JMA's 42-game home win streak over

Well, that certainly was different.

Bethlehem Christian came down from Barrow County on Friday night and handed it to John Milledge Academy, winning 28-14 and snapping the Trojans' 42-game home winning streak, in the process.

Needless to say, it's not what JMA fans are accustomed to. Nor the players. For JMA's seniors, it was the first regular-season loss of their entire career. Counting last season's state championship game loss to Valwood, the Trojans have now lost two straight games for the first time since 2013, when JMA's current crop of seniors was in kindergarten.

The Knights didn't just slay the giant, but they did so in impressive fashion. Senior running back Zeke Clanton nearly finished with 300 rushing yards, coming up just 13 yards short. The Trojans' defense had very few answers for Clanton, while the Trojans' offense had very few answers for the Knight's defense. The difference in playmakers for this year's JMA offense is glaring. Gone to graduation are home run hitters Javian Butts and Bud Veal. 

Another glaring difference is on the interior defensive line, where there's no longer Tyrecus Harrison and Brandon Watson, all 640 pounds of them.

This is the smallest JMA roster in recent memory, both in terms of size and quantity. The Trojans dressed out 37 players on Friday night, a far cry from the 60-plus players on the roster back in 2020, when there were so many players that JMA had to use double jersey numbers.

To their credit, the Trojans showed the heart of a champion in the second half. Down 21-0 in the fourth quarter, junior running back Cole Vining provided a spark and began racking up chunks of yardage, while senior quarterback Kolt McMichael heated up. A McMichael sneak into the end zone cut the margin to 21-14, and suddenly the stadium came to life. On the very next play from scrimmage, however, Clanton slithered through the JMA defense and carried the ball all the way to the 1-yard line. The Knights scored on the very next play, and the game was essentially over. 

2024 will be an interesting season for JMA. Despite this being a rebuilding year, opposing teams will have no mercy on the Trojans and view it as a golden opportunity to gain some revenge, especially the big Macon schools, who will play JMA at the end of the season. Next up for JMA is a road game at Augusta Christian, a school that actually competes in a South Carolina private school league. 

The next home game on Log Cabin Road is Sept. 6 against Athens Academy, a team that competes in GHSA Class AA and one that just beat GHSA Class AAA Aquinas 45-22 in its season opener.

As a side note, Friday marked the varsity debut for Asa Wall, the older of Head Coach J.T. Wall's two sons. Wall, listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, caught a pass for a first down late in the first quarter and played more as the game progressed, both at tight end and linebacker. Although only a ninth grader, Wall already is one of the bigger kids on the team.

Asa Wall catches his breath during the second half of Friday's ballgame.

Here are some more scenes from Friday...

New offensive line coach and JMA alum B.T. Walter goes over the previous possession with his O line.

Jay "Coach Jay" Bracewell springs into action after senior offensive lineman Jadon Parker experienced a helmet malfunction.