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Nobody is exactly tolerant of losses, though you have to be, because they’re coming.

For John Milledge, it was coming. And when that loss came, first one after 62 wins, it was no doubt a shock to the players and to most Trojan watchers.

But you know, there might’ve been a hint of relief in the face of John Milledge head coach J.T. Wall that The Streak was over.

It was countered by the dejection of when that loss came, in the GIAA Class AAA state title game. People talk about 62 wins, but trophy is the only thing that counts. Going 7-6 and winning the last game just once is better than a streak.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

The conversation with Wall the night before the finale sure gave me a gut feeling that this could be it, that Valwood at this point in the season was bringing more than anybody John Milledge had faced during the streak.

You know they’d finally get some real challenges when the Macon schools returned to the GIAA, and that happened last year with Tattnall and Stratford, as expected.

This year, there was an unexpected challenge with Frederica, and some slow starts, and then a tussle with a banged-up FPD team that may have been a few inches on an onside kick away from a regular-season loss.

Note to all teams: send your onside kicks to your side of the field. Trust me.

No doubt the Trojans would trade that win for the last game of the year.

Let’s be honest about a few things.

No, John Milledge’s competition for about 55 games in the streak wasn’t much. That’s reality. You could’ve combined a few teams into one and it wouldn’t have beaten the Trojans.

Conversely, that’s countered by the staggeringly impressive consistency, fundamentals, work ethic, hunger, adjusting, and football lQ.

Anybody, aaaaanybody in this world that goes but 10-0 deserves the fist bumps and high fives. Make it through playoffs just to get to a championship game deserves a toast a day for a week.

No matter who is on the other side. Consistency in sports is pretty much in the minority of the time.

To get up for every game – and there were many opponents where the battle to not snore in the stands was legit – is tougher than it should be, but the Trojans seemed to truly revel in game nights. They stayed up.

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But there was something about Valwood, and the Valiants showed as much. The marks left on the backsides of most of the opponents through 62 games finally started healing, and I’d be stunned if Valiant head coach x Wells didn’t hear from every single head coach – and some reps of a couple dozen fan bases – vanquished by John Milledge since that 48-0 loss to Frederica in the final loss – in a finale – before the streak started.

Amid the text exchanges during the game – I’m workin’ here people, this ain’t the teevee – was the halftime call from my phone that JMA was going to lose.

“ Nope,” came the reply from a buddy connected to another quality team. Nope, Valwood’s overall speed was what Wall said it was. The closing speed on defense was impressive.

And the John Milledge probably played the least John Milledge-like game since 48-0 and Frederica.

Perry, getting it right since 2017, finally

It was not long after he had been hired to take over at Perry.

Which, fortunately for Kevin Smith, came at the same time new blood took over at principal, with Del Martin.

Smith was at a Perry basketball game. On the road. And not just up or down the road, but up at Mary Persons. And we sat and talked informally for about 30 minutes.

One thing that makes Smith successful at a place administratively allergic to sports success is that he’s multiple. All these social media posts about playing more than one sport being so valuable to a kid? Same goes for adults. The more open-minded a coach is, the more potential the coach has.

I didn’t know or realize at the time that he had been the Northside head boys basketball coach for several years, but I did know that he was a softball dad.

A coach with a life, with priorities, with experience other than football, and an understanding of more than just football. Indeed, a versatile intellectual and experience life are good things.

Tell folks to bookmark/favorite The Sports Report, and follow on Facebook/ Twitter-X, account or not. Stay informed.

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Tell folks to bookmark/favorite The Sports Report, and follow on Facebook/ Twitter-X, account or not. Stay informed. 〰️

He got there at the right time, too, with a change in the kind of administration that was a main reason for the turnstile of head coaches at Perry, either eased out early or just the wrong hire from the start.

It’s not a complicated plan: stability, fairness, communication, open mind, open ears. Don’t think 17 year olds aren’t paying attention to all those traits. They have some BS filters, too.

After so very many years, they can give them a rest at Perry. And all that equates to this first trip to a state championship.

Loughdmouthings

Maaaan, sure would’ve been nice to watch FPD and Valwood play in the GIAA final, rather than this *major tongue biting * current “plan.”

Would’ve been a quality 48-minute show. …

Why are goobers still whining about Arthur Smith, wanting him fired?

Why are the simpletons grumbling about progress?

Why are the nincomptwits actually seeming to be unhappy with winning?

