First playoff win as underdog was ‘huge milestone’ for Macon’s ACE Charter
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is ACE Charter coach Keith Hatcher, whose team won its first playoff game in program history with a 14-10 victory over Jasper County last week. ACE Charter entered as an 9-point underdog in the computer Maxwell Ratings after the Gryphons lost the last five games of the regular season, three against current Top 10 teams. ACE Charter started 5-0. This is Hatcher’s fifth season with the Macon school. All have ended in playoff appearances. Hatcher was coach of his alma mater, Mount de Sales, from 2013 to 2022. Hatcher’s cousin, Chris Hatcher, is a former head coach at Samford and Valdosta State and is currently Tulane’s football chief of staff. Nephew Ty Hatcher is an offensive analyst at LSU.
1. Five straight seasons of making the playoffs but not getting past the first round. How does it feel and what does it mean to be advancing to the second round?
“This is a huge milestone for our program. Being a fairly new school and football program (program started in 2016), our goal the first couple of years was to get into the playoffs. As we have grown and become more competitive over the past few years, we have raised the level of expectation. Winning a playoff game for the first time in the program’s short history is a great accomplishment for this team.”
2. You lost five straight games entering the playoffs, but four of those region rivals — plus ACE — are still standing in the playoffs. What do you make of that? And how did you maintain your confidence and morale through that losing streak?
“We play in what we believe is the toughest region in the state, and we were playing some really good football teams during that stretch. Several teams in the region are state championship contenders. I am really proud of our team for staying the course and playing our best football game of the year vs. Jasper Friday night.”
Note: ACE’s region includes No. 3 Dublin, No. 5 Bleckley County and No. 10 Swainsboro. Dodge County also advanced. Region 2-2A was the only region to send five teams to the second round of one playoff classification.
3. Good game vs. Jasper County. Tell us about? What were the big plays/key moments?
“We ran the ball well and stopped the run, which is what we have to do to have a chance against good football teams. The biggest plays of the game came down to fourth-down stops and conversions. We converted three key fourth downs late in the game, and had two fourth-down stops on defense — one on the 3 yard line — that secured the win.”
Note: Jackson Justice broke up a pass on fourth-and-goal, and Jack Perry broke up a pass on fourth-and-9 with two minutes left. Ace Hatcher had 253 total yards (141 rushing) and converted two fourth downs late in the fourth quarter, the last one with 40 seconds left on a fourth-and-2.
4. How often do you talk with Chris or Ty about football and specifically getting advice or feedback on your team, schemes, solving problems, etc.?
“I remain very close with Chris and Ty, despite our busy schedules this time of year. I was fortunate enough to work for Chris for 10 years at Valdosta State, Georgia Southern and Murray State. He has been a great mentor for me over the years and has been such a valuable part of my growth and success as a coach. It has been awesome to see Ty advance so quickly and be a part of some great programs early in his coaching career. The sky is the limit for Ty, and I am looking forward to seeing where his career goes from here. Both are great coaches, and even better men. Interestingly enough, when we get together, it is usually at the lake or the beach during our vacation time, so we try to avoid talking too much football.”
Note: Chris and Ty played quarterback in college, Chris as an all-time great at Valdosta State and Ty for his father at Samford. Keith played football and baseball at Mars Hill. Keith’s son, Ace, threw for 1,347 yards and rushed for 1,043 yards in the regular season for ACE Charter.
As a bonus question, AJC Varsity asked Hatcher how he came to make ACE Charter his home after playing and coaching at a Macon private school, Mount de Sales. He said, “Mount de Sales is a great place and a place that I will always love. I moved to ACE to be a part of starting something special. It was a new school that exhibited academic excellence and had an administration and a community that was hungry to grow in athletics. Getting in on the front end of that was exciting to me. We have been able to compete with some of the top 2A programs in the state in a very short time, which was the goal when I had the opportunity to come to ACE.”