Knights’ Miracle Chance Fades as Deerfield-Windsor Loses GIAA 3A Championship

Hope is a dangerous thing, and the Deerfield-Windsor Knights — when seemingly all hope was lost — were given an extra sliver of it in improbable fashion in the state title game in Macon.

Down 28-20 with about 30 seconds left and playing defense, it seemed the Knights’ 15-game win streak would come to an end until, miraculously, Deerfield-Windsor knocked the ball loose from the hands of John Milledge quarterback Lewis Cheney and recovered the fumble.

Just like that, there was a spark of hope.

But alas, it was not meant to be. Just a few plays later Deerfield-Windsor’s Lane Sceals threw an interception, sealing John Milledge’s 28-20 win in the GIAA 3A State Championship and ending the Knights’ quest for back-to-back trophies.

“I took these kids out of the cafeteria when they were in eighth grade. I explained to them that they were gonna be the most important team in school history. Now, there’s a lot of great teams, but what I told them was, ‘You’re going to play for a state championship your senior year — and you might steal one your junior year,’” Deerfield-Windsor head coach Jake McCrae said. 

“They came here with an unblemished record, defending champs, and came within one score of beating a perennial powerhouse that’s just an incredible football team,” McCrae said. “They’re a great team, and hats off to them. But we’re a great team, too… I love my kids.”

Sceals and wide receiver Gabe Daniel tried to will their way to a win over the powerful Trojans, but some mistakes held them back. A scoring opportunity in the first half was squandered with an interception in the end zone. The Knights struggled to stop John Milledge’s powerful run game, led by Asa Wall and Javaris Hurt.

McCrae said it was an emotional night for a variety of reasons.

“This group of seniors was in my seventh-grade history class,” he said. “Every day that I’ve been here, since I’ve gotten to (Deerfield-Windsor), they’ve been in my life.

“This was just an unbelievable year, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Results be damned, it doesn’t matter. I got so much ouit of our kids and these coaches — I’ve got the best coaching staff, and we know the formula. We’re gonna keep working.”

It looked like the crowd at Mercer would be in for an offensive showdown when both teams scored with efficiency on their first possessions, though Deerfield-Windsor did miss its extra point after Daniel hauled in the touchdown pass from Sceals.

After that, though, things dried up for both squads. The Knights managed to stop the Trojans on their next drive and get inside the 10-yard line, but a Sceals interception in the end zone spoiled the scoring chance.

John Milledge did not take advantage of the turnover but did snag the only other score of the first half a bit later, riding Asa Wall on a few chunk plays before the running back punched it in from the 1-yard line to put the Trojans up 14-6 with around six minutes left in the first half.

The second half started out on a higher note for Deerfield-Windsor, though, as it exploited its cheat code connection again when Sceals found Daniel on a 39-yard touchdown strike. A failed two-point conversion cut the Trojan lead to 14-12.

It looked like the Knights would have serious momentum when they stopped John Milledge’s next drive and then ate some big chunks of clock while moving the ball inside the 25-yard line, but the Trojans stepped up to halt the lengthy Deerfield drive and force a turnover on downs to hold onto the lead near the end of the third quarter.

The Trojans then re-upped their lead with a touchdown from Javaris Hurt to make it 21-12.

After Deerfield-Windsor failed to convert a fourth down midway through the fourth quarter, things started to look bleak. Hurt once again fueled a John Milledge drive, breaking off some long runs before finishing with a 20-yard jaunt to paydirt to make it 28-12 with about three minutes left.

With their backs against the wall, though, the Knights rallied. Sceals completed a pass to David Hutchins, who snagged it and somehow evaded a swarm of John Milledge defenders and housed it from 54 yards out. The two-point try was reeled in by Daniel, and all of a sudden it was a one-score contest.

When Deerfield-Windsor failed to recover the onside kick and allowed the Trojans to grab a few first downs, it seemed like a done deal, but the freakishly athletic play to steal the ball on Cheney’s kneel attempt kept the game alive.

Sceals and the Knights moved a bit further down the field thanks to a defensive holding call, but the interception with about 20 seconds on the clock put the victory on ice for John Milledge.