Winning any championship trophy isn’t easy, but winning your school’s first major in any sport is a pretty monumental accomplishment — just ask the John Milledge Academy Trojans soccer team.

Communication and steady defense have been the Trojans’ primary strengths so far this season — and they certainly picked the right time to start clicking as an offense over the weekend, sweeping the LaGrange Tournament in three games and capturing their first championship trophy in the process.

This wasn’t just another fly-by-night tournament, but featured some of the finest soccer programs north of Baldwin County. JMA continued their relentless defensive play in LaGrange, but also dug down and found a way to overcome an opponent which held a commanding two goal lead in game No. 2.

JMA would begin the tournament against Horizon Christian Academy out of Cumming. Defensively, the Trojans were as solid as ever, but they were also able to finally flex their offensive fire-power by winning the opener 4-0. In the game, senior Lee Simpson continued his domination on the turf by netting a goal as did Junior Tyler Panfil, who added a goal and continues to show signs of being a consistent playmaker for JMA. The same can also be said about Avery Denton, who stepped in and added a goal for his team. Senior Taylor Farr also continues to play well and also added a score. Panfil notched an assist in the game as did teammate Jordan Adams.

The second game in the tournament would prove to be far more challenging for JMA, as the team fell behind to host LaGrange Academy 2-0 in the opening half. But JMA didn’t drown in their pity, but instead picked themselves up for another exciting half of soccer.

“They jumped on us 2-0 and we went into the half down by two scores. But in the second half we scored four goals,” said JMA coach Hal Haynes.

Simpson would again add another goal to his yearly totals by connecting against LaGrange. JMA’s Brantley Attaway would add another big goal in the second half, along with goals from Panfil and Denton. Farr recorded two assists in the game, and the ever-present Josh Harrison and Panfil each notched assists.

The championship game would pit JMA versus Georgia Christian, a team that entered the final round with the same amount of points as the Trojans. But after a slugfust, JMA would prevail 3-1 behind the exemplary play of Simpson, who would score two goals (giving him four for the tournament), and Panfil, who topped off his extraordinary tournament with a big kick into the back of the net. Denton recorded two assists, and Farr also added an assist in the final game.

At Monday’s practice, the Trojans were going through some of their motions and were excited to get the opportunity to pose with their new championship trophy — one the school will need to find space for.

Haynes had loads of praise for his offensive stars but stressed that his defenders should also receive due credit for preventing the opposing teams from scoring at some very opportune times.

“Davis continues to do a great job at goalkeeper. He only allowed three goals in three games and is doing a fantastic job. We’re also very proud of David Youngblood. After Jordan Adams got hurt, David stepped in and did a fine job,” said Haynes. “I was really proud of David for stepping up his game. Josh, Nick [Vaughn], Walker [Hawks] and Jordan all did a good job back there.”

Davis Farr, who is receiving many accolades this year for his job as goalkeeper, was happy that his team was beginning to gel on offense.

“The defense has been really solid, and the offense is starting to finish the ball more efficiently,” said Farr. “Defensively, we’ve just got to continue to keep the shots down to a minimum.”

Junior Walker Hawks was still reeling after his team’s incredible weekend in LaGrange, and said his teammates took it upon themselves to really step it up after they got down 2-0 to LaGrange Academy.

“We definitely wanted to win the tournament, and there was no way of winning it without winning that second game,” said Hawks. “Pretty much, after that, we just switched things on offense and the defense played better in the second half. We were able to come out of it on top.”