John Milledge (JMA) earned a huge region victory last Friday night, going 28-17 over the visiting Mount de Sales (MDS) Cavaliers. The win broke a seven-game losing streak for the Trojans (2-8, 1-3) and marked just their second win this year, but it could be enough to get them into the GIAA AAA state playoffs.
Playoff seeding is determined by the Max Preps power rankings, which will not be finalized until Sunday when the regular season officially ends.
The Trojans’ offense was much improved by the return of starting quarterback Kolt McMichael, who made his first start on Friday night since being injured in JMA’s week-three matchup versus Tiftarea. McMichael’s impact was clear as the Trojans drove 60 yards for a first-quarter touchdown highlighted by a 31-yard run to the end zone by Jamel Cooper.
The Cavs showed confidence in their kicker, Landon Frawley, who made an impressive 44-yard field goal to cut JMA’s lead to 7-3. McMichael appeared to still be a little rusty on the Trojans’ second drive, throwing an interception on the Cavaliers’ side of the 50-yard line, but the score remained 7-3 at the end of the opening quarter.
The Trojans’ defense forced a punt, and the offense made the most of its third possession by scoring a touchdown on a short completion from McMichael to tight end Asa Wall for a 63-yard touchdown play. Jacob Noles put up the extra point to give JMA an early 14-3 lead in the second quarter before the Trojans defense once more forced the Cavaliers to punt.
MDS got the ball back after a short-lived Trojans drive, leading to a quick Cavaliers score to cut JMA’s to 14-10 at halftime.
JMA looked to take back the momentum to start the third quarter and did so by successfully stopping the Cav’s offense and taking the ball back for a 66-yard drive that ended with McMichael’s second passing touchdown of the night, this time connecting with tight end David Todd for a 25-yard score.
With a 21-10 lead, the JMA defense fed off the momentum and forced yet another Cavaliers punt, leading to another Trojans scoring drive. Wall showed off his versatility by taking the snap from the wildcat position and tossing a pass to David Todd for a six-yard score to give JMA a 28-10 advantage near the close of the third quarter.
The Trojans intercepted a pass on the next Cavaliers offensive drive, essentially ending hopes of a comeback for Mount de Sales. The Cavaliers did score once more on a short five-yard touchdown pass with seven minutes remaining on the clock, but the Trojans never gave the ball back en route to victory.
The Trojans finished the regular season 2-8 overall and 1-3 in region play, their worst record since a winless 2010 season. Despite the disappointing regular season, the Trojans’ hopes remain high as they have a healthy roster for the first time since opening week in mid-August.
The Trojans have dealt with injuries ever since running back Jamel Cooper and defensive back Justin England were injured before the first game of the year. McMichael’s injury also dampened the Trojans’ hopes as they had to go into emergency mode with Todd taking snaps for most of the season. However, after continued growth and improvement and a healthy roster, the Trojans could now be considered a dark horse for a playoff run at a seventh-straight state championship appearance.