The MAIS regular season comes to a close on Halloween this Friday night. The playoff seeds for the big schools are pretty well decided with no real tricks or treats to be had. Teams are ranked based on power points that will decide what the playoff bracket will look like. The top four teams in Class 4A will play for the Division I title. Here are the current point standings as we head into the final week:
1. Madison Ridgeland Academy - 61.20
2. Jackson Prep - 52.33
3. Hartfield Academy - 52.28
4. Jackson Academy - 49.55
The power point averages are determined by total power points earned based on the strength of the opponents divided by number of MAIS games played.
Based on wins this week by all four teams, MRA (8-1 overall, 2-0 in district) is locked in as the number one seed and travels to Simpson Academy (3-6 overall, 0-2 in district). The two and three seeds should flip as Jackson Prep (6-4 overall, 3-0 in district) will host Oak Forest Academy (4-5 overall, 1-2 in district) and Hartfield Academy (4-5 overall, 3-0 in district) will welcome Starkville Academy (6-3 overall, 2-1 in district). A Hartfield win over Starkville would give the Hawks more power points to jump into the second spot and give them a home playoff game against Jackson Prep. It’s important to note that Hartfield lost all three games to MRA, Prep and JA this year.
Jackson Academy (8-1 overall, 3-0 in district) plays Pillow Academy (4-6 overall and 2-1 in district) and will be the four seed based on the power points. The Raiders’ only loss this year was to MRA, who they will travel to meet again in the playoffs. All four teams will have an off week after these games to get ready for the semi-final match-ups.
If you’re confused, don’t worry, it is indeed hard to grasp. Teams are rewarded based on the strength of their opponents, not necessarily wins and losses.
“It’s certainly been different this year with the power points, but I like the way the schedule has played out,” said MRA Head Coach Herbert Davis. “In past years, we’ve played one of the other big three teams in the last week of the season and had to turn around and play them again in the playoffs.”
MRA has played a gauntlet of a schedule this year, perhaps the hardest in Coach Davis’ long career. The only blemish on the Patriots’ record is a four-point loss in the opening game of the season to Ravenwood, a public school powerhouse out of Tennessee. As he approaches this week’s game with Simpson, Coach Davis wants to get meaningful work from his starters before hopefully allowing them to rest if the score allows.
“I want us to be rock solid on fundamentals and execution. Last week we worked hard on the passing game and our overall protection was good. While we haven’t lost many turnovers, I want to see us do a better job of ball security,” said Davis. “Defensively I want to see us execute to our ability and not blow any coverages. I’d like to get our starters some rest for a couple of reasons. One is obviously to keep us healthy and the other being with the schedule we’ve played, we haven’t been able to play many of our number two’s, and I’d like to get them some valuable in-game experience.”
One of the brightest spots Davis pointed out from this regular season has been the play of his offensive line. While the skill positions get most of the attention for yards and touchdowns, it’s the big guys up front that open the holes and give the quarterback time to throw. The Patriots starters on the line are junior left tackle Caleb Unger, junior left guard Clay Lawson, senior center Morgan McCrory, senior right guard Heed Burnham and junior right tackle Brody Brown. These five young men have allowed MRA offense to roll up 2,689 passing yards, 1,381 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns.
“It’s just the nature of things that all the skill guys get all the publicity, but our o-line has been the x-factor. They have taken us to the next level,” said Davis.
Senior quarterback Samuel Stockett is closing in on a 3,000-yard season with 2,561 passing yards coming into this week. He may not play long enough against Simpson Academy, but he will undoubtably pass that mark in the playoffs. Stockett has thrown 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions which is an impressive total given the competition he’s faced.
“Sam is really an intelligent student and football player. He knows where he needs to go with the ball. He’s been very consistent with his accuracy, completing 65 percent of his passes. He was a perfect 11-11 last week against Brookhaven Academy. When you look at the schedule we’ve played and throw in his accuracy and yardage, it’s been really amazing,” said Davis.
Defensively, the Patriots have held their last six Mississippi opponents to 20 points per game. They are led by senior linebackers Parker Durham and Cade Gentry who have combined to make 136 tackles, 17 for loss and nine sacks. Senior defensive back Jack Ridgway has added three interceptions to his 41 tackles as well.
“They have certainly made plays, but more importantly they are tremendous leaders,” said Davis. “They inspire their teammates both in the games and at practice. It’s a very impressive group.”
In a best-case scenario, Davis would love to be able to rest his starters and bring in the back-ups in the second half, but he is taking nothing for granted. The Patriots need to take care of business by coming out focused and sharp before hitting the bye week before the playoffs. Davis says this may be one of the best three or four teams he’s ever coached, but they’ve got to finish the job as those others all won championships.
Barring anything spooky this week, we should see MRA hosting JA and probably Hartfield hosting Prep in the semi-finals based on the power points. Once the playoffs start in two weeks, the points mean nothing and the big four will settle things on the field. It should be a Friday night Halloween with plenty of treats and no tricks.
MRA AT A GLANCE
Class/Division: Class: 6A. District 1 (MAIS)
Record: 8-1 overall, 2-0 in District
Head Coach: Herbert Davis
Assistant Coaches: Danny White, Hayden Davis, Jacob Land, Matt Walker, John Weaver, Kenny Williams
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SIMPSON COUNTY AT A GLANCE
Class/Division: Class: 4A, District 3 (MAIS)
Record: 3-6 overall, 2-0 in District
Head Coach: Todd Mangum
Assistant Coaches: Amie Green, Jarrod Jordan, Skyler Parker, Chaucer Funchess, Matt Lee
The Series: MRA leads the all-time series 5-2.
Last Meeting: MRA won 27-14 in 2022.
