>> JOHN MILLEDGE ACADEMY
On Friday, John Milledge Academy (9-0, 2-0) resumed its dominant winning ways on Senior Night.
The Trojans’ first-half effort carried them to a 54-7 win over Mount de Sales. They scored 41 points through the opening two quarters against the Cavaliers on a night where their potent offense would score fast and often.
JMA head coach J.T. Wall said this group of seniors has impressed throughout their careers.
“They’ve meant a lot [to this program] and are great leaders, probably more by example than vocal,” Wall said. “They come in, do their job, and you don’t hear a lot from them. They’re great examples of not only great kids, but great players as well.”
JMA’s 14 seniors helped lead the charge against Mount de Sales on Friday.
The Trojans received the ball first, scoring a few plays later in the first minute when senior quarterback Briggs Eady crossed the goal line on a 25-yard rush. They led 7-0 with 11 minutes left in the first quarter after Jacob Noles’ PAT.
JMA’s defense played with tenacity, forcing a Mount de Sales punt on the ensuing drive. The Trojans continued to roll offensively and scored a few plays later. They drove 52 yards in under three minutes as Eady connected with wide receiver Jalan Butts on a screen pass, which went for a 33-yard TD.
Senior Tanner Humphrey picked off the Cavaliers’ quarterback following the kickoff. The senior cornerback’s first INT as a Trojan kept the ball rolling for them. Eady then tossed his second TD pass of the game to wide receiver Bud Veal. That 20-yard connection put JMA up 21-0 following Noles’ PAT attempt.
The Trojans’ offense seemed unstoppable, especially after three straight scores in the first quarter. Their final TD of the opening 12 minutes was an 85-yard pass from Eady to senior Brody Waddell, who scored his first of the year.
A Mount de Sales punt with around seven minutes left in the second quarter gave JMA the ball back. The Trojans then picked up a couple of first downs before Waddell scored on a seven-yard jet sweep a few plays later.
JMA’s 35-0 lead in the second quarter didn’t last long, though. Javian Butts got on the board next for the Trojans’ offense with an electric 65-yard rushing TD.
Noles missed the PAT, but they went into halftime leading, 41–0.
The Cavaliers started out the second half with the ball, hoping to get some points back. However, a David Todd INT for JMA’s defense ruined their plans.
Carsyn Baker took matters into his own hands on the ensuing Trojans’ possession. The freshman running back found the end zone, making JMA’s lead extend to 48 after the PAT from Cannon Hitchcock with six minutes left in the third.
Mount de Sales’ offense finally scored at the start of the final quarter of regulation. The Cavaliers put together a long scoring drive against the Trojans’ defensive backups, which was capped off by a Kyle Shaughnessy TD rush.
Baker scored a 23-yard TD with three minutes to go in the contest. His second rushing score capped off both teams' scoring in a very one-sided game.
JMA won its 46th straight contest with the victory over Mount de Sales (2-7, 0-4). The Trojans are one win shy of tying the Georgia high school football state record of 47 consecutive victories, which is held by GHSA’s Buford High. This group of seniors has never lost a game during their JMA careers.
Walls’ squad will face Tattnall Square Academy on Friday for the regular season finale. The Trojans of Macon are 6-3 overall and 2-0 in region play. This matchup between JMA and Tattnall Square will decide a No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Wall said this will be one of the toughest matchups of the season.
“They’ve got athletes everywhere. They’ve got D1 (division one) athletes, D1 linemen,” Wall said. “So, they’re definitely going to present us with our biggest challenge, so far. And we know that they’re going to potentially cause us some problems in all three phases of the game. It’s going to be a battle.”
Wall admitted he has found out a lot about this team, especially in the last few weeks.
“They're resilient,” Wall said. “There were some early injuries that kind of forced us to create some depth. We’ve had some guys step up that going into the season, we had some question marks about, and they answered a lot of those questions. They’ve continued to develop and grow and get better.”
JMA and Tattnall Square Academy will kick off at 7:30 p.m. in Macon on Friday.