By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Sure, Valwood can do all the normal things pretty well.

          You don’t reach a championship without being able to execute in all three phases.

          But there’s a little more than just that to worry John Milledge when the Trojans take on the Valiants at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium Thursday night in the GIAA Class AAA state title game. “Speed galore, man,” said head coach J.T. Wall. “A couple 4x100 state track teams. They can fly. More team speed than we’ve seen all year. Not even close.”

          And it’s spread out.

          “They’ve got three or four backs that can go,” Wall said. “The quarterback  can go. Defensively, they fly around the football. And they don’t play a lot of guys both ways. That’s one thing that’s working in their favor, for sure.”

          Wall said the winners of 62 straight games play seven or eight players both ways. But endurance hasn’t necessarily been an issue for a team winning by 27.7 points a game this year.

          Teams tend to be of the same health levels as the season goes on, with few regulars in peak form and not battling at least some bruises. Wall said the Trojans have a few game-time decisions, and have been moving some players around to bolster a few spots.

          Valwood?

          “As far as we can tell, starter-wise, the last few games, they’re rolling with the same dudes,” Wall said. “We’re mixing and matching everywhere. Hopefully, we’ll have everybody dressed by game time.”

          Valwood opened the season without linebacker John DelVecchio, who suffered his second ACL injury last summer.

          “We have had multiple guys step up and play ke roles for us this season,” Wells said. “If I had to pick one guy who stepped up and played key role, it would be senior linebacker David Griffin. He became a true impact guy for us at linebacker this season.”

          Another key has been leadership, and a change in how it shows.

          “Replacing (defensive lineman) Worth Kimbro’s leadership and production was a big question mark,” said Wells, who lost 68 tackles and 26 tackles for loss with Kimbro’s graduation.“While I’m not sure we have a singular vocal leader on this team like Worth, our senior group has been great and our defensive line, where he played, has become a strength.”

          The Valiants have 12 sacks and 55 tackles for loss, pressure which has helped lead to 10 interceptions. Defensive lineman Jackson Johnson is fourth with 55 tackles, but leads the unit with four sacks and 11 tackles for loss, plus two forced fumbles.

          Wells hopes for a season’s best focus on defense.

          “They do a very good job on offense of stressing the defense with a ton of formations,” he said. “It’s going to be imperative for us to get lined up correctly on defense.”

          Or else they’ll get what other teams have gotten: a big dose of seeing the back of running back Javian Butts (2,180 rushing yards, 27 TDs) and receiver Jalan Butts (669 receiving yards, eight TDs) and Bud Veal all over the place.

          Wall sees a similar issue of importance, and a need for a little extra on defense.

          “They’re a zone scheme on offense,” he said. “They’ll run some triple option, they’ll run some counter game where the quarterback’s reading the backside, and if you squeeze too hard, he’s gonna pull it out and run the back door.

          “They’re really balanced.”

          And fast.

          “It’s the improve play that scares you the most,” Wall said. “They give it to a guy and he makes four guys miss.”

          For all of the analysis and breakdowns, it comes down to the simple stuff, like fundamentals and field position and avoiding drive-killing or drive-slowing penalties.

          And a short memory. All the kinds of things that lead to 62 wins in a row.

          “Momentum’s going to be a big deal, special teams will be huge,” Wall said. “Gotta cover our bases and not let anything slip through the cracks.

          “We know they’re going to make some big plays. They’ve lived with big plays all year .We’ve gotta be able to live with it and move on  and make adjustments, and live for the next play.”

GIAA
Class AAA championship
8 p.m.
Valwood Valiants, 10-1
St. Andrews                  50-29
Frederica                     Cancelled
Georgia Chr.               54-0
Robert Toombs            55-14
North Fla. Chr.            21-35
Tiftarea                         41-0
Terrell                           52-13
Southland                     49-0
Deerfield-Windsor     52-6
Brookwood                   77-42
Playoffs
Southland                     35-13
Frederica                     56-30

Head coach: Brad Wells, first year
GISA championships: 2017, 2015, 2012, 1999, 1986, 1985
GISA runner-up: 2019, 2013, 2006, 1990, 1984
All-time record: 263-185-5, 58.6 percent
FYIs: Wells was promoted from offensive coordinator after Justin Henderson left to start up a new program in Valdosta. …
Jasper County head coach Ashley Henderson went 66-12 with three state titles in six seasons at Valwood, from 2012-2017.

Scouting report
          Valwood has been as steady as a team needs to be for a state title berth.
          The Valiants haven’t been challenged a whole bunch for very long in their 10 wins, averaging four more points a game than the Trojans.
          They can throw, but Valwood can really run. The Valiants get 313.8 yards on the ground and have a whopping 57 rushing touchdowns, with 46 coming from De’Mar Riley, Marquis Fennell, and Triston White.
          The Valiants are a little susceptible to the pass, giving up 130.5 yards a game and two more passing TDs than they’ve scored through the air. But they big against the run, giving up 104.6 yards a game.
          Valwood is balanced on defense, with four players getting between 55 and 65 tackles, led by Landon Ryan with 65. Jackson Johnson has 55 tackles, and leads with four sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
          Riley is a special teams standout, averaging 36.6 yards per kickoff return, with two touchdowns. But Valwood is only 2 of 5 on field goal tries and averages 24 yards on but a half-dozen punts. In 11 games.

