Georgia Military College Prep (1-4, 0-0) is coming off a bye week, which it utilized to work on the fundamentals.
The Bulldogs are riding momentum after picking up their first win of the season against Riverside Military Academy on Sept. 16, and with their first region game against Johnson County this Friday, head coach Lee Coleman is glad his players had an extra week of preparation.
“We worked on ourselves. We also worked on our physicality up front and getting better on defense, so that we are ready for what Johnson County likes to do,” Coleman said. “They are really good, especially offensively, so we worked on tackling and running the football. We’re finally healthy, for the most part, and now at this point, I’ve got guys that have played football.”
One of GMC Prep’s most impactful players, Jessie Washington, is one of the Bulldogs returning from injury after missing the first few weeks of the season.
In the team’s last game against the Eagles, Washington ran the ball nine times for 93 yards and contributed four touchdowns during the contest.
Looking ahead, the senior will need other players such as Caleb Bush, Johnathan Roach and Tyler Saunders to help create offense to compete with their next opponent.
Coleman believes the entire unit’s physicality will dictate how the game transpires.
“I love the way their (Johnson) defense plays. You can tell that they are well-coached and come down hill. We’re going to have to continue to be physical and block out on the perimeter,” Coleman said. “We have to do what we do and establish the line, and my quarterback is going to have to make good decisions to give us opportunities, and we’ll be fine.”
The Trojans are currently 4-0 on the year and have outscored opponents 137-47 since the season began.
The Bulldogs trail the Trojans in the all-time series 4-14, but the two teams haven’t faced each other since 2003, and GMC Prep defeated Johnson County 18-14 in 2002.
Coleman acknowledged that the Trojans are effective on offense, which makes it very hard for teams to beat them.
“It’s going to be hard. They run like five plays total, but they formation you to death, and they try to catch you sleeping,” Coleman said. “They’re good at what they do, and I’ll give credit where credit is due. They have a really good running back, and the two guys they’re predicated on is him and their safety, who’s their other runner.”
Coleman believes that the Bulldogs can definitely compete if those two guys are kept in check and not able to get out in space.
“If they get in space, it’ll be a long night; however the goal is to contain and make the quarterback keep the ball,” Coleman added. “I think he’s a good athlete, but I rather him keep it than the other two I just mentioned.”
Ultimately, the team feels as though the preparation gained over the past two weeks could prove to be a solid advantage come game time on Friday.