Week 10 Scoreboard: John Milledge survives FPD comeback to keep streak alive with 27-22 win

A noisy homecoming crowd enjoyed an unexpected barn burner Friday night at FPD’s Childers-Moore Field, but John Milledge pushed through and staved off a rabid Vikings comeback to extend its nation-leading winning streak with a 27-22 victory.

The Trojans led 27-9 with about six minutes left in the game, but FPD rallied and scored twice, including a 50-yard pass for a score to make it close.

The Vikings nearly recovered a second onside kick to extend the game with about two minutes left, but the ball failed to travel 10 yards. A chorus of boos erupted from the FPD faithful, but the outcome was sealed as John Milledge ran out the clock.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity this year, you know, but these guys just kept fighting … they keep finding a way to win,” John Milledge head coach J.T. Wal saidl. “The second half was exciting, we’re lucky to get outta here with a W.”

The win extends the Trojans’ winning streak to 57 wins, the longest such streak in the country after the previous leader lost last week. The streak has been active since their 2018 championship loss.

When FPD had one last shot to regain possession inside the final two minutes on a John Milledge third down, Wall went with the gutsy call to pass for the first down.

The Trojans moved the sticks and secured the win with the completion.

“When you call a pass play with a minute and a half to go, it’s kinda gutsy. It’s tough,” Wall said. “But we trusted (quarterback Kolt McMichael), you know, and he made a great throw.”

McMichael, along with star twin offensive weapons Jalen and Javian Butts, shed tackles with ease throughout the contest in what was a physical mismatch. The Vikings also had some self-inflicted wounds that helped the Trojans win, including multiple drives inside the 10-yard line that ended with no points.

It was the ultimate bend-but-don’t-break game for the John Milledge defense.

“It kind of builds character… it kinda shows you what you can depend on, who you can depend on. It helps you as coaches, you know,” Wall said.

The Trojans move to 8-0 on the season, while the Vikings fall to 4-3-1.

A Homecoming roller coaster

John Milledge dominated for much of the first half, but FPD showed enough spark to keep itself in the game. The Trojans scored on their opening drive and broke tackles often, building up a 20-3 lead with about six minutes left in the half.

The Vikings fought hard, though, scoring thanks to a 65-yard connection from star quarterback Jakhari Williams to tight end Gavin Spillers. They followed it up by holding John Milledge in FPD territory to keep the score at 20-9 going into the break.

FPD looked strong to start the third quarter when its got the ball and drove down the field, but a few penalties and an untimely errant throw from Williams led to an empty drive.

The trend of mistakes continued throughout the quarter for the Vikings, as their defense held the Trojans to just one touchdown in the second half, but their offense could not move the ball consistently.

The game’s biggest fireworks came in the fourth quarter when the Vikings mounted an impressive comeback. Down 27-9 inside the six-minute mark, a quick but methodical drive gave them a touchdown to make it 27-15 with about four minutes left.

A successful onside kick brought the crowd to its feet for the first time in the second half, and moments later Williams uncorked a bomb to receiver Carter Hays that sent the stadium into a frenzy.

The ensuing onside kick took the noise to another level, as FPD appeared to recover the ball and give itself a chance with about two minutes left in a 27-22 game. The refs put an end to the comeback hopes, however, giving the Trojans possession after the ball failed to travel 10 yards on the kick.

The Vikings put up one last fight, forcing a third-and-long before John Milledge converted to seal the deal.

Other scores

• Lee County 56, Northside 7
• Tift County 14, Veterans 6
• Spencer 35, Northeast 34 (OT)
• ACE 34, Rutland 14
• Warner Robins 35, Eagle’s Landing 7
• Spalding 48, Westside 21
• Upson-Lee 21, Peach County 20
• Johnson County 21, Wilkinson County 12
• Southwest 38, Kendrick 6
• Stratford 35, Mount de Sales 14
• Baldwin 32, West Laurens 7
• Howard 28, Griffin 21 (Thurs.)
• Southwest 36, Kendrick 8 (Thurs.)

• Central 34, Jordan 14 (Sat.)

• Thomas County Central 27, Houston County 0 (Sat.)
  
  

More scores will be added as they become available.

This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 11:12 PM.