>> GMC PREP
GMC Prep’s football team hosted the Riverside Military Academy Eagles (0-4) last Friday night and came away victorious in a 54-12 blowout.
This marked the 32nd meeting between the two programs, and since 1990 both teams have been playing for the prestigious Military Bowl trophy.
The Bulldogs’ win over the Eagles was head coach Lee Coleman’s second straight Military Bowl victory, and GMC Prep’s 13th all-time win over Riverside Military Academy.
The Bulldogs’ offense seemed to find their identity after putting up more points against the Eagles than they had managed in their three previous games combined.
This was partially due to the return of Jessie Washington, one of GMC Prep’s middle linebackers and their main featured running back. He had four of the Bulldogs’ seven first-half touchdowns, and the Eagles couldn’t catch up after that.
Coleman attributed the unit’s ability to move the ball down the field to the smaller aspects of the game that they needed to be better at.
“I think [one of] the biggest things is that we finished a lot of blocks. We made simple throws when we did need to throw the ball, but we ran the ball with a lot more efficiency,” Coleman said. “Johnathan Roach and Jessie Washington had great games on the ground, and the offensive line just did a wonderful job at establishing their presence.”
Looking ahead, GMC Prep will have this Friday off for their bye week, and will continue to prepare for the team’s trip to Johnson County (3-0) at the end of the month to start region play.
Coleman acknowledged this year’s bye week will be beneficial for his team, seeing as how the Trojans might be the toughest team the Bulldogs have seen up to this point in the season.
“Usually, I hate bye weeks when you have momentum, because it can slow you down; however, we need to hone in on what we need to be focusing on and that’s getting the unity of this team back,” Coleman said. “We’ve got to go get that grit back [from last year]. We’re opening up with arguably the top team in the region in Johnson County, and they’re playing really good football right now.”
Historically, the Bulldogs struggle with the Trojans. The two teams have played each other 18 times since 1968, and the Bulldogs have only come out on top in four of those games.
Since 2000, GMC Prep has played Johnson County twice, winning 18-14 in 2002 but falling the year after 35-31.
Ultimately, the Bulldogs will try to keep their newfound momentum going into next Friday’s region opener.