John Milledge Trojans, 12-0

Brentwood                    43-3
Canton, Miss.               58-12
George Walton            34-7
Frederica                     17-7
Brookwood                   62-28
Pinewood  Chr.            49-33
Stratford                       40-6
FPD                                27-22
Mount de Sales            49-17
Tattnall                          45-21
Playoffs
Tiftarea                         48-19
Pinewood                     63-28

Head coach: J. T. Wall 150-14, 13th season
GISA championships: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2016
GISA runner-up: 2018
All-time record: 377-198-10, 65.3 percent
FYIs: Of active head coaches in Georgia with at least 100 games, Wall is the state’s second-winningest coach at 91.5 percent in 164 games, just behind Joey King of Carrollton (92 percent, 113 games). He’s 30th among active coaches with 150 wins.
          Wall has 39.8 percent of his alma mater’s wins. …
          The 62-game winning streak is the nation’s only still-active big streak. …
          The last Trojans loss came on the stage, a stunning 48-0 pounding by Frederica on Nov. 30, 2018. Since then, John Milledge has avenged it by beating the Knights 50-0, 49-0 (in the 2020 finale), 63-13, and 17-7. …
          The only season the Trojans haven’t won at least 10 games under Wall was his first season, in 2011, when the Trojans went 7-4. That ended a brutal four-year run of 11-29, including 0-10 in 2009.

Scouting report
          The Trojans lost a slew of playmakers from last year, and about 15 seniors.
          And they just reloaded, going from riding the Eadys (Briggs and Banks) to following the Butts (Javian and Jalan).
          Javian Butts has 2,180 yards and 27 TDs rushing, and Jalan has caught 29 passes for 669 yards and 8 TDs. Javian has 26 catches for 454 yards and 4 scores, and Jalan 117 yards and 3 TDs on 17 carries.
          Bud Veal is a glue-type player, with 680 rushing yards and 409 receiving yards, plus 16 TDs. And he’s eighth on defense with 53 tackles, leading the unit with 12 tackles for loss.
          So it’s an offensive line that can block well for the pass -  Kolt McMichael has completed 62 percent for 1,737 yards and 22 TDs with only 3 INTs - or run.
          The defense has a slew of tacklers, led by Tyrecus Harrison (90 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3.5 sacks), Brandon Watson (78/11/4), and Isaiah Womble (76/11/10.4). Jalan Butts shares the interception lead with Jaden Dorsey, each with 4.
          They’ve had a few games when an opponent has teased by, well, being within three touchdowns at halftime only for the Trojans to soon deliver the knockout punch.
          Worth noting, though, is that the Trojans have given up 203 points, the third-most under Wall. The 535 points scored, however, is fourth-best in program history (after 611/2022, 544/2012, and 537/2019).

Common Opponents
Tiftarea: Valwood won 41-0; John Milledge won 48-19
Brookwood: Valwood won 77-42; John Milledge won 62-28
Frederica: Valwood won 56-30; John Milledge won 17-7

Series history
          It started in 2011 with Valwood winning 41-27. JMA has won the last four, from 2018-22, and big: 62-19, 56-0, 56-0, 49-14 (2022 semifinal).

Game scouting report
          There are reasons to take this game seriously as a legitimate championship game, one unlikely to be a normal John Milledge championship game.
          Valwood’s 582 points are second-most in program history, and in two fewer games. The 182 points allowed rank 15th.
          The Valiants may be, and by a little bit, the best championship opponent the Trojans have faced in this run. They’re the only one-loss team along the way, too.
          John Milledge has been so steady in all phases of the game for so long, and the Trojans have seen anything and everything that can be thrown their way.
          Valwood’s loss was to North Florida Christian, a Class 1/South team still alive in Florida’s playoffs, in the semifinals. Oddly, of all things, John Milledge might be better prepared for a four-quarter game, with two tight wins, by 5 over FPD and 10 over Frederica. Valwood ‘s biggest challenge since the September loss is by 22 points in the first playoff round.
          Both have smacked plenty of the teams in the mouth and taken control early. Who can take the first big punch or two and react well?
Maxwell Ratings Prediction: John Milledge 32, Valwood 28

The Sports Report prediction

          Yes, this could be The One That Ends The Streak.
          Such a possibility shows up only every so often on the John Milledge schedule. Consider that the average score in the last three years of playoff games is 43-9.
          In that list is a 62-19 championship game over Valwood in 2019, the year The Streak got started.
          And in this 14-game playoff run since 2019, the Trojans have shut out six teams, including in the last three championship games.
          FPD wasn’t quite at full strength and gave the Trojans a legit scare, down 20-9 at halftime before losing 27-22 after two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
          The second-closest game this year? A 17-7 win over Frederica in mid-September. Such “nailbiters” lead to the speculation about when the streak – currently at 62 wins – will end.
          Because, of course, it will end at some point. All streaks do.
          Valwood will give John Milledge a struggle. J.T. Wall raves about the Valiants’ speed, and that’s something that can cause a lot of trouble.
How long any struggles or trouble lasts is the question. It’s hard to imagine The Streak ending in a championship game.
          It’s certainly possible, but hard to imagine.
          John Milledge 35, Valwood 23

Sources: Schools, MaxPreps, Georgia High School Football Historians Association