FPD Aims for Consecutive Region Championship Hopes on Senior Night Against John Milledge Academy
The FPD Vikings (6-2, 2-0) look to stay perfect at home on Senior Night against the John Milledge Academy Trojans (6-1, 1-0)
MACON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – The End Zone’s Week Nine Game of the Week features another GIAA region clash with major postseason implications, this time back at First Presbyterian Day School.
The Vikings, now 6-2, are riding high after their third straight win, a rivalry victory over Stratford Academy in last week’s Game of the Week. Under third-year head coach Brett Collier, FPD has surged into playoff form, and now prepares for one of its toughest challenges yet, hosting the state powerhouse that is John Milledge Academy on Senior Night.
“It was a gutsy win,” Collier said of last week’s rivalry victory. “Great win for our program, great win for FPD, obviously, with everything that game means, but the good thing about football is you got to move on to the next week. So we’ve learned we didn’t play perfect. We made some mistakes and we’re going to move on to this week with a great opponent in John Milledge, and try to play our best again.”
It’s been a strong stretch for the Vikings this fall, who have scored at least 21 points in every game this season and have allowed just 17 total points over their last two region matchups. FPD is also undefeated at George S. Johnson Memorial Stadium this season and will look to make it a perfect 5-0 at home for the year.
Offensively, the Vikings are led by senior quarterback Major Simmons, an All-Region selection averaging around 130 passing yards and 70 rushing yards per game, with 17 total touchdowns on the season. Collier credits Simmons’ success to his ability to lead in his own way while carrying on the school’s strong quarterback tradition.
“Going back to the Coach Moore era, and even before, we’ve had a history of really good quarterbacks at FPD,” Collier said. “Coach Moore liked to air it out, maybe a little more than we do now. The way I do things, we’re a little more run-pass balanced, and before Major, we had Jakhari Williams, who is at Syracuse. I’ve told Major, ‘You’re not Jakhari, you’re Major, so be Major.’”
Defensively, FPD has thrived on physical play up front. Senior Graham Moore leads the team with 10 tackles per game, while Harrison Keenan has recorded four sacks this season. The Vikings’ front will face a major test against a Trojans offense averaging 35 points per game and known for its powerful running attack.
Senior wide receiver and defensive back Breck Griffin, who leads FPD in receiving yards and has six total touchdowns, said the Vikings are ready for another hard-fought game.
“I think we’ve got a lot of resilience,” Griffin said. “We knew they were a good team, we knew they had a good running back, but I think we showed a lot of fight and toughness. They’ve got good players, and they’ll be tough to stop, but we’ve got a good plan. We’re excited and ready. It’s just the next game to win.”
Collier said his team respects the challenge ahead and knows what it will take to win against one of the state’s premier programs.
“They run the ball really well. They’re a really balanced team,” he said. “They’ve got two really good inside linebackers and are playing great football right now. It’s going to be a great game. I know our guys are going to play really hard, and I know theirs will too. It’s Senior Night at FPD, and that’s always special, bittersweet, but a great way to celebrate our guys.”
The Vikings won last year’s matchup for the first time in program history and now look for win No. 18 in the 22nd all-time meeting between the schools.
Kickoff between First Presbyterian Day and John Milledge Academy is set 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 at George S. Johnson Memorial Stadium during 41NBC News at 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m.
