The buildup behind last Thursday’s Gatewood and John Milledge Academy was well deserved as both teams delivered with a back-and-forth game with an ending that delighted John Milledge fans more than Gatewood’s fans .
While the Gators were on the bottom side of a 31-28 game, Head Coach Gene Harper said he was proud of the performance and effort his team showed during the game.
“We did a lot of things good, and then we have a lot of things we have to work on,” Harper said. “They never quit, and I was proud of them. When you have the effort there, you have to be proud.”
Harper said the Gators inexperienced defense had some troubles, and this week’s practices will focus on those issues.
“Sometimes you learn from games like this and you can only hope that they make you better,” Harper said. “We are concentrating on defense this week and will continue to make strides on the defense. We have three more games before we start region play, so we have some time to grow.”
Junior Ross Coleman and senior John Taylor were standouts Thursday with the two working together taking turns scoring the 28 points the Gators put on the board. Coleman had 241 rushing yards with Taylor racking up 85 yards passing and 140 yards rushing.
“Ross has come a long way. He’s a junior now, and you can really see the maturity in the way he plays,” Harper said. “Taylor is always poised and had a great game Thursday.”
John Milledge was the first on the board with a touchdown drive on their first possession. However, the Gators’ Damian Bacon was left unblocked on the end of the defensive line and came around to block the Trojan’s extra point kick, leaving the score at 6-0.
The Gators scored on a 70-yard touchdown drive on the fifth play when Taylor passed to Coleman for a 39-yard run for the score. John Milledge turned around and drove back down and scored again on an option run by their quarterback.
The Gators answered with a 45-yard run by Taylor. Coach Harper called for a two-point conversion instead of a PAT, and was successful.
On the opening drive of the second half, Taylor handed off to Coleman who would take it in from 77 yard line down the sideline in front of the Trojan bench. Trojan’s Coach Marchman ineffectively contested the play, saying Coleman’s knee had gone down on the 35-yard line while breaking a tackle.The Gators converted on the PAT, taking the score to 21-14. This would be the Gators’ final lead in the game.
On the next drive, JM was forced to kick a field goal when the Gator defense held them out of the end zone. The Gators were not able to convert on their next possession and were forced to punt. On the return, John Milledge ran the ball back to inside the Gators 10-yard line. The Trojans punched through the Gator defense and scored, converting their extra point for a final score of 31-28.
This week, while focusing on defense, the Gators are preparing for a tough John Hancock Academy team that has one victory under their belt. Harper said John Hancock defeated a South Georgia team on the road 18-14 Friday night.
“They are steady. They hit hard and they are tough,” Harper said. “They have some big boys that make you know you’ve been in a ball game when it’s over with. But, everybody we play this year, we have to play. We have to go in and earn it.”
The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday at John Hancock in Sparta.
