Wilco rains on GMC’s parade

  • Both teams fought for every inch last Friday night at Davenport Field. TREY NORRIS/Staff
    Both teams fought for every inch last Friday night at Davenport Field. TREY NORRIS/Staff
  • Georgia Military College Prep running back Evan Stansey fights for extra yards on a rainy night in Georgia. TREY NORRIS/Staff
    Georgia Military College Prep running back Evan Stansey fights for extra yards on a rainy night in Georgia. TREY NORRIS/Staff

    It was a tough return to the gridiron for the Georgia Military Prep Bulldogs on a rainy night last Friday in Milledgeville, as the Dawgs fell to 3-3 after a nail-biting 14-12 loss to the Wilkinson County Warriors.

    GMC’s offense regained possession late in the game, but the drive stalled out, and a 55-yard field goal attempt fell short.

    With the loss, the Dawgs dropped to 35th in the latest GHSA postseason rankings, which is now used to determine the playoff brackets. Only the top 32 teams in the rankings advance to the playoffs. Wilco, meanwhile, improved its record to 3-4 and moved into 29th place in post-season rankings..

    The Dawgs must now quickly shake off the disappointment of a second region loss and focus on getting back to playing their style of football.

    “The biggest focus this week is on ourselves and correcting the things that have kept us from being successful the last couple of weeks,” head coach Gavin Tierce said. “We’ve shown that we can control the football, dictate the pace of play, and compete physically, but we’ve got to do a better job of finishing drives and putting points on the board.”

    The Dawgs’ defense continued to play solid football, but the offense has endured its nearly season-long struggles in crossing the goal line. The Bulldogs have held their opponents to a total of 92 points through six games, trailing only Johnson County (No. 2 in GHSA A PSR) in GHSA Region 5-A , while their offense has scored only 109 points through as many games.

    GMC hopes to get back on track this Friday, when they face the Hancock Central Bulldogs. The Sparta Bulldogs have struggled this season, having won only one game vs. lowly Cross Creek on Aug 21. Tierce acknowledged several players have taken a blow to believing in themselves lately.

    “I think getting back in the win column would be a tremendous confidence boost and a reminder that the work they’re putting in is paying off,” Tierce said. “We still have a lot of football left to play, and our goals are still in front of us.”

    GMC and Hancock Central will meet this Friday in Sparta at 7:30 p.m.