Bulldogs take care of business, but will miss playoffs
Nov. 2—(Editor's note: This story was updated to include results from Friday night that impacted the region standings.)
The GMC Prep football team did its part in trying to earn a playoff berth Thursday, beating the Twiggs County Cobras 35-12 to end the regular season on a high note.
The Bulldogs (2-3 region, 3-7 overall) needed Glascock County to upset Wilkinson County in order to grab the fourth seed out of Region 5-A Division 2. But GMC Prep's postseason hopes were dashed as the region runner-up Warriors defeated Glascock 47-27 Friday in Gibson. That coupled with Hancock's 41-14 loss at region champion Johnson County created a three-way tie for third in the region among GMC Prep, Glascock, and Hancock, all at 2-3 in region play. Hancock Central takes third thanks to a non-region, in-classification win over Warren County earlier this season. Glascock then gets the fourth and final slot due to its 59-20 head-to-head victory over GMC Prep.
For GMC Prep, the playoffs wouldn't have even been a possibility had the 'Dogs not defeated a scuffling Twiggs team Thursday. First-year head coach Bobby Rhoades' team did it by leaning on senior RB/WR Johnathan Roach early. The offensive weapon was a pest the Twiggs defense could not deal with as he had an unofficial 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Sophomore Noah Yohan had the team's other rushing score in the opening period, making it 21-0 GMC Prep after one.
"I thought we started well," Rhoades said. "We told the offensive line before the game that they had to do a good job controlling the line of scrimmage, and we were able to run the ball really well early."
Twiggs didn't threaten until late in the first/early in the second. A good kickoff return set the Cobras up at the Bulldog 40 before athletic quarterback Tykerrion Williams scrambled down to the 5-yard line. The next run went inside the 1, but the ensuing second down play was stuffed, setting up a 3rd-and-goal only about 3 feet from the end zone. Twiggs went with a QB sneak, but did not finish the play with the football as defensive lineman Matthew McDade ripped it out to steal possession.
That set up the longest play of the night. Roach followed up his earlier efforts with a 74-yard TD reception when junior quarterback Logan McMillan hit him on a nice throw deep down the middle of the field. Roach outran everybody to the north end zone to make it 28-0 GMC Prep, which is what the Davenport Field scoreboard read going into halftime.
Twiggs, playing for pride only with its season guaranteed over after the game, came out of the half a little reinvigorated. The visitors from Jeffersonville got down into the red zone again, but a bad shotgun snap ended the trip short of the goal line.
"The defense made two really big stops in the red zone," said Rhoades, referencing the one before halftime as well. "If we don't make those stops, this game could have gone totally different. Hats off to Twiggs. They've got some really talented football players over there and they hurt us on some things I knew they would. But we did a good job controlling the tempo of the game and the line of scrimmage."
Twiggs' scores came roughly midway through the third period on a 34-yard TD pass lofted from Williams to Daniel Pitts along with a Pitts run early in the fourth. Roach, playing in his last game for the Bulldogs, had a short plunge to cap off his four-touchdown night late in the third.
The end of the season meant saying goodbye to longtime GMC Prep public address announcer Scott Seagraves, who is retiring from the school following this academic year. He's been at the mic informing and entertaining for some 26 years.
Seagraves signed off with the following message: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great sadness that I bid you farewell from behind this microphone. This has been my last night here in the booth on Davenport Field where I have spent so many Friday nights cheering on and announcing the 'Dogs. It has been one of the great pleasures of my life, and I thank you for allowing me the privilege. To you all, goodnight and God bless."
