Preview: Valwood Valiants vs. John Milledge Academy Trojans
Valwood is 1-6 against John Milledge Academy since November of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Valwood Valiants will head out on the road to face off against the John Milledge Academy Trojans at 8:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Valwood comes in on seven and John Milledge Academy on 25.
Valwood extended their postseason success on Friday against Frederica Academy. Everything went their way against the as they made off with a 56-30 win. Considering Valwood has won ten games by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Valwood's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Marquis Fennell, who rushed for 187 yards and four touchdowns on only eight carries. Fennell was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 69 yards. Triston White was another major influence, as he rushed for 135 yards and ran in a TD.
Meanwhile, John Milledge Academy put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Pinewood Christian 63-28 at home. Given John Milledge Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 134th, while Pinewood Christian is ranked 317th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Javian Butts was his usual excellent self, rushing for 284 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. Butts is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last eight games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kolt McMichael, who threw for 145 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 passes.
Another reason for the win was John Milledge Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Pinewood Christian's QB won't forget Keontae Whipple anytime soon given Whipple sacked him twice.
Their wins bumped Valwood to 10-1 and Frederica Academy to 6-6.
Valwood was taken down by John Milledge Academy 49-14 in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can Valwood avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
