About The Baldwin bulletin. (Milledgeville, GA) ????-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2017)
I Baldwin Bulletin Thursday, August 24,2017 | B1 Brandon Bush Sports Writer Sports media should leave the drama toTMZ If you keep up with the National Football League in any capacity, then between the annual preseason speculation and yet another player kneeling for the national anthem, you’ve probably found the news of Ezekiel “Zeke” Elliott sandwiched somewhere in-between. For those who don’t shoulder the optional stress of following sports, the 22-year-old Dallas Cowboys running back has been suspended for the first six games of the 2017 season. The suspension follows a yearlong investigation into an incident that occurred at Ohio State University, Elliott’s alma mater, in which a former girlfriend accused Elliott of domestic violence. The ruling has been seen as controversial and has created strife between the NFL and the NFL Players Association due to the fact that the charges against Elliott have been dropped and no legal action was taken. According to ESPN Staff Writer Todd Archer, the NFL does not need formal legal charges to punish a player. As with any controversy, or literally anything that happens in America anymore for that matter, people are clogging social media both in defense and in opposition to the ruling and feeling obligated to share a wide array of opinions that inevitably lead to further debate on the issue. I’ve hated the Dallas Cowboys and its abom ination of a program for so long that I can put it on my resume; so if I’m being honest, I’m not losing any sleep over this (quite frankly, I wish one of those six games could have been when “America’s Team” has to play my Falcons, not that Elliott would have made a difference, of course). However, when dealing with a case such as this, it is important to set your biases aside and come to a fair conclusion. It’s no secret that the National Football League is not the best judge of character, and a blind eye has been turned to degenerates in favor of a couple more stacks of cash for years now. Furthermore, if the accusations against Elliott are true, then it goes without saying he deserves much more punishment than he is getting and would have no sympathy from me. At the same time, however, much of this case is shrouded in uncertainty. Unlike the Ray Rice case, no damning video evidence exists at this time, and the reason for the charges being dropped is reportedly due to “conflicting and inconsis tent” allegations, implying that the victim’s testimony see MEDIA » B9 » GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGE PREP SCHOOL GMC Prep defeats Treutlen 21-20 OWEN CALDWELL/Contributed The Georgia Military College Prep School Bulldogs huddle up before kickoff to get their adrenaline pumping for the new season. GMC Prep would go on to defeat the Treutlen Vikings 21-20. OWEN CALDWELL Contributor The Georgia Military College Prep School Bulldogs kicked off its regular season with a thrilling 21-20 victory over the Treutlen Vikings Friday night at Davenport Field. Treutlen received the opening kickoff and began a strong drive down the field, only to lose a fumble at the goal line. It looked as though GMC had an opportu nity to capture the momentum following the recovered fumble, but a failed handoff on third down caused the Bulldogs to lose a fumble at its own 3-yard line which would set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Treutlen quarterback Sabo Mitchell. This would be the first of three touchdowns on the night (two rushing, one passing) by Mitchell, putting the Vikings up 7-0. The Bulldogs immediately responded with a score of its own. Two plays from scrimmage later, GMC wingback Malik Foston took a jet sweep 53 yards to the house, tying the game at 7- Both offensive units continued to trade possessions and field position until the Vikings fumbled the snap on a punt attempt that was recovered by the Bulldogs on the Treutlen 35. The Bulldogs were able to take advantage of the generous field position, and put together a 35-yard drive that was capped off with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Landon Courson to Rishod Hill, pulling the Bulldogs ahead 14-7 with 7:59 remaining in the first half. The GMC defense then took the field, trying to hold the Vikings from scoring before halftime but was unsuccessful as Mitchell found Davis Wise on a 26-yard touchdown pass, which brought the score to 14-14 and a chaotic first half to an end. The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half with a long, methodical drive, taking six minutes off the clock and ending in a 2-yard touchdown run by Freshman Quarterback Landon Courson, putting the Bulldogs ahead 21-14. The GMC defense then forced a three-and-out, and it looked like the Bulldogs were in prime shape to get a score and finish off the Vikings. However, miscom- munication between the sideline and punter Walker McDade resulted in a botched snap that was recovered by Treutlen at the GMC 27. The Vikings capitalized on the error and scored on an 11-yard scamper