By Michael A. Lough

Central Georgia Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

There was, as it turns out, not a hint of hyperbole or exaggeration in J.T. Wall’s scouting report on Valwood.

He said the Valiants were the fastest team John Milledge would face all year, that they had speed coming from all directions, that they had multiple weapons on offense and a defense that flew to the football.

Wall was on the money.

So was Valwood, in a big way.

The Valiants overcame a fairly normal John Milledge first 15 minutes – a two-score lead - and pretty much owned the second half en route to a 42-21 win over the Trojans Thursday night at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium for the GIAA Class AAA state title, in the process ending John Milledge’s nation’s-best 62-game winning streak.

“They were as advertised,” Wall said. “I mean, they’re good. Hat’s off to Valwood. They played a heck of a ballgame.”

A loss was inevitable, and amazingly came on the exact date of the Trojans’ last such result, 48-0 to Frederica in the 2018 state finale on this same field.

This time, the Trojans (12-1) weren’t as handled as in that game, suffering a variety of mistakes they’re used to seeing others commit. In the second quarter alone, they were flagged eight times for 90 yards in penalties, finishing with 14 penalties for 140 yards.

And the times when they’d normally force their will, they found a team forcing its own will back.

“They did a good job stopping our run and we had to kind of make some adjustments,” Wall said. “They started finding some creases and some holes.”

Valwood opened up with two straight three-and-outs.

The Trojans were up 13-0 after a 20-yard TD pass from Kolt McMichael to Bud Veal with 9:58 left in the second quarter, the Trojans getting the ball back on an onside kick recovery after Javian Butts’ 1-yard run on fourth and goal. The PAT was blocked, and it may have been an omen.

“I felt like we came out early and played well,” Wall said. “Didn't take care take advantage of some opportunities early where I felt like we could have got a bigger lead.”

Four plays later, Valwood’s Triston White found a huge hole and went 30 yards for a score. John Milledge moved and stalled, and Valwood (11-1) got a 62-yard pass from Tayt Snellgrove to Marquis Fennell on third and 15, taking a 14-13 lead on the PAT with 5:07 left in the half, overcoming John Milledge’s last lead of the 2023 season.

That’s the way the half ended. Expectations that the Trojans would respond to getting an inevitable earful about composure, fundamentals, and execution lasted a few plays until Landen Ryan got good position for an interception.

At the Valwood 3. Three plays and a 15-yard sideline interference penalty later, the lead grew to 21-13, on a keeper from sophomore quarterback Snellgrove, who didn’t play like a sophomore (97 yards rushing, 6 of 10 for 134 yards passing).

“It was a typical zone where they just ride, ride, ride, and then all of a sudden that quarterback pulls it out,” Wall said. “We hadn't we hadn't seen a whole lot of that team speed as far as from multiple guys.”

Chipping in to the cause of coverage - every little bit helps - is mighty appreciated. Easy, safe, quick. Thank you.

The Trojans eventually answered, Kolt McMichael connecting with Bud Veal on a 26-yard TD pass, Veal squeezing in just inside the pylon. They all but repeated the play with a shorter version for the conversion and a tie with 1:37 left in the third quarter. McMichael finished 25 of 43 for 306 yards with one interception.

And so began the rolling of the snowball.

“We’ve had a lot of success running the football all year,” Valwood head coach Brad Wells said. “But we did some stuff this week a little bit different that we thought maybe would open up some creases. We just widened our splits a little bit, and then we had a guy we kind of targeted who we were going to kind of go after. Once we did that, we really opened up our run game.”

To the tune of 306 yards on only 29 carries.

On the second play of the next possession, Snellgrove made the right read and kept right and kept going for a 62-yard touchdown run 52 seconds later, and it was 28-21.

Progressively tiring with more two-way players than Valwood, the Trojans did threaten, with a first down at Valwood’s 41 only to be stopped on fourth and 7. This time, it was De’Mar Riley’s turn to burst through a big hole up the middle, for 52 yards, setting up White’s 4-yard score three plays later for a 35-21 lead.

McMichael hit Isaiah Womble down the middle on the first play for 20 yards, but Womble was walloped and fumbled at the Valwood 47.

Three plays later, Riley had a few steps deep down the right side and hauled in a 33-yard TD pass, putting it away with 6:28 left.

John Milledge got within a few steps of the goalline, but again came up short on fourth down, for the fourth time.

“Their defense just swarmed you,” said Wall, his team held to 92 yards rushing, 83 from Butts. “They were fast. They were playing playing off the ball a little more and then coming up in a hurry.”

Wall said that big plays were part of Valwood’s season, and Thursday night, the Valiants gained 204 yards on five touchdown plays alone, to go with gains of 52, 50, and 20, those eight plays adding up to 326 yards. He didn’t expect so many penalties from his normally unflappable team that had to adjust to a situation the program itself hadn’t faced in so, so long.

“It's tough, because you always want to play with emotion, and you know you want them to play with emotion and be able to turn it off and turn it on,” Wall said. “Sometimes that's really really hard to do.”

Wells said the hardware in his hand was the focal point.

“It was never about the streak for me,” he said. “I mean, it was for some people, and I'm sure some of our fans may think it was.

“It was about getting this program back on top where it belongs. Sure, we'll get a little pub for 62, but I mean, it's more about it's more about this trophy and these kids being on top and sending these seniors out the right way.”

Both programs will take a few days to adjust to a mammoth title game. For one, it’ll be harder than it’s been for a long time.

“Just kind of a numb feeling right now,” said Wall, now 150-15 at his alma mater. “You know it’s going to end eventually. It’s time to start a new one. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. Every year when we walk off this field, we’re thinking about next year already.

“I was always told you sometimes you learn more from a loss than a win. But I said, ‘Man, I don't want to learn lot.’”