Heading into Friday night’s season opener against the Bainbridge Bearcats in Bainbridge, the Coffee Trojans were favored to win by two. Add 51 to that and you’d have the correct margin of victory.
The Trojans defeated the Bearcats 59-6 in what was new Bainbridge head coach Jay Walls’s first game at the helm of the program. A former Tift County head coach, Walls had a 3-4 record against Coffee going back to 2005-2011. Now it’s 3-5.
The Bearcats were in trouble from the first snap. They took the opening kick and couldn’t do anything at all. They punted and Coffee took over. It didn’t take long for the Trojans to score. On their first possession, after a first down completion from quarterback Jordan Phillips to Zean Preston to the Bainbridge 37, running back Tyrese Woodgett took a handoff from Phillips and glided the 37 yards into the end zone for the first of his two touchdowns on the night. Jonah Saylor, who was perfect on extra points, made the score 7-0 early in the first quarter.
On the Bearcats’ ensuing possession, KJ Smith delivered a solid hit to Bainbridge receiver David Clark. The hit knocked the ball loose and KJ DeBruce was there to scoop it up. He sprinted to the end zone for another quick Coffee touchdown. Less than two minutes later, the Trojans were up 14-0.
After that, things cooled off for Coffee until about a third of the way into the second quarter. Senior running back Tyrese Hansley battered the Bearcats’ defense on the Trojans’ fourth possession of the half, eventually scoring from two yards out. The touchdown gave Coffee a 21-0 lead.
After forcing a Bainbridge punt (thanks in large part to a big sack by linebacker Mykevius Smith), Woodgett found the end zone again, this time on a 30-yard run, to put Coffee up 28-0 with 5:11 remaining in the half.
As time wound down in the second quarter, the Trojans took over for their sixth possession of the half. A Bainbridge punt had Coffee on their own 20-yard line. The Trojan offense moved the ball out to the 34. That’s when Preston outran the defense and Phillips hit him in stride down the Coffee sideline. He made the catch and finished the 66-yard play in the end zone. With 29 seconds left in the half, the Trojans had a very comfortable 35-0 advantage.
The second half was more of the same. Coffee opened with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to sophomore Tresean Smith. The Bearcats fumbled the kickoff and Coffee recovered. That led to DeBruce’s second score of the night. The two touchdowns put Coffee ahead 49-0.
Bainbridge finally got the ball for the first time in the third quarter with 6:11 left in the period. That drive ended with the Bearcats turning the ball over on downs. The Trojans took over on the Bainbridge 35 and didn’t do much with the opportunity. They did, however, give senior kicker Jonah Saylor the opportunity to show off his leg early in the season. He came out for a 45-yard field goal and drove the ball through the uprights with plenty to spare.
The Bearcats finally got on the board when quarterback Brooks Hines found a receiver for a 60-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good but Bainbridge had broken the shutout. With 2:27 left in the third quarter, the Trojans were up 52-6. Coffee added another touchdown, this one a 26-yard run, by sophomore Matthew Taylor with 36 seconds remaining.
“I was proud of all of our kids. I thought our twos and threes did a great job. These kids work so hard. You can only start 22 kids. We’ve got 92 in 10th through 12th grades. And 92 of them made Men of Summer. I think that speaks to our culture. I think that speaks to how we treat them and how we love on them. They want to be here and it’s good to have a game where you can get some of those guys in who work their tails off. They’ve been working since January. I’m really proud of them. The message for the kids is, ‘Enjoy this, stay safe, I’m proud of you. You know who we’ve got next week,’” said head coach Mike Coe following the game.
The Trojans are 1-0 on the 2024 season. The win over Bainbridge is Coffee’s 16th consecutive win going back to last year. Friday night, the Ware County Gators will come to Jardine Stadium. Due to realignment and reclassification, the Gators are no longer in Coffee’s region. But that doesn’t mean that the rivalry will be any less fierce – especially after how last year’s contest turned out. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.