FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: "Milledgeville" – 122 ... "other teams" – 0

Helmets courtesy of https://www.gahelmetproject.com

• Gatewood – 0

• John Milledge – 35

MILLEDGEVILLE – The rivalry between JMA and Gatewood hasn't been much of a rivalry in recent years, and "The Battle of the Lakes" hasn't produced very many battles.

In the last four matchups, dating back to 2018, the Trojans have outscored Gatewood by a combined 157-7. Head Coach J.T. Wall is now 12-1 against the Gators.

Baylen Zielenski and Briggs Eady each scored a pair of touchdowns for the home team.

The Trojans (5-0) made quick work out of the Gators from Eatonton, sprinting out to a 21-0 halftime lead. JMA's defense has yet to allow a first-half point in 2021. All totaled, the Trojans have outscored their first five opponents 185-28.

• Twiggs County – 0

• GMC Prep – 42

MILLEDGEVILLE – The Dawgs' best start in exactly 20 years continued to get better on Friday night, as the Dawgs blasted Twiggs County to run their record to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in GHSA Region 7-A.

GMC hasn't won a region championship since 1960, yes 1960, back when many of the current players' grandparents were schoolchildren. 2021 continues to look more and more promising, however, and this may be the season that GMC breaks its 61-year drought. The good times likely will continue to roll in GMC's next three games. Wilkinson County is having one of its worst seasons ever, Crawford County is having a down year and Glascock Central will be a prohibitive underdog against GMC.

Region 7-A is shaping up to be a battle between GMC and Warren County. The two teams will square off in Milledgeville on Oct. 22. Ironically, Warren is coached by Steven Simpson, a GMC graduate and former head football coach at the school. 

Also of note, it will be interesting to monitor GMC in the GHSA Class A Public top 10 polls. In its history, GMC has been ranked a total of one time for one week (2001 in the AJC poll). Currently, the Dawgs aren't getting a lot of love from Maxpreps, which has them 25th, while GMC isn't ranked in the Atlanta Journal-Consitution poll, either. The Associated Press, for many decades the bellwether top 10 poll in Georgia high school football, no longer puts out polls.

• Baldwin – 45

• Westside-Macon – 0

MACON – The Braves failed to win the region title in 2020, losing a heartbreaker to Perry in the last minute.

Now, however, the Braves apparently are on a serious revenge tour. Their first region victim on Friday night was Westside. The Seminoles, once a perennial powerhouse under the late Head Coach Robert Davis, has fallen on hard times in recent seasons and fell to 1-3 with the defeat.

Baldwin is now 1-0 in the region and will come back home next Friday night to host its home opener against Rutland, another lowly Macon team. The Braves' first two scheduled home games were cancelled, one on account of COVID and the other on account of the new FieldTurf playing surface not being installed on time.

Perry, the aforementioned GHSA Region 4-AAAA champion from last year, again appears to be Baldwin's biggest region competition. The Panthers, once an afterthought on the Houston County football scene, are undefeated this season and flying high. This year's Baldwin-Perry game, however, will be in Milledgeville on Nov. 4.