>> GMC PREP
After starting the season off 0-4, the Georgia Military Prep football team (3-6, 2-2 Region 5A Divison II) has won three of its last five and have almost clinched a spot in the state playoffs.
The Bulldogs’ most recent victory came during the team’s homecoming game last Friday night against the Glascock County Panthers (2-7, 1-3 Region 5A Divison II). The 49-28 win on Davenport Field marked the Bulldogs’ 14th straight win against the Panthers and the 27th overall in the 31-game all-time series.
The game opened up with plenty of scoring, and it went in favor of GMC Prep, especially in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs found themselves up 14-0 heading into the second quarter after the offense scored both a rushing and passing touchdown. Senior running back Jessie Washington found the end zone on GMC's first drive of the game, and quarterback Tyler Saunders found Caleb Bush through the air toward the end of the quarter.
Washington ended the day with that being his only touchdown on eight carries for 79 yards. Saunders completed 7-of-12 passes for 184 yards, and two more touchdowns after his first to Bush.
Bulldogs’ head coach Lee Coleman was proud of Saunders’ effort in the contest.
“He really put some air under that ball on that [touchdown] pass,” Coleman said. “He’s been working hard at practice, and has been a leader this season, even during our losing stretch.”
During the second quarter, action really started to heat up.
GMC Prep outscored Glascock County 21-14 after the two teams traded touchdowns the whole quarter. The Bulldogs capped off the first half with a long drive that started under the two-minute mark and resulted in a touchdown, giving the team momentum going into the locker room.
Coleman’s team led by 21 at halftime and kept pace with the Panthers throughout the second half. Both teams scored 14 points in the final half, which resulted in the Bulldogs’ second region win of the season.
“We needed that win. It keeps our playoff hopes alive,” Coleman said. “I give the offense a lot of credit, because that group was consistent tonight. We ran the ball well on Friday night.”
With the victory, the Bulldogs are now third in Region 5A Division II and have clinched a playoff spot with Twiggs County the team’s only remaining regular season opponent.
The Cobras are 2-6 on the year but have yet to win a region game at 0-3.
GMC Prep is only 2-8 in its all-time series against Twiggs County, but the Bulldogs came out on top last year, shutting the Cobras out 42-0.
“Twiggs [County} is a very beatable team,” Coleman said. “If we do what we need to do, then we should be fine, but we still need to get better as a whole heading into the playoffs.”
Even with a loss, Coleman’s squad would still most likely be considered the fourth-best team in the region.
Unless Twiggs County defeats the undefeated Johnson County Trojans this Friday, the Bulldogs would have a better region record than the Cobras, and the head-to-head over Wilkinson County and Glascock County.