John Milledge Academy Eyes Redemption in Region Clash With FPD

After a dominant start and a statement win over Stratford, the Trojans look to stay hot — and get revenge — in a key region showdown Friday night.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – The End Zone’s Week Nine Game of the Week features two GIAA region foes, including the 6-1 John Milledge Academy Trojans.  Led by 15th-year head coach J.T. Wall, these Trojans continue to show why they’ve been one of the most consistent programs in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association for more than a decade.

After injuries derailed their 2024 campaign, the Trojans are back in form and 1-0 in region play, coming off a dominant 51-13 home win over Stratford Academy in Week 7. Behind two-way standout Asa Wall, who leads the team in receiving yards, rushing yards, total touchdowns, and tackles, as well as quarterback Lewis Cheney, a transfer from Northeast, and offensive lineman like Rhen Prior leading the way, the offense is averaging 30 points per game while the defense is holding opponents under 14.

Wall said it’s a relatively young group, but one that plays beyond its years.

“Our guys came out, played hard in the Stratford win two weeks ago, and they’ve done it all year,” Wall said. “You take away the few seniors we have, it’s a pretty young group. But they practice hard, they play hard, and they play to the whistle. Obviously, you always want a bye week, but with the momentum we had, we kind of didn’t want it. But we needed it. Hopefully these guys are rested, ready to go. We had a good, physical week of practice.”

Prior echoed those senitments, It’s been great man. Vibes have been good. We had that one loss, but I think we didn’t play to our best ability, but every other game we have been cruising right now.”

That physical play has defined the Trojans’ first half of the season. In the Stratford game, they controlled both sides of the ball, dominating possession and executing cleanly in all three phases.

“It was best-case scenario for us in the Stratford win, the way everything started flowing, everything just fell into place,” Wall said. “We rode that momentum and kept playing. But we’ve put that game behind us. Last week we tried to create game-like situations in practice during the off week, and hopefully we’re getting ready for FPD.”

“We were expecting a lot out of Stratford” said Prior. “We just played really good that game. I feel like our defensive guys, we got three picks in the first half, we did really good on defense. Offense, we clicked on offense, not our best game though. We can always do better.”

Now, that preparation will be put to the test.

The FPD Vikings enter Friday’s matchup at 6-2, fresh off their own win over Stratford in last week’s Game of the Week. The Vikings stunned JMA last fall in Milledgeville,  their first victory in the series since 2007. This year, the Trojans are eager for payback and a crucial region win.

“We got a tall task ahead of us,” Wall said. “It’s a tough environment on the road, tough place to play. Coach Collier’s group is well-coached — you can tell when you turn the tape on. Everything runs through Major Simmons — great player, he was the region and state Player of the Year for a reason. They’re strong up front, and there’s not a lot of weaknesses over there. We know we got our hands full.”

“We’re hungry. We really want to win” Prior said. “Last time we went to FPD, it was a close game, I don’t want it to be close. I would take our guys over them.”

Wall said JMA’s success starts in the trenches, guys like Prior help a veteran offensive and defensive line, that sets the tone every week.

“Our offensive and defensive lines, they all played great, especially in that Stratford and Brentwood stretch,” he said. “We lean on them a lot; they don’t get a lot of recognition, but they’ve been doing a great job. We always tell our guys, forget the good, forget the bad, the most important play in the game is the next one. It’s not easy to say, but hopefully it’s not hard to do. Our guys have had two good weeks of practice and hopefully we’re ready to play.”

With region stakes high and revenge in mind, John Milledge heads to Macon Friday night looking to reclaim bragging rights. Kickoff between JMA and FPD is scheduled for Friday night at 7:30 p.m.. Catch highlights from this game of the week, along with several other games, on The End Zone, on Friday night during 41NBC News at 11 p.m. Tune into pregame coverage live from Childers-Moore Field during 41NBC News at 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m.