Georgia Military College Prep School boys’ soccer coach Scott Seagraves can “ride off into the sunset” in style after his team won its third state championship in four years on Tuesday.
In a fitting end to Seagraves’ career, the Bulldogs of Milledgeville knocked off Atkinson County 4-1 at Mercer University’s Five-Star Stadium to win the Class A Division II state title.
“Oh my gosh, I’m now retired, so this was great. I couldn’t have dreamt of a better way to go out,” Seagraves said after the victory. “It’s a great group of boys, and they worked hard. They care a lot about their craft and love soccer, but most importantly, they love each other. They play for each other.”
GMC’s players competed for each other on Tuesday against Atkinson County in Macon. The Bulldogs had three different players score, and two had assists in the team’s fifth consecutive win.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, GMC scored three goals to take a sizeable lead into the break.
GMC striker Tommy Carty scored first off a corner kick from Brian Sherwood. The senior placed the ball perfectly in the air, where Carty was waiting to knock a header into the back of the net.
A few minutes later, GMC extended its lead to 2-0 as Bennie Huff scored on an assist from Owen McCabe. Finally, Sherwood ended the half with a missile from outside the box that hit the back of the net.
The Bulldogs had all the momentum going into the second half, but the Rebels didn’t go down without a fight. Striker Alan Castillo scored on a free kick early in the second half to make it a 3-1 game.
However, GMC didn’t budge as freshman keeper Hayden Wells pitched a shutout the rest of the way.
Carty put the final nail in Atkinson County’s coffin in the 75th minute. He broke free of defenders and sent a laser beam to the back right corner of the net to notch his 10th score in four games.
“(Tommy) has played so well for us all season, but especially during this playoff run,” Seagraves said.
Carty and Sherwood ended the 2024 season tied in scoring with 25 goals each.
Last season, GMC lost to Christian Heritage 2-1 in the Class A Division II state championship game, so this year’s Bulldog squad was determined to retake the throne when it was all said and done.
“I think losing last year to Christian Heritage left a bitter taste in their mouth, and they didn’t want to experience that again,” Seagraves said. “So this year, we lost to Putnam County and Fuches Academy, and both of those just prepared us for what was coming. We didn’t want to feel like that again; they took it upon themselves.
“Our job as coaches was very easy,” he added. “We told them what we wanted to accomplish, how we thought we could do it, and the players went out and competed hard.”