lanes, while quarterback Lamont Pounds was scrambling for his life all game long.

The loss all but eliminated Baldwin from the region title hunt, and there's a possibility that Baldwin could miss the playoff altogether, something that hasn't happened since 2015. At this point, the best the Braves can hope for is a No. 3 or No. 4 region seed in the state playoffs and a road game.

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GMC – 21 (OT)
Hancock Central – 22 (OT)

The Dawgs lost a crucial region game over in Sparta on Friday night in a very heartbreaking manner.

GMC held a 14-8 fourth-quarter lead before the Bulldogs scored a late touchdown. The game went to overtime, where GMC scored a touchdown and converted the extra point to take a 21-14 lead. The Bulldogs, however, then took possession in overtime and scored a touchdown and scored on a two-point conversion for the 22-21 victory.

Hancock now has region position over GMC (2-6, 1-1) and appears poised to take the No. 2 seed in GHSA Region 5-A Division 2 and earn the right to host a first-round state playoff game.