After just two weeks, the John Milledge Academy Trojans have outscored their opponents by a combined 69-7, including a dominating shutout victory at Tiftarea last Friday.
JMA beat the Panthers 38-0 in Tifton and improved to 2-0 on the young season. The Trojan defense was the dominant force in the game, holding the Panthers offense to just 64 total yards.
JMA’s offense was again powered by the run game, with running back Jamel Cooper, who led the team in rushing yards with 120 and one touchdown, while Asa Wall had six carries for 88 yards rushing and four TDs. Wall also led the team in receiving yards with 66 yards on four receptions.
Now, the Trojans turn their focus to an old foe at Piedmont Academy, about a 40-minute bus ride to Monticello. This will be only the 15th meeting on the gridiron between the two schools, despite first playing each other in 1973. The Trojans have won six matchups in the series, including a 56-0 shellacking last season. Nevertheless, head coach J.T Wall isn’t taking the boys from Monticello lightly.
“That’s a tough place to play,” Wall said. “And they play hard and are very physical.”
But, the Trojans are more than prepared to enter a tough environment, having already played and won twice on the road at Brentwood and Tiftarea. The Cougars have had a rough start to their season, going 0-2 with lopsided losses to Edmund Burke Academy and Tattnall Square Academy, making the Trojans a heavy favorite entering the contest. Friday’s game at Cougar Field will kickoff at 7 p.m.
Last Friday night, the Trojans’ leading tackier on defense was Colby Jacobs, who racked up seven tackles, one fumble recovery, and two tackles for loss. Seven other Trojan defenders also had at least one tackle for a loss, including two sacks from Abe Gainous and Jacobs. The biggest difference maker in the game was the defenses four forced turnovers by the Trojans’ defense, with two interceptions and two forced fumbles and recoveries.
Wall said he was happy with his defense but still sees room for improvement on offense.
“I thought the guys played well defensively,” Wall said. “Offensively, I thought we were still a little sloppy in some areas. We still had a few missed assignments and way too many penalties.”
But, the offense’s running game hasn’t missed a beat with Cooper and Asa Wall continuing to post big rushing numbers, complemented by good blocking from the offensive line. Cooper already has three TDs through two games, and Wall’s four-touchdown performance gives him six.