>> JOHN MILLEDGE ACADEMY
The John Milledge Academy football team was honored Monday at the state’s capital.
The Trojans were honored for winning their fourth consecutive GIAA/GISA Class AAA state title.
JMA head coach J.T. Wall thought it was a “cool experience” for his players and coaching staff.
“It was a good deal,” Wall told The Baldwin Bulletin. “It’s always great to give these high school kids some recognition for the accomplishments they’ve achieved. It was a cool experience for our kids.”
The Trojans are not only fourtime defending state champions, but have also won 50 straight games.
John Milledge broke Buford’s previous record of 47 on Nov. 18 with a win over the Heritage School.
The Trojans met with Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife Marty. They also had a chance to meet with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, as well as Georgia State Reps. Trey Rhodes, Ricky Williams and Kenneth Vance.
“We didn’t know if it was going to happen with all of the storms, and the kids were on spring break. So, we hadn’t seen them in a while,” Wall said. “Every one of them showed up and they had a good time. They also all looked the part with their sports coats on. So, it was really good for them to be able to do something that they see on TV when these (pro and college) teams get honored.”
Despite being on a time crunch, JMA’s players and coaches got to tour the state’s capital and meet a few different politicians. They also got to eat a Chick-fil-A lunch, which was provided by Vance.
“We appreciate Ken Vance for setting up the trip,” Wall said. “It was great for all of our kids to meet those guys, and kind of see the political side of Georgia. I know they all really appreciated it.”
John Milledge Academy defeated Deerfield-Windsor 49-0 on Dec. 1 at Mercer University’s Five Star Stadium in Macon in the Class AAA state championship game. In that game, senior quarterback Briggs Eady accounted for three total touchdowns in the dominant win over the Knights.
After the 2023 season, Wall was honored as the GISA/GIAA Class AAA Region 6 Coach of the Year. He has a 138-14 coaching record in a dozen seasons steering his high school alma mater.
Eady was named the Region Player of the Year for the second time this past season. He passed and rushed for over 1,500 yards as a senior. Eady also accounted for 34 total touchdowns in 2023.
Wall said a lot of guys are playing other sports right now, but hopes to get them on the gridiron soon.
“A lot of these guys play baseball, and we think they have another chance to make a deep run at state,” he said. “So, we will hold off on spring camp. Maybe get them doing some agility stuff soon. So, if not, we will get them on the field for summer workouts and may have a second scrimmage.”