GIAA Class AAA championship: John Milledge vs. Deerfield-Windsor
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
GIAA
Class AAA championship
John Milledge vs. Deerfield-Windsor
Deerfield-Windsor Knights
10-2
GIAA Championships
At Mercer
Thursday
5 p.m., Class A
Thomas Jefferson vs. Robert Toombs
8 p.m. Class AAA
John Milledge vs. Deerfield-Windsor
Streaming: Lake Country 102.3
Friday
5 p.m. Class AA
Brentwood vs. Central Fellowship
8 p.m. Class AAAA
Stratford vs. St. Anne Pacelli
Westfield 45-28
Maclay, Fla. 30-22
Strong Rock 42-19
SW Georgia 27-0
Terrell 21-0
Stratford 7-45
Brookwood 29-39
Tiftarea 42-21
Valwood 34-7
Southland 25-10
Frederica 18-14
Brookwood 26-21
Head coach: Jake McCrae, third season/overall, 15-17
GISA championships: 2002, 2008, 2010, 2012
GISA runner-ups: 1970, 1972, 2009, 2015
FYI: Deerfield-Windsor has just 14 sub-.500 seasons in its history.
Since the program’s first year in 1970, a Lowe has been head coach for 32 of those years. McCrae is one of the six men not named Lowe to be in charge of the Knights. They failed to make the playoffs his first two years, but that was in the GHSA’s Class A Private, the program’s lone two years in that association before joining the Macon-led parade back to the private-school association.
But the Albany school was in a backward slide at that point, going 11-11 in Allen Lowe’s final two years, missing the playoffs in 2018. That was Deerfield-Windsor’s first playoff-free season in the GISA since 1991.
John Milledge Trojans
12-0
Brentwood 42-7
Lamar (Miss.) 48-7
George Walton 48-0
Frederica 63-13
Brookwood 56-19
Pinewood Chr. 55-0
Stratford 21-7
FPD 56-7
Mount de Sales 54-7
Tattnall 28-21
Heritage 42-7
Valwood 49-14
Head coach: JT Wall, 12th season/overall, 137-14
GISA championships: 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021
GISA runner-ups: 2018
FYI: Head coach Wall’s head coach at John Milledge was Don Marchman, who was head coach at D-W in 1995
Wall has 137 wins in 12 seasons at his alma mater. That’s more than twice as many wins as No. 2 (Ken Johnson, 54-44-3), and it accounts for 37.6 percent of the program’s wins, as per the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, dating back to that first year of 1973.
The Trojans have the state record of consecutive wins, broken with the 42-7 romp over Heritage to start the playoffs. That was but a pesky topic for John Milledge, interrupting talk and focus on winning the last game of the season.
They’ve won three straight AAA championships, by scores of 62-19, 49-0, and 21-0.
Common opponents
Stratford (D-W lost 45-7, JMA won 21-7)
Brookwood (D-W lost 39-29, JMA won 56-19)
Valwood (D-W won 34-7, JMA won 49-14)
Frederica (D-W won 18-14, JMA won 63-13)
Series history
They haven’t played since 2015, a 42-7 Deerfield-Windsor win. They tied at 28 in 2004, JMA winning 28-14 a year later. The Trojans opened the series with 42-13 and 7-0 wins in 1981-82, for a 3-1-1 lead.
Scouting Report
There are more complex gatherings of information to be had this weekend.
But take scoring. John Milledge has scored 216 more points than Deerfield-Windsor, and given up 123 fewer points.
John Milledge’s defnse, well by golly, it about collapsed this year, allowing 109 points. Compared to 77 last year, 27 the year before that, and 70 the year before that.
Of course, facing more legitimate competition is a difference, yet the Trojans kept scoring and scoring, setting a program record with 562 points, an average of 46.8 points a game.
Deerfield-Windsor’s task is clearn and simple. To recognize. Get through a quality offensive line and keep covering two Butts, a Baker and Zielinksi while trying desperately to catch Briggs Eady, make sure he has the ball, and put him on the ground before his average of 12 yards a carry, or before completing a pass, which he’s done 66.7 percent of the time.
And maybe, miraculously, intercept him for the second time this season, so far on 108 pass attempts that have covered 1,479 yards and gone for 15 touchdowns.
But there’s Javian Butts and Jalan Butts and Carsyn Baker and Baylen Zielinski, who have combined for 2,053 yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.
Jalan Butts has 20 carries and seven touchdowns. But he also has 19 catches for 451 yards and four touchdowns, two less than Bud Veal, who has four more catches for 68 fewer.
Weapons all over the place.
Eady is a pest on defense, too, with three picks, three less than Jalan Butts. Andrew Mullis, Kolt McMichael, and Tanner Humphrey lead a defense that has 95.5 tackles for loss and a whopping 31 sacks (Mullis and Hayden Hulett have 5 each).
Deerfield-Windsor was led by QB Thomas Ray (103-186-6/12, 1,603 yards), but he suffered a season-ending injury in the regular-season finale. Still, the Knights have persevered behind freshman Lance Sceals.
The Knights do have WR Boles Middleton (48-749/7), and RB Ethan Johnson (128-707/18).
The defense has a duo teaming for 19.4 tackles, Chewy Willis and Henry Hood. Johnson has eight sacks – the Knights have 27 – but Deerfield-Windsor has only eight interceptions.
The Knights made it through the semifinal, thanks to a wild play that included a pass, a bounced lateral, a wild lateral, another wild lateral, and and 80-yard touchdown run to finally cap the play.
After the horn.
Maxwell Ratings prediction: John Milledge by 31
The Sports Report prediction: The safest prediction in the world every Friday is pretty much John Milledge by 30 or more. How safe? The Trojans have won by 30 or more 10 times this season, nine times last season, and in all 11 games in 2020.
The word “duh” comes to mind.
The Trojans are a dazzlingly efficient and consistent and fundamental team, with blinders and a short memory. Almost robotic, don’t be surprised if players show up Friday afternoon and expect to practice.
The Trojans may have some sluggish stretches – boredom? – but there certainly won’t be the suspense of Deerfield-Windsor’s semifinal win. John Milledge shrugged off all the talk of a state winning streak record for this game.
John Milledge 49, Deerfield-Windsor 20