by Mitchell. The Vikings attempted a fake PAT attempt that proved to be unsuccessful, as Malik Foston sacked the quar terback in the backfield and the score remained 21-20 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, GMC knew it had to hold on to the lead. The team took the ball and attempted to chew as much clock as possible, primarily relying on their Junior Wingback duo of Malik Foston and Jalen Milner, who combined for 131 yards rushing on the night, to wear down the Treutlen defense. Eventually, Treutlen was able to stop the Bulldogs and take possession. The Vikings quickly drove to the GMC 20 but didn’t get any further after three consecutive negative plays. The team was forced back to the 45 and had no choice but to punt. Treutlen’s defense quickly forced GMC into a three-and-out, and a short punt gave the Vikings great field position, a final shot to take the lead and possibly win the game. The Bulldog defense, led by Linebacker Merqez Stanton who accounted for nine tackles on the night, would not allow that to happen. The Vikings were able to advance to the GMC 15, but another attempt to be aggressive failed, as Milner picked off a Mitchell pass attempt at the goal line and returned it to midfield to secure the win. “It’s always a great thing to get a win week one and hey, you can’t win them all if you can’t win the first,” an excited Coach Simpson said as he and his team celebrated their first victory of the year. The win improved the Bulldogs’ record to 1-0 on the season. The team will look to repeat its performance next week, when the GMC Prep Bulldogs face the Wheeler County Bulldogs at Davenport Field at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25. » BALDWIN HIGH SCHOOL Baldwin blasts Hancock-Central 41-6 Apparently, much can change in 365 days. Baldwin blasted Hancock- Central 41-6 on Aug. 19 in Sparta, exactly one year after nearly losing to the same Hancock-Central program at home. Torez Hicks set a school record with five touchdown passes. It was redemption for the junior quarterback, who lost his starting position last season after the previous coaching staff deemed him not good enough for the job. Two of the scoring passes went to Jatavious Harris, a Tennessee verbal commit and GHSA Class AAAA state track champion in the 100- and 200-meters. Both of Harris’ touchdown passes were of the spectacular variety. On Baldwin’s second posses sion, the senior wide receiver rose high in the air to snag a jumpball over two Bulldog defenders, giving the Braves their first touchdown of the season. Shortly before halftime, Harris again outfought a Bulldog cornerback for a jump- ball touchdown in the opposite end zone. Friday marked the return of Baldwin Head Coach Jesse Hicks, no relation to Torez Hicks. Jesse Hicks was hired in March after previously coaching the BHS program between 2002-2010. Years later, Jesse Hicks is still a big presence with big bravado while roving the sidelines. By the middle of the fourth quarter, Baldwin held a 41-0 lead. By contrast, during the middle of the fourth quarter during the 2016 Baldwin/ Hancock-Central game, the Bulldogs were leading 8-0. Hicks’ stamp on the program was clearly evident. Compared to recent years, the Braves’ offensive line on Friday night was much larger and more “big-boned,” while the defensive line was slimmer and quicker than recent seasons. Next up is another old GHSA Class A neighbor - Wilkinson County - which visits Braves Field Friday night. The two teams fought tooth-and-nail last season in McIntyre, with the Braves squeaking out a 33-27 victory. Wilco has defeated Baldwin only once in the last 40 seasons, although the two teams have not played annually. The Warriors did not play last week, as Friday will mark the season opener for the team. » JOHN MILLEDGE ACADEMY JMA Trojans shut out Crusaders John Milledge Academy improved to 2-0 on the year, after shutting out Dublin’s Trinity Christian (l-l) for the second year in a row. The Trojans took care of business, winning 24-0 at home. Last year, the team shut down the Crusaders 52-0 in Dublin. So far this season, no one has been able to score on the Trojan defense. After the first two games, JMA has outscored its opponents 61-0. On Friday, Aug. 25, JMA will face Monticello’s Piedmont Academy (0-2). Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Meanwhile, Trinity will travel to Sandersville to face Brentwood (0-1), a team the Trojans will face on Friday, Sept. 1. Last year, JMA had no problem taking care of the Cougars, winning 42-6 in Monticello. This year, the match-up will occur at home. Piedmont lost 13-6 to Loganville Christian Academy on Friday, Aug. 18. AAAA- Region 3 standings Thomson 1-0 Baldwin 1-0 Burke County 1-0 Academy of Richmond County 0-0 Cross Creek 0-1 Hephzibah 0-1 GISA-4AAA Standings John Milledge Academy 2-0 Augusta Prep Day 2-0 Gatewood 1-0 Westminster Schools of Augusta 0-1 Westfield School 0-1 A - Region 7B standings GMC Prep 1-0 Greene County 0-0 Lincoln County 0-0 Washington-Wilkes 0-0 Warren County 0-1 Aquinas 0-1 Glascock County 0-1 Hancock Central 0-1
