It’s been a wild rollercoaster ride for Madison Central in 2025 with ups, downs, and sharp turns. The latest adrenaline rush was a thrilling 38-35 last second win at Starkville last Friday night thanks to a 40-yard field goal by the reliable Ross Harden Beavers. The victory also gave the Jaguars (5-4) an important tiebreaker advantage over the Yellow Jackets in the standings and are currently third in Region 2-7A. The top four teams will advance to the postseason, and the Jags can secure with a win over Clinton (4-5) on Thursday night in “The Jungle.”
“That (Starkville) game was pretty much how our season has gone. We are nine games in and seven of the nine have been one possession finishes,” said Madison Central Head Coach Toby Collums. I think because we’ve been in so many tight ones that we didn’t flinch when it came to the last possession. We got a late turnover and put ourselves in position. I went to Ross on the drive and asked him where he wanted us to get the ball and he said please get it to the middle of the field. We did that and the rest is history.”
A look at the Region 2 standings:
1. Oxford 4-0
2. Germantown 3-1
3. Madison Central 2-2
4. Starkville 2-2
5. Clinton 1-3
6. Murrah 0-4
Oxford and Germantown have clinched the top two seeds and will host first round playoff games. Madison Central, Starkville and Clinton are battling for the remaining two spots, which would be road games. Only Murrah has been eliminated. For the Jaguars it is simple, win and you’re in.
The Jaguars are coming off their best offensive performance of the year at Starkville. Junior running back Mikel Stephen ran for 190 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown. That makes back-to-back 100-yard games for Stephen who ran for 126 against Germantown. Sophomore quarterback Tripp Smith threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns.
“Our offense was huge and to be able to run the football against a good Starkville defense was impressive. We’ve struggled all year for consistency of offense and to be able to sustain drives and run the football made all the difference,” said Collums. “The explosive runs by Stephen and Tripp passed the ball well gave us a lot of confidence down the stretch. The hope is to be playing your best football at the end of the year, and it does feel like we are trending in the right direction.”
The Arrows have lost three in a row after a region opening win over Murrah. Clinton dropped a 28-7 game at Starkville, saw Oxford run past them in the second half 33-23, and had the doors blown off by Germantown 47-17 last week. Despite their recent struggles, all it takes is a win Thursday and the Arrows can squeak into the playoffs.
“They are so well coached by Hamer and his staff. Our teams are mirror images of one another. They had so many returning on defense and had to break in a lot of young offensive players. Defensively they are very good against the run which is what we need to do to be successful,” said Collums.
The Arrows defense is made up of nearly all seniors and led by defensive back Cameron Cornelius who is seemingly all over the field. Cornelius leads the team with 74 tackles, five being for loss. Senior defensive end Davon Merchant is a true run-stopper as he’s racked up 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage along with fellow senior end Christian Cavett who has 12 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Donovan Shaifer and junior defense tackle Dallas Johnson each have 10.5 tackles for loss. As a team, this defense has made 90 plays in the backfield.
“They are very aggressive at the line of scrimmage and have a bunch of athletes on the back end,” said Collums. “I’m confident our offense line will rise to the challenge as they did last week.”
Running back Mikel Stephen made the most of every opportunity in the win over the Yellow Jackets. His 190 yards put him over the 700-yard mark for the season with six touchdowns. The stingy Clinton run defense may give quarterback Tripp Smith a chance to shine again this week as the Arrows are very susceptible to a passing attack. They gave up 47 points to Germantown last week and 33 points to Oxford the week before. After throwing for 254 yards against Starkville, Smith now has 1,495 yards on the season with 13 touchdowns. Smith will look for his favorite two targets this week in senior Eli Dampier and junior Tylan Hutchins. These two receivers are about as even as you can be this season. Hutchins has 30 catches for 478 yards and five touchdowns. Dampier has 27 catches for 456 yards and five touchdowns as well.
The Jaguars defense may be able to feast on a very young Clinton offense. The Arrows are only averaging 20 points per game in region play. Sophomore quarterback Jayden Jones is still learning his way into the position and has thrown 10 interceptions. The running game is led by sophomore Braylon Lowery and sophomore Dayson Scott is their leading receiver. Madison senior linebacker Ronderious King leads a tenacious defense that will look to keep the pressure on Jones and try to force mistakes. King is leading the team in tackles with 106, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Junior Corey Wiggins is not far off with 100 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks. Senior defensive lineman Keevon Jacobs will make it hard for the Arrows to find running room as he has 18 tackles for loss.
The Jaguars will be playing their first home game in over a month when they lost to Oxford back on October 3 by just two points. Since that time, they beat Murrah, lost at Germantown by 4 and beat Starkville by 3. Coach Collums is certainly hoping this week’s game in “The Jungle” doesn’t come down to a final possession, but if it does, he knows his team is battle tested.
“We’ve been in so many this year, our kids don’t flinch. They are always ready and never get down because of the types of games we’ve played,” said Collums.
After riding the roller coaster all season, the Jaguars hope to prevail in what could be a defensive slugfest. For all intents and purposes, the playoffs begin this week. Win and the ride continues.
The MAIS 4A Division I playoff seedings were finalized last week. All four teams have a bye this week and will play the semi-final round next Friday, November 14. #1 MRA will host #4 Jackson Academy and #2 Hartfield will host #3 Jackson Prep.
The winners will meet for the State Championship Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m. at Mississippi College.
Keys to Victory:
For Madison Central: On defense, look for the Jaguars to stack the box and make running the football difficult. They want to force the young Clinton quarterback to try and throw the ball. On offense, look for big opportunities down the field as the Arrows defense will try to slow down Mikel Stephen. Madison has to like its chances if the game comes down to quarterback Tripp Smith making plays.
The Series: Madison Central leads 16-6.
Last Match-Up: Madison Central won 49-39 in the 2024 regular season.
AT A GLANCE:
Madison Central Jaguars
Class/Division: 7A Region 2 (MHSAA)
Record: 5-4 overall, 2-2 in Region
Head Coach: Toby Collums
Assistant Coaches: Dusty Finley, Jay Livingston, Mike Hendershot, Terrance Robinson, Tate Rogers, Keenan Barnes, Justin Hunter, Cody Upton, Brady Hoda, Blake Hall.
Clinton Arrows
Class/Division: 7A Region 2 (MHSAA)
Record: 4-5 overall, 1-3 in Region
Head Coach: Hamer Morgan
Assistant Coaches: Barrett Barham, Jarvis Cole, Preston Hebert, Markevius Hoskins, Trace Lane, Anthony Stanford, Sidney Wells, John Tate, Patrick Ezell, Britt Rowell, Ben Shelton.
