Georgia Military to play for NJCAA National Championship at Mississippi Bowl
MILLEDGEVILLE — Georgia Military College finished off its historic regular season Sunday with a 63-18 victory over Lackawanna College at Lane Stadium on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Having set the goal of playing for a National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship last December, the Bulldogs have earned that right with an impressive 11-0 record against some of the toughest teams in the country.
“The biggest thing that I can say about our team is they made a commitment early on to do what they needed to do to something special and work hard,” Bert Williams, head coach, said. “They did a great job, and they stuck to it.”
The Bulldogs held the Falcons of Lackawanna to a scoreless first half, while racking up 37 points in the process.
“Defense played exceptionally well,” Williams said. “The offense moved the ball well — we only punted the ball twice, maybe.”
Allowing only 347 yards in the contest, GMC’s defense showed once again why it is one of the best in the NJCAA.
Kenderius Whitehead led the way for the Dogs with eight tackles, five for a loss and a sack, followed by Davonte Lambert with five tackles, three for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
Leading the squad in tackles for the day was Alonzo McGee with nine against the Falcons.
“We had some guys — Alonzo McGee led us in tackles and played well,” Williams said. “The secondary, they’re not a particularly strong passing attack, not flashy or anything, but they did a good job at keeping them at bay.”
On offense, the NJCAA’s leading rusher, Jovon Robinson, put on a spectacle for Bulldog fans with 22 carries for 287 yards rushing and five trips to the end zone.
“Jovon had an exceptional game, and really wasn’t at top speed,” Williams said. “He’s been battling back spasms, but of course he’s had a long, arduous season.”
Pat Thomas continued to impress going 5-for-8 for 189 yards passing, connecting with Devon Williams and Ty Flournoy-Smith for two touchdowns in the contest, while Emmanuel Byrd ended the game with a touchdown of his own on a 53-yard pass to Keinan Lewis.
Bulldog tight-end Tomond Hampton had the team’s longest reception on the day with an 83-yard completion.
“Tomond Hampton, he’s a freshman and played well at tight end,” Williams said. “The offensive line as a whole did exceptionally well again.”
Williams admits his men stepped on the field Sunday, with a purpose — to play for a National Championship.
“Everything was clicking and working. We put in a couple special plays based on what we saw with film, and all of those were home run hits,” he said. “They went out there ready to go and they could feel it. They wanted a chance and they weren’t going to let Lackawanna spoil it.”
The confident head coach believes GMC is rounding into form at just the right time in the season.
“It’s hard to play at a high level for a long stretch of time, so I’m proud of our guys maintaining that level of play,” Williams said. “I feel like we’re at full strength moving into the biggest step of the year in this bowl game.”
GMC will play undefeated and 2nd ranked East Mississippi Community College in the National Championship Bowl Game on Sunday, Dec. 8 in Biloxi, Miss.
article courtesy Steven Cary
An additional article can be see here: http://njcaa.org/newsArticle.cfm?articleId=20396