The John Milledge Academy football team has been working hard in the weight room and on the field this summer preparing for the upcoming season.
The Trojans are winners of 36 straight games and have won the last three Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) Class AAA state championships.
Per head coach J.T. Wall, his squad takes “no days off” when it comes to summer ball.
“Man, every summer gets faster and faster,” Wall said. “It seems to get shorter and shorter (each year), but these guys have come out and they’ve worked hard.”
JMA recently welcomed Georgia High School Association (GHSA) opponent ACE Charter for a 7-on-7 competition. Both the Trojans and Gryphons rotated possessions for a few hours in the heat on Monday morning.
Wall was impressed with how his team performed, although he knows it came always do better.
“We’re just looking for competition every day, whether it’s in the weight room or on the field,” he said. “So far, the guys have answered the bell. They know the bar is set high and the expectations heading into each season.”
The Trojans are set to face ACE Charter in a few weeks for a preseason scrimmage. The Gryphons compete in GHSA’s Class AA and are a much more quality opponent than what JMA saw last season in the GISA playoffs.
Wall appreciates ACE’s level of play, especially since the competition in GISA got a lot better with schools such as Tatnall Square and Stratford programs, both formerly of GHSA Class A Private, joining the Trojans region.
“I think anytime you can get with somebody that knows how to practice, it helps you,” Wall said. “They’re trying to get better and so are we. We’re not really scheming anybody up right now. Obviously, going against their one’s is better than going up against our two’s and three’s. So, they get a lot better look (at things) and so do we. It’s always good to see something different.”
JMA participated in a 7-on-7 competition earlier this summer at the University of Georgia. The Trojans also competed in another camp at Jeff Davis High School in Hazelhurst on Thursday morning with several other schools.
Despite facing larger programs on both Monday and Thursday, Wall believes that the “most valuable” camp JMA participated in was at UGA in Athens.
“It went good,” he said. “I think we came out of the day going 4-1-1. “We ended up making it to the quarterfinals, so it was good competition. Our guys played well.”
The Trojans will wrap up summer workouts on Friday and will go through an acclimation period next week. Their first official day of fall practice is Monday, Aug. 1.