>> JOHN MILLEDGE ACADEMY
John Milledge Academy (3-0) remained perfect on Friday with a rout of George Walton Academy (1-3). The Trojans blanked the Bulldogs 48-0 after having a bye the previous week.
John Milledge won its 40th straight game on Friday. The impressive streak for the Trojans dates back to 2018 when they lost to Frederica Academy in the GISA Class AAA state title game.
JMA head coach J.T. Wall doesn’t like to think about the streak but focuses on each week’s game.
“We wanted to get back to the basics both offensively and defensively. We wanted to simplify things and let the guys play a lot faster,” Wall said. “Obviously, we had turnovers that we want to take back, but other than that, I thought the guys played really well.”
The Trojans overcame a fumble on their opening drive by forcing GWA to punt from its end zone on the next possession. They took over on the Bulldogs’ 39, and running back Jalan Butts punched it in from two yards out a few plays later. JMA led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
JMA senior quarterback Briggs Eady found tight end Baylen Zielinksi for an 11-yard TD to start the second quarter. Jacob Noles missed the PAT but led 13-0 with 11 minutes left in the half.
George Walton’s rushing attack wasn’t working, so the Bulldogs reverted to the passing game.
JMA defender Bud Veal wasn’t having it, though. He reached high and intercepted a GWA pass, returning it 30 yards for a pick-six. Noles tacked on the PAT, and the Trojans led 20-0 Veal, who had three total TDs on the night, would score again towards the end of the first half. He hauled in an Eady pass on an 11-yard button-hook route for a score with under a minute left.
Wall was impressed with Veal’s versatility in the win over the Bulldogs.
“He’s an athlete that can play anywhere,” Wall said. “He kick-started us from the very beginning. They (GWA) kicked it deep to us on the opening kickoff, and he returned it to about the 50 (yard line). He was one block away from opening the game up with a kickoff return. The very next play from scrimmage, he catches a 22-yard pass from Briggs. He also runs the ball for us a good bit. Defensively, he can play cornerback, outside linebacker or free safety. He can play anywhere just because he is athletic and a very smart kid. We’re trying to use him to the best of our ability to showcase his skills in multiple places.”
Veal was JMA’s leading receiver on the night, catching four passes for 64 yards and two TDs. He also had one rush for 10 yards. Defensively, Veal had two total tackles, an INT and a TD.
The Trojans piled up 443 yards of total offense on George Walton. They were able to spread the ball around on offense like they normally do. JMA had a total of nine players combined for 258 yards on the ground, averaging 7.4 yards per attempt against the Bulldogs.
Eady (8-of-13, 144 yards, 2 TDs) and backup quarterback Kolt McMichael (2-of-2, 31 yards, TD) connected with five different Trojans’ pass catchers during Friday night’s action. David Todd, Javian Butts and Brody Waddell all caught passes, alongside Veal and Zielinksi.
The JMA defense stalled out the Bulldogs’ high-powered rushing attack. Andrew Mullis headed a team-high ten total tackles. The Trojans had a combined 10.0 tackles for loss in the win.
John Milledge will face an all-to-familiar opponent on Friday at home. The Trojans are set to square off against Frederica Academy (1-2). They have played the Knights twice since 2018.
Wall said he doesn’t believe in revenge games but hopes his players are ready to gear up on Friday.
“We’re worried about each game on the schedule, because we know we’re circled on everybody else’s schedule,” Wall said. “We don’t approach any season that way. I’m not a real big fan of revenge games or stuff like that. I am worried about us taking care of the football, flying around defensively and becoming a better football team at the end of the day.”