The most successful Falcons head coach is Mike Smith, 20 games over .500. Who was 22-24 after 46 games. Jim Mora? 26-20. Dan Reeves? 24-20. Dan Quinn? 28-18.

How did all those fellas work out? Any of them leave on their own? Take a better job?

So, ya know, maybe folks should consider that progress, not as fast as desired, is good. All those other good starts soon went backward.

Smith – sorry, it’s a fact – is going forward. The Falcons – sorry, it’s a legit expectation – are going to win the division.

Why that inspires so much whining is staggering. …

Ignore the “commitment”, because it really means “first commitment”, rendering it less relevant than it actually is. And pay less attention to signing day, which is National Letter of Temporary Intent Day more and more.

And if “recruiting rankings” can be rendered even more absurd, all the transition does render them even more absurd. …

          Weekly reminder - Tell me you don’t know much about football or you’re a puddinhead without telling me you’re a puddinhead or you don’t know much about football:
          “What the hayull is Bobo doin? *Burp*”
          Doesn’t mean you lack knowledge or context on other topics. …

So much for the expectations here that Mercer would do better than expected at South Dakota State, and that “Gut feeling here isn’t quite the expected rout.”

Oh well.

Also, last week was a reminder that yes, Alabama can beat Georgia, and that “The Tide will have to reach into the bag of tricks to beat the Bulldogs.”

They didn’t. They just had to play defense like Alabama plays defense.

Speaking of close-minded and/or simple and/or silly, no, contrary to the misperception by the delusion, Georgia did not at any time run the ball on six straight plays Saturday as it seems to be blathered a lot.

Perhaps the hydration offerings made people see double again, but, as per the official play by play,

The Bulldogs ran the ball on three straight snaps three times, gaining 7, 12, and four times for 6 yards, the last time ending in a touchdown.

Alabama ran the ball on three straight snaps four times: 6 for 38 yards, 5 for 15, 3 for 11, and 4 for 42. Alabama had three consecutive runs on 18 plays to 10 for Georgia.

Alabama was more conservative/predictable. Just played better. And, well, Georgia played a playoff-caliber team for the first time all year, and wasn’t anywhere near full strength on offense.

So consider that your bellyaching about Bobo might just be misguided. Tis quite the possibility. …

Example No. 204 that this recruiting “coverage” – aka stalking and hugging and toosh-kissing – is a farce: For months upon months, all we heard was that Arch Manning was the best HS quarterback in decades, and was going to revolutionize the past, present, and future of wherever he went.

Grown men – sad grown men – obsessed and refreshed and then screamed and cried when he picked somebody.

Arch Manning has thrown five passes this year. Five. Georgia’s third-stringer Gunner Stockton has completed six, thrown nine. Had a better year.

All those blowhards and keyboards for a year were wrong again, making us gag on their hyperbole.

Nothing against Manning, who had 20 or so other quarterbacks just as good, just against the clickbaiting hacks and the goobers that love them. …

Too bad Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, so likable, hit a level of desperation to hire Bobby Petrino, so unlikable. Here’s hoping for Pittman’s sake it works for a year and Petrino leaves. …

It’s a rant for another day – semifinals at 9 a.m. and championships Tuesday are fairly un-American, no matter the blinkin’ reason, but as per Rich McKay a year ago after the announcement returning GHSA finals to the dome (and it’s still the dang Dome):

“There’s always been a scheduling challenge with our requirements on the NFL. We have always had to have our Thursdays and Saturdays open.”

Yes, the absolutely has to be looked at.

Except that it sadly is a three-year deal. Of, at this point, having mid-week championships. Unless the Falcons can nudge the NFL to give them a bye week and a road game this time of year. Am guessing the scheduling situation is more if a team is home that week. …

Consider the silly smirks about Metchie and Williams and Harrison, and yessir, it would seem that health matters. But no, Georgia folks won’t mention injuries. …

Still sticking with CFP view.

Heisman is almost the same, with three of ‘em. The QBs each has a stupid big stat or two different than the others. But the edge does seem to be with Jayden Daniels.

Am happy a non-QB got invited, in Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Still would really love to seem more defensive guys – LBs and DBs are involved in sooooo many more plays than wideout and, yes, tight ends, no matter who – get some invitation love. …

Reminder, ol’ tough folks: There are no domes in the Carolinas, Tennesee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennyslvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, among other states.

Georgia’s total championship attendance would almost double if, OK, saved for the impending sermon …

The Sports Report, doing its best to remain a Swiftie-Kelce-Rodgers-free zone as much as humanly possible.