Gryphons Get Geared Up for Only Non Region Matchup Against Warriors

The 3-0 ACE Gryphons host their Homecoming matchup with the 0-4 Wilkinson County Warriors

MACON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – The ACE Gryphons, led by fourth-year head coach Keith Hatcher, are off to a 3-0 start this season, all region victories. The young eight-year-old football program has grown under Hatcher’s leadership, highlighted by last week’s win over Dodge County in Eastman.

After losing several key seniors from the 2024 team, including Bryce Whitley, players like seniors Bryson Vincent and Drake Davidson are stepping up. Vincent said this year’s team has more depth and maturity to match its talent.

Now, ACE prepares to host Wilkinson County on homecoming night. While the Warriors’ record may not reflect their potential, Hatcher said they have playmakers capable of putting up big numbers.

“Last season was tough,” Hatcher said. “It was our first time in this region, which we believe is the toughest region in the state in our classification, but our guys learned how to compete, play at a high level. Didn’t have the finish that we hoped for last year, but we’re excited about the 3-0 start so far this year. Well, the biggest thing with this team and this senior class, this is our fourth season here as a staff, so this group of seniors has been with us the entire time, so they understand our expectations, we understand who they are and where we’re going as a football team. So that’s been a big deal as far as leadership and expectations, and those guys have done a good job so far.”

Vincent said the team’s toughness and preparation have helped the Gryphons improve. “I know Coach. I know how he coaches. I know all the coaches. So we all have built a family with each other,” Vincent said. “Our improvement? It’s our toughness I would say. We come out and practice hard and practice how we want to play. Our pass games should work more. So it’ll give me a break a little bit, and I get to bust out more.”

Hatcher called last week’s road victory over Dodge County the biggest win in program history.

“The Dodge win was huge for our program, the opportunity to compete in a game like that on the road, big region game, against an established program that’s had a lot of success, that was the biggest win that we’ve had,” Hatcher said. “So now it’s time to put that one behind us. You know, we talk to our guys about not feeling too good about themselves. Every team we play each week’s talented, and Wilkinson County is talented. They got athletes all over the field. So we enjoyed that one over the weekend, but we moved on Monday, and we’re focusing on Wilkinson County now. Lot of athleticism on the field. They’ve got a quarterback that can run and throw, a couple of wide outs out wide, they can make plays at any time. So we got to be ready to go. We got to be focused. We got to control the ball on offense and limit their big plays when they’re on offense.”