>> GMC PREP
Georgia Military College Prep has had a rollercoaster of a season through its first seven games.
The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-5 Class A Divison II - Region 5) narrowly defeated Wilkinson County (3-3, 1-1 Class A Divison II - Region 5) on Friday night at home. They outlasted the Warriors in a close battle to the end, winning by a 7-6 score.
GMC Prep’s 2022 season has been plagued by injuries, turnovers and other adversity.
However, the Bulldogs are now sitting in a spot where they can make the Class A Division II playoffs but need to win a few more games to secure a top-four seed in the region.
GMC Prep head coach Lee Coleman learned a lot about his team the past two weeks.
“We have a lot of resilience. We also showed grit,” Coleman stated. “It’s probably one of the few times this season where I can say we probably looked like a team from last year. We were playing together and fought hard. We’ve been executing at times.”
Indeed, the Bulldogs showed a lot of resilience against Wilkinson County, especially after losing a region matchup against Johnson County by 38 points the previous Friday.
GMC Prep’s defense stood tall after the Warriors put together a late-game scoring drive to tie at 6-6. The Bulldogs stopped a two-point conversion attempt to secure the win.
Coleman was proud of the way his defense adjusted on the gamesaving play.
“What really stood out to me was the stop. I mean, they score and just took the air out of us,” he said. “We were able to still step in and stop them from scoring that two-point conversion. What a great moment for our team after the adversity we’ve faced.”
The contest started off great for GMC Prep as the Warriors’ coughed up the ball on the first play from scrimmage. Senior defensive lineman Cam Bentley fell on the ball for the Bulldogs.
They had no trouble moving the chains as running back Jessie Washington III scored from eight-yards out a few plays later. He leaped over a pile of defenders for the TD.
GMC Prep relied on Levi Ward in the second quarter. He had several booming punts, pinning Wilkinson County deep inside its own territory. The Warriors couldn’t get their offense going, but they finally put together a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter.
Wilkinson County freshman Terelle Blount punched it in with 1:07 remaining in the game. The Warriors tried to confuse the Bulldog defense by sending running back Jordan Jackson up the middle. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
Coleman liked his team’s passion after giving up that long TD to Wilkinson County.
“That play boosted our morale,” Coleman said. “We definitely needed that victory for us.”
GMC Prep has three final games - Hancock Central, Glascock County and Twiggs County remaining on its schedule. These are three games the Bulldogs can surely win.
According to Coleman, GMC Prep is one win away from making the playoffs.
“Psychologically, now that we know we can win because we beat these three games last year. However, you write your own ticket right now,” Coleman said. “We still have a chance to host a playoff game, which that means you have to win out. Now, we’ve gotten over the hump with the win over Wilkinson County. We’ve got the potential.”
Despite the potential for making the state playoffs, Coleman wants his players to focus on their next game against Hancock Central (2-4, 1-0 Class A Division II Region 5).
The fourth-year head coach stated the Bulldogs know the severity of the game and what it means.
“It’s that kind of game where you throw the records out the door,” he said. ‘Throw the records out the door. They’re trying to beat us every year and have been successful (two of the years I’ve been here). Just like we’re successful and beat them last year. Now, it’s the part of the season where we can control what we control. We control our own destiny, and where we want to go … whether it’s to the playoffs or not, but this is one of those games.”
The Bulldogs have now won two out of their last three after losing the first four games of the season. Their kickoff with Hancock Central in Sparta is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.