Despite hoping to get back in the win column last Friday night in Sparta, the Georgia Military Prep Bulldogs were shut out 22-0 by Hancock Central.
The Bulldogs’ defense put out a great effort; however, the Bulldogs offense continued to struggle and failed to score any points and struggled to produce the rushing numbers they’ve come to expect.
“It was really a disappointing loss for us,” GMCP head coach Gavin Tierce said. “You have to give Hancock Central credit because they came out ready to play, and quite frankly, they played with more urgency than we did early on. Offensively, we continue to struggle with consistency and finding ways to put points on the board. We’ve had opportunities over the last several weeks, but we simply haven’t been able to capitalize on them.”
The loss dropped GMC to 37th in the latest GHSA post-season rankings. Only the top 32 in the final rankings advance to the playoffs.
Now, the task for GMC is to get the offense back into shape and playing at the level they were through the first four weeks of the season. Tierce said it’s all about getting back to the basics.
“We have to continue evaluating what we’re asking our players to do, simplify things where we need to, and make sure we’re putting them in situations where they can play fast and confident,” Tierce said. “We can’t keep doing the same things and expecting different results.”
The good news is the Bulldogs will be back at home this Friday, where they will face the struggling Twiggs County Cobras. Twiggs is 1-7 and has scored zero points while surrendering 197 points in region play. The GMC defense has continued to be one of the best in the region, surrendering just 114 points, and only four teams have scored three touchdowns against the Bulldogs defense all season.
The Bulldogs and Cobras will meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Milledgeville.