Bryson Vincent’s five scores carry ACE to 44-19 Homecoming win

Thanks to an incredible second-half performance from running back Bryson Vincent, the ACE Gryphons got another key win on Homecoming and defeated the Wilkinson County Warriors 44-19 in Macon Friday night.

Vincent finished with 177 total yards — a whopping 150 of which came in the second half — and five touchdowns for ACE, tearing up the Wilkinson County defensive line with chunk plays to help the Gryphons take firm control of what had been a close game through two quarters.

“He’s a great player, and each week he’s gotten stronger as the game has gone on. I think that’s a testament to our offensive line, how much we’ve improved there,” ACE head coach Keith Hatcher said. “We’ve got a really good group up front, and they’ve done a really good job of establishing the run and taking over, particularly in the second half.”

ACE led 23-13 at the break and stuffed the Warriors to start the second half. Just two plays into their first drive of the third quarter, though, the Gryphons ran into a problem when quarterback Ace Hatcher went down with an ankle injury.

In swooped Vincent, who effortlessly carried the ball the next six straight plays for 42 yards and an ACE touchdown to give his team a much more commanding 30-13 lead. All backup passer Brady Balkcom had to do was handle the snap and give his tailback the ball.

Wilkinson County got things going on its next drive — the Warriors were quick on offense all evening, as quarterback Quenterrion Stanford connected regularly with shifty receivers Myles Cobb and Terrelle Blount — to make it 30-19 with a touchdown pass from Stanford to Cobb.

Vincent and the ACE offense did not bat an eye. The Gryphons answered with a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive that chewed up what was left of the third quarter. Vincent ran the ball on nine of those 10 plays, accruing 45 yards and the touchdown.

It was a much-needed singular performance, considering the focal point of ACE’s offense was sidelined for the entire second half along with some other important players.

“We lost four or five key guys tonight. Hopefully they’re all gonna be okay, we really don’t know yet. To have a guy like Bryson and our offensive line be able to control the second half, that was the key to our success tonight,” Keith Hatcher said.

The Gryphons moved to 4-0 for the third time in program history after beginning the season that way in 2021 and 2022, albeit with arguably easier schedules on those occasions. The Homecoming win came after a program-defining victory on the road against traditional powerhouse Dodge County last week.

“Always great to win on Homecoming in front of a big crowd. More than anything we’re just focused on one game at a time,” Hatcher said. “To be here at 4-0 — we’ll get started with the next game on Monday, but right now we’re gonna enjoy this. This is a great spot for us to be in as a program.”

The Gryphons’ fifth game looms large, as ACE must now take on the defending state-runners up in Northeast. The Raiders will be the visitors at Perkins Field in a high-stakes Region 2-A Division I showdown Sept. 19.

“Coach (Jeremy) Wiggins and Northeast, they’ve established a great program. They’re the dominant team in Macon,” Hatcher said. “We’re excited for the opportunity. We feel like we’re in a better place than we’ve been in the last couple years. We’re gonna try to go out and compete one play at a time and see what happens.”

While Vincent may not have such a dominant performance against the Raiders, the ACE offense still looks well-equipped to take on Northeast’s elite defense. The Gryphons scored touchdowns on six of their eight drives, not including the sequence ended by halftime — and even that drive nearly ended with a score, as a Hail Mary attempt at the buzzer by quarterback Ace Hatcher was caught on a carom only to be nullified by a penalty.

Both offenses had strong starts, as ACE manufactured a 49-yard drive capped by an Ace Hatcher rushing touchdown before Wilkinson County answered with an 80-yard sequence polished off by a 29-yard touchdown run by Stanford.

ACE’s next drive stalled out, though it looked like the Gryphons might get the ball back when they pinned the Warriors at their own 13-yard line. Wilkinson instead embarked on a stellar 87-yard drive, however, eating up the rest of the first quarter and part of the second before scoring on an 8-yard throw from Stanford to Cobb.

After three touchdowns, PATs and two-point tries made a difference, as Wilkinson had a 13-8 lead.

ACE did not let another opportunity go by the wayside, scoring on its next drive with a Bryson Vincent rushing touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 16-13. 

The Gryphons then held Wilkinson County for the rest of the opening half, taking advantage of subsequent short field as a result of the Warriors’ weak kicking game. Another rushing score from Vincent gave ACE a 23-13 lead that held into halftime.

Then the second half arrived and Vincent took over. While the Warriors got one more touchdown, ACE’s final score to make it 44-19 took the wind out of Wilkinson County’s sails. Its final two drives ended in interceptions — one by Jack Perry, who had a great game overall, the other by Quince Thompson — to put the finishing touches on the Gryphons’ Homecoming victory.