If you were to ask a Georgia high school football fan who the state’s all-time leading rusher is, you are likely to get the answer of Monte Williams. The Commerce ball carrier rushed for 8,844 yards in his four seasons with the Tigers and helped earn four region titles and a state championship during his senior year. But Williams’s record no longer stands. It was broken this past season by Frederica Academy’s Jordan Triplett.
There was no fanfare when Triplett broke the career rushing record by almost 200 yards. There was no spotlight when he tied Daccus Turman’s mark for single-season rushing yards at 3,172. There was no attention when he passed Williams, Jamious Griffin, and Robert Toomer to move into third place for career rushing scores. Triplett worked in silence, and the praise reflected that.
Granted, Triplett’s Knights squad competes in the GIAA, not the GHSA. The most notorious GIAA school is John Milledge Academy, whose 62-game win streak set numerous records in Georgia.
However, with the Trojans’ streak over following a defeat against Valwood, Triplett’s record-shattering career totals should have taken center stage. Still, on a statewide scale, it did not.
Now it’s time for proper recognition. It’s time to truly marvel at his accomplishments.
Triplett’s senior campaign itself could be considered a successful career for a high school tailback. He opened the season with two 300-yard performances and even managed 177 yards against the GHSA’s Clinch County.
After being held to just 62 yards on 20 carries against Tattnall Square, Triplett exploded. He rushed for 340 yards and six touchdowns the following week and 404 yards and seven scores two weeks later.
In a season-ending loss to eventual champion Valwood, Triplett still posted 316 yards and two scores on the ground, tacking on one more through the air.
As a junior, his marks were a little less otherworldly. He managed to rush for 2,300 yards and post a four-game stretch with 1,417 yards and 17 touchdowns. Those numbers were still among the best in the state as a whole; he ranked sixth in season rushing yards.
A year prior, Triplett formally announced his presence on the statistical stage with a 442-yard, six-touchdown performance against St. Andrew’s. His 1,699 yards rushing were a slight regression from the 1,852 he had as a freshman, but the St. Andrew’s game performance appeared to instill a resiliency that he has maintained to this day.
Now the record books are littered with Triplett mentions. He appears twice on the single-season rushing yards list and three times on the 400-yard single-game rushing performance list. His 41 rushing touchdowns this past season also cracks the list for that category, and so does his seven touchdowns in a single game (also in 2023).
Triplett’s career at Frederica Academy has been nothing short of legendary. While recognition may not be prominent now, his name will be etched into the minds of fans in the years to come as they marvel at his accomplishments. Just as his rushing leader predecessors did, Jordan Triplett has changed the game.
