By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

If you were wondering about what suspense the 2026 season will bring Central Georgia’s GIAA teams, well, stop.

Suspense is unlikely.

Again.

John Milledge is a safe bet – not quite to the level of betting on the sunrise or bad broadcasting – to hold another trophy at the end.

Stratford and FPD will be serious contenders to play in the 4A championship game.

The Class AA world is looking up at Brentwood until somebody does something special.

Playoff analysis
Class 4A
In: Stratford, FPD
Bubble: None
Out: Mount de Sales, Tattnall
Class 3A
In: John Milledge, Westfield
Bubble: Piedmont
Out: Central Fellowship
Class AA
In: Brentwood, Gatewood
Bubble: Piedmont, Trinity Christian

Questionnaires (GIAA) returned by: Central Fellowship, FPD, John Milledge, Mount de Sales, Stratford, Tattnall, Trinity Christian

And then there’s Class A’s playoff scenario. (Pause) Anywayyyy …

The good news is that GIAA, in a moment of memorable lucidity – otherwise countered by, well, never mind –decreased the number of teams making the playoffs.

Unfortunately, it kept the Class A playoffs. With five teams playing for four spots .When Covenant dropped football for this year, all four are in the playoffs.

That’s a whole ‘nother Ted Talk.

Let’s high-five John Milledge and Brentwood for playing a big non-region game to open up. They’re willing to take a loss to get better, because one doesn’t get a ring for winning August and September.

In an era where coaches and programs go running from such good things …

There’s a buzz of familiarity at Mount de Sales with the return of Robert Slocum as head coach, but the lifetime Cav re-takes over a struggling program that will keep struggling.

Tattnall has a pretty sporty coaching staff, but more important is how much stronger and faster and better the players who don’t know anything about that staff are this year.

It’s very much the same old story for most other Central Georgia GIAA programs. The major question is who will be a surprise and make an unexpected run with a winning record and/or a playoff win or two.

Five Central Georgia GIAA questions

Is Stratford likely to repeat?

Likely? No, only because repeating is automatically so difficult and odds are against it. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Losing Tyler Stephens hurts. He was a superb football player who gave the Eagles juice.

But Aaron Jefferson is among the state’s top GIAA players, and he’s a sophomore.

A mid-season change in offensive staff and philosophy steered the Eagles in the right direction. The passing game will be improved, making Stratford more dangerous.

Is John Milledge likely to repeat?

Yes.

The Trojans are breaking in a new quarterback, true, but they’ve always been about more than one player, one strength, one question.

Playing in a 4A region only makes them tougher against 3A playoff competition.

Is Brentwood likely to repeat?

The War Eagles are a little in between Stratford and John Milledge on the scale of probability.

Bayley Cobb and Tristan Robinson are major two-way weapons. The more the War Eagles are able to rest one at a time, while building some depth, the better the odds down the stretch.

But Brentwood is again likely to repeat.

How much better will Tattnall be in Hester’s second year?

The good news that it’s highly unlikely the Trojans will repeat the worst season in program – and Hester – history.

A few new bodies plus experience assures improvement. But there was only one winnable game that got away from Tattnall last year, a 10-0 loss to Mount de Sales.

An impressive veteran staff will be tested as a consistent underdog, on paper in the preseason, in about seven or eight games.

The reality – sorry – is that a 3-7 season is a huge jump. It’s a young team that lost by 33 points a game last year. There’s more experience, but there are a few new faces, position changes.

What players not named “Wall” are some to watch?

Sure, John Milledge’s Asa Wall gets plenty of deserved attention, and is headed to Georgia.

But teammate Abe Gainous is somebody who will draw eyes away from Wall on defense. And Javaris Hurt was the No. rusher in the GIAA last year with 1,181 yards and 12 scores. Plus, Lane Rhodes

Westfield QB Brock Johnson missed the 2,000-yard mark by only 74 yards, and had a 3-1 TD/INT ratio. Win Hoots caught 1,167 yards of his passes. Thatcher Reddick is a playmaker at linebacker.

The aforementioned Jefferson at Stratford will get college attention if he can hit a growth spurt, because he’s an all-state-caliber player at RB and LB. QB Tucker Johnston is stronger and more confident and likely to pass the 2,000-yard mark in the air.

Windsor LB Hunter McGreggor was second n the state with 12.1 tackles a game, yet amazingly no sacks, a stat that will change before September.

The Brentwood duo of Cobb and Robinson could play for a lot of bigger GIAA programs and a fair share of GHSA teams.

There are a few more, a list easily expanded had the GIAA posted in one spot the all-state teams and all-region teams.