JMA defeats Heritage to capture state record
John Milledge Academy made history Friday night with its 42-7 victory over the Heritage School.
The Trojans set a new Georgia high school football state record with the win over the Hawks. That mark was previously held by GHSA’s Buford, which won 47 straight from 2001-2004.
JMA (11-0) has now won 48 straight games and counting. The Trojans move on to the GIAA Class AAA semifinals next Friday against Valwood (7-4) following the win over Heritage.
“The first thing it means is we’ve got another week to play,” Trojans’ head coach J.T. Wall said of Friday’s win. “We’ve got to stay focused on the semifinals, but we’ll be able to kick back and look at the big picture, hopefully, in about two weeks. But it does mean a lot.”
Wall is now 136-14 in his 12th season at JMA, which is also his alma mater. He’s already won four state championships (2016, 2019, 2020, 2021) and is chasing a fifth this season. Wall has also led the Trojans to capture eight region championships in his tenure.
JMA’s last loss was on Nov. 30, 2018, against Frederica Academy in the Class AAA state title game. The Trojans’ last defeat was when this year’s seniors were in eighth grade. So, this year’s class of 2022 at JMA is one of the winningest groups in program history.
Their leadership, coupled with the team playing as a whole, showed on Friday night.
The Trojans pretty much dominated Heritage from start to finish. They led 35-7 at the half thanks to a fast start; however, they had to play from behind after the Hawks scored first.
Wall’s squad got the ball first but turned it over on downs. So, the Trojans punted away and Heritage started its drive on its 16 yard-line. The Hawks scored on the first play from scrimmage as quarterback Dylan Barber hit wide receiver, Dontae Smith, for an 86-yard TD.
That, however, was when JMA did what it does best, which is to score fast and often.
The Trojans began their second drive at their 39. A few plays later, quarterback Briggs Eady scored from 55 yards out. Jacob Noles then tacked on the PAT and the score was tied, 7-7.
JMA forced Heritage to punt it away on the ensuing possession, and its offense struck again quickly. Eady had another long scramble to put the Trojans deep inside the Hawks’ territory. The senior signal-caller then tossed a TD pass to running back Javian Butts.
Wall’s defense stalled out Heritage on the next drive as Brady Rollins and Hayden Hulett were each credited with a sack on third down. The ensuing punt then led to another quick JMA score. This time it was Butts rushing from 33 yards out on a sweep for the TD.
The Trojans led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter and weren’t done scoring just quite yet.
“It was good to see how our guys reacted after going down 7-0 in the blink of an eye,” Wall said. “The defense was able to pitch a shutout after that. So, good job with our guys keeping their heads all night long and in a kind of chatty game.”
JMA and the Hawks traded punts to start out the second quarter before the next points were scored. The Trojans’ defense took the field with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. They would continually send pressure, which caused Barber to make a mistake.
Senior Baylen Zielinksi picked off a pass and ran it back 34 yards to the house for six. Noles continued to be perfect in PAT situations and JMA led 28-7 with 7:33 left in the half.
After a bad snap on a punt, the Trojans set up shop inside Heritage’s red zone on the next drive. A few plays later, Eady crossed the goal for six on his second rushing TD of the night. They headed into the locker room at the half with a comfortable 28-point lead over the Hawks.
JMA sent out the reserves in the second half and conserved energy with its starters.
Butts, however, did score again on a 14-yard rushing TD with about four minutes left for the game’s final score. The Hawks tried to reach the end zone late in the fourth quarter, although Jalan Butts came down with a TD-saving INT with roughly six minutes left in the contest.
“We had a couple of older guys show up today, and you love to see those guys come back and receive their calls and texts,” Wall said. “It’s about a lot of guys that have come through here, and it’s not just the last four years. Those guys helped lay the foundation a long time ago. It means a lot, but we’re going to stay focused and hope we can add to that total.”
The Trojans move on to the Class AAA semifinals Friday. They will face Valwood at home for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The Valiants defeated Terrell Academy 15-8 last Friday night.
The winner of the JMA and Valwood matchup will take on either Brookwood or Dearfield-Winsor in the state championship. Tha GIAA Class AAA title game will take place on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m. in Macon at Mercer University’s Five-Star Stadium.