Stratford smothers George Walton 33-6 to reach title game

A few months ago,early in the season, the Stratford Eagles started things slow, got barked at some during halftime, and flexed second-half muscles.

Things sure have changed.

Stratford scored on its first three possessions and continued to pretty much cruise to a 33-6 win Friday night over unbeaten George Walton in a GIAA Class 4A semifinal at Cantrell Stadium in Macon.

The fairly easy win puts Stratford in its first GIAA championship game since 2022 and second since 2013, its final year in the GISA before a stint in the GHSA.

Stratford will go for its first state title since 2004 in a rematch against Brookstone on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium.  The Eagles popped the Cougars 41-14 in September.

Head coach Paul Carroll wasn’t much looking ahead after lifting Stratford to the 10-win mark for the first time since 2017.

“You never know when you’re dealing with 15, 16, 17-year-olds, young kids, if they’re focused and ready to play,” he said. “I knew before this game all the guys were just locked in. We had some good practices this week, and they just want to win.”

The 10-2 Eagles have scored at least 30 points in 11 of their 12 games this season, including in four straight games since Stratford made a change in offensive strategy.

It led to Carroll calling plays for the first time in his career. With that and the loss of standout tailback Tyler Stephens to a season-ending knee injury, a drop-off in offensive production would not have been unexpected.

“Everybody kind of said since we kind of lost one of our star players that we probably didn’t have a shot,” Carroll said. “I think all our guys kind of took that personal, and they just decided that, ‘Hey, we’ve got a good football team, with or without our star player.’ ”

Freshman Aaron Jefferson’s duties on offense have increased with Stephens’ absence, keeping him on the field a lot, what with his starting duties at linebacker.

So, which side is playing better right now?

“I feel the defense is playing better, because, like, they were in the end zone and we got stops,” Jefferson said. “And that’s really important (to) win a state championship and win the game.”

Jefferson was limited because of an ankle injury suffered last week, and finished with 81 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Tucker Johnston, big fullback Ja’Lon Smith and Riland Jones picked up some extra carries.

Not much was needed, though.

“We run the football, and then our quarterback has gotten so much better in the passing game and making sure we don’t turn the ball over,” Carroll said of sophomore quarterback Johnston. “And the biggest thing I noticed is that defensively, we’re flying around.”

The Eagles opened the game with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive, following a third-and-13 conversion with Jefferson’s 3-yard run almost five minutes into the game.

A botched punt snap four plays later gave Stratford the ball on the 3, and Johnston kept it from the 1 two plays later.

Jett Johnston took advantage of an overthrow and some contact for an interception on the George Walton 37-yard line. Stratford needed five plays to open up a 21-0 lead, with Jefferson getting short-yardage scoring honors again with 1:23 left in the first quarter.

The offense finally stalled and gave it back on downs. George Walton finally got going, boosted by a 41-yard pass play and great catch to get near the red zone.

But the Bulldogs went from first and goal on the 7 to fourth and goal — after a false start flag — and watched George Dunn knock down the fourth-down pass.

That’s the way the half ended three minutes later. The Eagles didn’t deliver a knockout punch, but they were in control, having allowed the visitors only five first downs and 93 yards of offense, 41 coming on one play.

Stratford’s defense did show a crack when Samuel Elvington got behind everybody and pulled in A.J. Dillard’s strike for a 45-yard touchdown five minutes into the third quarter.

The increasingly patient and clock-eating Eagles gobbled up nearly seven minutes before extending the lead on a solid 34-yard Dunn field goal with 27 seconds left in the third.

Travis Dugger came down with an interception on a batted ball deep in George Walton territory, but the Eagles failed on fourth down inside the 10.

It wasn’t much of a boost for George Walton, which gave up a safety two plays later.

“That’s what I told them when we started the playoffs,” Carroll said. “ ‘Guys, you’re going to win with defense and you’re going to win with special teams.”

Smith, a blocker and short-yardage back, showed some speed with a 24-yard score with 2:02 left.

Carroll was thrilled with how his defense — led by Maddox Whitehead and Dugger — performed.

“I thought for sure they were going to be able to really run the football on us and hammer us,” Carroll admitted. “And the D-line and linebackers just stepped up.”

The third season — after non-region and then region play — for Stratford has almost been smoother than the first two.

“I think we’re playing really good, seeing as how we lost our senior running back Tyler Stephens,” Jefferson said. “I feel like we’ve adjusted to the situation, and we’ve prevailed.”