McKoy scores four touchdowns to key; Miss Bailey Denton crowned ’26 queen
Ware County celebrated Homecoming last week with a third straight impressive victory, blanking Richmond Academy 30-0 inside a soggy Memorial Stadium.
The Region 1-AAAAA win Friday, October 2, followed those against region opponents Groves (68-6) and Statesboro (42-14) to push the Gators record to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the region.
Senior Bailey Denton was crowned Homecoming Queen with classmates Shaliah Davis, second runner-up, and Nadya Ellis, third runner-up. Homecoming Princess was McKenzie Tanner while Gators’ tight end Elan Jones was Homecoming King and voted “Big Man on Campus”, appropriate given his 6-foot-7 frame.
Junior Ma’Siyer “MooMoo” McKoy scored all of Ware County’s touchdowns, three on runs and the other on a pass reception from quarterback Isaiah White. McKoy, who also plays linebacker and battled cramps in the second half, ran 12 times for 79 yards while also recording several tackles and a couple of passes defended.
“You talk about an ‘alpha’ now, that’s him,” Ware County head coach Jason Strickland said of the 6-foot, 180pounder. “We said, ‘Moo, we don’t know how much rest you’re gonna get. We can’t take you off defense and you’re gonna play a bunch on offense to help us control the clock.’ He was up to the challenge.”
White was 9-of-12 passing for 155 yards with 108 of the total on six tosses to Ja’Londi O’Hara. Behind the Gators improving offensive line, the senior signal- caller had the Musketeers (4-2, 1-2) off balance as a good play mix and key third-down conversions led to sustained drives and limited Richmond Academy possessions.
Ware County held the ball for 27:36 of the 48-minute contest and converted 8of-10 third downs.
“I can’t say enough about the offensive line,” said Strickland. “We (coaches) felt like to control their (Musketeers) offense we had to hold the ball. Isaiah did a great job of managing the clock, running it down, and we had some big plays on third down. Those guys (line) are coming together.”
Junior kicker Jeffrey Gonzalez was perfect on four conversion kicks while the special teams came up with the other tally on a safety from a Musketeers’ punt snap that went out of the end zone.
The Gators’ defense limited the visitors to just 162 total yards on the way to its first shutout since blanking Wayne County, 420 last season. Quarterback Carson Hand accounted for the bulk of the total with 130 yards on 16-of-23 passing.
Ware defenders recorded 11 plays of zero or negative yards, including three sacks of Hand. One of those sacks came on fourth down at the Gators’ 11 to kill the best scoring threat for the Musketeers, who last week scored 49 points in a three-point loss to Benedictine.
“I certainly didn’t expect a shutout,” Strickland said. “They’ve been scoring points at will all season long. The only thing that slowed them down before tonight was the weather against Laney (14-12 win suspended by lightning). It was just an incredible performance by the defense. I can’t be more proud of how they played to get this shutout.
“Coach (Dante) Sapp and his guys put together a great plan.”
Ware County scored all the points it needed off the opening kickoff. After the first two kicks went out of bounds, the Gators opened with a first down at their 41 and went the distance in 11 plays. White capped it with his scoring toss to McKoy covering 10 yards on a third-and-goal play, and it was 7-0 with 7:34 left in the quarter after the first conversion kick by Gonzalez.
After forcing a punt, Ware County went 57 yards in just five plays with McKoy collecting his first rushing touchdown on an 11-yard sweep around left end keyed by a block from O’Hara. The following extra point made it 14-0 with 54.7 seconds left in the period.
The lead stretched to 21-0 with 4:50 left in the half after another Musketeers’ punt. Ware County took possession at its 19 and covered the distance in nine plays with McKoy’s 13-yard run capping it two plays after White and O’Hara connected on a 41-yard pass for first down at the 15.
Richmond Academy threatened after the kickoff with its deepest penetration into Ware County territory all night. After taking over at their 20, the Musketeers drove to a first down at the Gators’ 11.
Two long passes and a 15-yard penalty on Ware County fueled the possession. Hand’s 37-yard pass to Lo’Than McBride put the ball on the 11, but a run got nothing before Hand was sacked on fourth down after a pair of incompletions to kill the threat 1:58 before intermission.
Ware County’s cushion increased to 23-0 with the safety off the Musketeers’ first possession of the second half. After three runs lost six yards, punter Will Mahoney saw the snap on fourth down from the Richmond Academy 14 sail high over his head and out of the end zone.
The Gators finished off the romp with its longest scoring drive of the season in terms of plays (16) and time (9:29). Taking over at its 14, Ware County covered the distance by converting four third-down plays, the last on McKoy’s three-yard run off tackle for the touchdown with 6:27 left in the game.
The drive was jumpstarted on the second play by a pass interference call that prevented a long White pass intended for a wide open O’Hara. The two later connected on a 25-yarder for first down two plays before the closing score.
Ware County was able to preserve the shutout by stopping the Musketeers on their final two possessions. The Gators forced a punt on the first one before the clock ran out on the visitors after converting a fourth-down play for 11 yards at the Ware County 43.
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