By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

 

          John Milledge went two straight quarters without points.

          Two. Quarters. In a row. Nothing.

          That doesn’t happen often for a team on a 35-game winning streak, and it did, in a state championship game.

          Not a problem.

          The stronger Trojans dealt body blows with two early scores, kept swinging, and landed a knockout punch late to blank Pinewood Christian 21-o in the GISA Class AAA championship game Friday night at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium.

          John Milledge finished 12-0, its third straight undefeated and fourth such year under 11th-year head coach J.T. Wall.

          The Trojans recorded their second straight title-game shutout, and staggering 19th in the 36-win run.

          “It was tough,” Wall said. “They’ve got some guys over there that are pretty daggum good.”

          Baylen Zielinski scored twice, on a 14-yard run and 10-yard pass form Briggs Eady, who added his own 39-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal it.

          The defense of coordinator and JMA alum Justin Mills held Pinewood to 111 yards in total offense, keeping standout quarterback Mic Wasson in check.

          “We dodged a lot of bullets,” Wall said. “When you add in how many drives we didn’ capitalize offensively and gave the ball back, yeah, I think having the shutout is probably (a little surprise). Coach Mills and our defensive staff did a great job of getting these guys flying around.”

          The Trojans were, as they usually were on Friday nights, up early and seemingly en route to a rout. Zielinski went in from 14 yards less than three minutes into the game, and he caught the pass from Eady a little more than four minutes later for a two-touchdown lead.

          “Those first two series went picture perfect,” Wall said. “We’re up 14-0. Boom, boom, boom. Then we try that third series to take a shot play, it doesn’t work. Then ever series after that the rest of the half, we had a crazy turnover where we could get a big run or a big catch, and the ball would get stripped out of our and, or you have a negative play, or a penalty.

“Drive killers.”

John Milledge covered more yardage all night than Pinewood, but both came up empty. The Trojans were up only two touchdowns on the scoreboard, but were in more control on the field. Still, Wall fretted.

          The simple fact that they can score so easily with (Wasson),” Wall said. “They’re a score and then an onside kick and then a possession away. And listen, they don’t kick extra points. They’ve got 5,000 2-point plays we worked on all week long.

          “So, they score two touchdowns and get two two-point conversions, and we’re in trouble.”

          A clear holding call nullified a Pinewood touchdown, and more momentum veered toward the John Milledge sideline.

          “We felt in control,” Wall said. “But we felt a whole lot better when we got that third score.”

          They thought it came after Marcus Prestwood’s interception, when it looked like Javon Butts had scored before the ball popped out, but it was ruled a fumble, and Pinewood recovered, but did nothing with it.

          John Milledge turned a punt into points, Eady going 39 yards with 5:20 left for that mood-enhancing third score. The Trojans defense was certainly unlikely to fold a bit at that point.

          “We knew from playing them the first time, they had guys that gave us fits,” Wall said. “When you play a good team twice, it’s tough.”

          Just ask Pinewood.

 

 

Pinewood Christian     0       0       0       0       - 0

John Milledge              14      0       0       7        - 21

H-Baylin Zielinski 14 run (Tommy Collier kick)

H- Baylin Zielinski 10 pass from Briggs Eady (Tommy Collier kick)

H- Briggs Eady 39 run (Tommy Collier kick)