Gatewood celebrated Senior Night by wrapping up its 2024 regular season with a dominating 48-8 victory over the visiting Jaguars of Thomas Jefferson Academy out of Louisville.
It marked the most points scored by Gatewood so far this season.
Echoing shades of Doug Flutie in 2006, after the Gators struck early with a touchdown by Hunter Johnson in the first minute of play, Gatewood quarterback Ames Johnson followed up with a drop-kicked extra point.
Though unconventional, Gators head coach Jeff Ratliff said the dropkick option was added to the team’s official playbook this summer after Johnson repeatedly demonstrated his ability.
“We weren’t trying to show anyone up,” Ratliff insisted after the game. “Back in the summer, we were struggling with our kicking game, and Ames came to me and said he could do this. After I saw he was good at it, we just added it to our playbook. When he came off the field, all he said was, ‘Told you, coach.’”
Gatewood was up 28-0 by halftime and led 42-0 at the end of the third quarter. By that time, the starters were on the bench, allowing younger players to get some much-needed game experience for the future.
“It’s always nice to get them playing time,” Ratliff said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a B team, or junior varsity, whatever you want to call them, so they only get to play on the scout team during the week. Or if one of them is athletic enough to get a few minutes on a Friday night, I guess you could say.
“Now, a lot of them do get some reps on special teams,” the coach added. “We do try to play a lot of bodies if we can get to a point. But we hadn’t had any of those in a while.”
Ratliff said he knows it can be hard on younger players sometimes to wait their turn, but he also recognizes that it means their parents have to wait to see them play, too.
“Yeah, they pay their dues too. It’s just, unfortunately, in our program, sometimes paying their dues means next year, not next game.”
With the win, Gatewood finished the regular season with a 4-5 overall record and went 1-2 in GIAA A/AA District 4. It was enough to secure fourth-place seeding for the playoffs starting this Friday at home versus the fifth-place Trinity Christian Crusaders.
Significantly, No. 5-seeded Trinity Christian handed Gatewood a 28-12 loss in the second game of the season in August, its first win over the Gators in 10 meetings, so Ratliff and his team have revenge penciled in for this Friday night’s meeting in Eatonton.
In his traditional postgame email to supporters, Ratliff called Trinity “well coached and fundamentally sound.” He also called the Crusaders “tough and athletic,” warning everyone to expect “a very physical, tough football game.”
“We must be prepared. We must have a great week of practice and try to simulate what they do,” Ratliff said of his team’s playoff preparation. “It will take all 33 players doing their job and playing their role if we advance. We will need to have a solid week of practice and play a great game on Friday night to win.”
Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Gatewood’s Sammons Field in Eatonton.