Trojans have tough task in hosting Athens Acad.

Published 12:30 pm Wednesday, September 4, 2024

What has already been a difficult road doesn’t get any easier for John Milledge Academy football this week.

The 1-2 Trojans are getting set to host 3-0 Athens Academy, an Athens private school that competes as a Georgia High School Association member in the “High A” classification.

JMA enters the fourth game of the season with its worst record since the team went winless in 2009. This is the first time the program hasn’t had a perfect record through three weeks since 2013.

“Obviously this group is in unfamiliar territory for this time of year,” Trojans head coach JT Wall said. “But they came in on Labor Day and had a really good practice. That’s one thing we haven’t lacked is the hard work. The kids know it’s a process, and we’ve been preaching to them that it’s not who we are in August, it’s who we are in November. We’ve got to try to keep getting better each week and let the outcome sort itself out.”

The Athens Academy Spartans come to town with a slightly larger roster than John Milledge’s, but that’s not where their advantage over the Trojans lies. It’s in the number of seniors. Athens Academy is toting 18 12th-graders while JMA has just seven along with a starting lineup that is littered with either young or first-year starters. That senior-heavy squad makes the Spartans a tough assignment for the young Trojans.

“You don’t see many flaws,” Wall said. “They’re a well-coached team that’s got athletes and size everywhere. They can hurt you in every aspect of the game.”

According to stats on MaxPreps, Athens Academy is running the football three times to every pass attempt, though statistics may be a little skewed with a couple of lopsided results through three weeks. Jamari Welch, who has “speed to burn” per Wall, carries the load on offense with 327 yards. Senior Hampton Johnson has shown he’s a good thrower of the football with 718 yards at a 75% completion rate. When he drops back to pass, he’s mostly looking for sophomore wideout Keyon Standifer who’s just south of 500 yards already with seven touchdowns. It’s an attack with multiple playmakers similar to what the Trojans have boasted in recent years.

John Milledge will try slow down the Spartan offense in what will be a first-ever matchup with Athens Academy Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Ted S. Smith Stadium.