It’s time for the third and most critical part of every season, the playoffs. Teams that made it have battled for more than three months to get to this point and each one still has aspirations of winning a championship. In the MAIS, we have the Class 4A Division I Semifinals with all four metro area schools battling on Friday night at 7 p.m. for spots in the title game. Over in the MHSAA, Class 7A gets going with the first round.
Here is a look at the matchups:
MAIS 4A Division I Semifinals
#4 Jackson Academy at #1 Madison-Ridgeland Academy
MRA ran a gauntlet in the regular season winning nine of its 10 games and earned the number one seed and a coveted home game. The Patriots only loss came in the first game of the year against Ravenwood 28-24, a public-school power from Tennessee. Despite also racking up a 9-1 record, Jackson Academy finds itself as the number four seed based on the MAIS power point ranking system for strength of games played. The only blemish on the Raiders record is a 35-24 loss against MRA back on September 26.
The first match-up between these two was a statistical dead heat as total offensive yards was 355-354 in favor of JA and time of possession was 24:17 to 23:48 MRA.
The Patriots, as expected, flourished through the air and mixed in an effective running game. Senior quarterback Samuel Stockett had a great night completing 19 of 29 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. His favorite target was senior receiver Case Thomas who hauled in eight catches for 133 yards. Sophomore running back Colson O’Cain scored two rushing touchdowns and senior Jack Poole added another.
The Raiders were very balanced the first time around with 31 running plays and 28 passes. Senior quarterback Josef Walker completed 75 percent of his passes to seven different receivers for 227 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Aaric Beasley scored once and rushed for 85 yards.
The Raiders had excellent special teams play with senior defensive back O’Mari Johnson returning one of his two kickoff returns for a touchdown. JA had two areas that it must improve upon this time around, penalties and points off turnovers. The Raiders had seven penalties for 73 yards, while the Patriots had just two for 20. While both teams turned the ball over once, it was MRA that cashed in a Raiders fumble for a touchdown.
This should be a very close game once again with very little margin for error on either side.
#3 Jackson Prep at #2 Hartfield Academy
Hartfield (5-5) played its way into the number two seed with a win in the last regular season game over Starkville Academy. How close was the gap to determine who would host this game? The Hawks finished with 53.625 power points to Jackson Prep’s 53.40. While it’s not a long road trip for either team as they are separated by all of six miles along Lakeland Drive, Hartfield had no desire to go back to Prep (7-4) where it lost 40-14 in week five of the regular season.
Junior quarterback Ethan Elliott led Hartfield with 92 yards rushing on five carries and scored a touchdown. He only threw 15 passes, completed seven of them for 88 yards for one score and an interception. The Hawks outrushed the Patriots 191-138 that night, but it was Prep that made the carries count. The Pats used seven runners and scored four times, two by senior Thomas Hewitt Oswalt and one each by quarterback Luke Essary and Wade Smith.
The difference this time around could be that the Hawks will have senior wide receiver Braylan Womack in the lineup as he missed the first game. Womack, the best wideout in the state, is a difference maker and drives the offense. Womack finished the regular season having played in eight games with 35 catches for 828 yards and six touchdowns. Elliot is a dangerous quarterback when he has his favorite target on the field. Elliott has thrown for 1,561 yards with 12 touchdowns to four interceptions. The running game also benefits with prolific passing. Junior Collin McIntyre has rushed for 772 yards and seven touchdowns.
This has been a rebuilding year for Prep Head Coach Doug Goodwin as he saw all 22 starters from a year ago graduate as seniors. The Patriots posted a 7-4 record and gained confidence each week this season. Junior quarterback Luke Essary passed the 2,000-yard passing mark in his last game and has 17 touchdown tosses against just two interceptions. Junior running back Wade Smith is on the doorstep of a 1,000-yard season as he enters the game with 972 and has scored 15 touchdowns.
This should be a much closer game than the first meeting in September. If the Hawks win, they have a chance to three-peat as MAIS champions. Prep is looking for a little revenge too as the Patriots lost to Hartfield in last year’s title game.
MHSAA 7A First Round
DeSoto Central at Germantown
The Mavericks (7-3) finished second in their region and earned a home game against Desoto Central (7-4) in the first round of the 7A playoffs.
Senior quarterback King White is one of the most dynamic dual threat quarterbacks in the state. White has thrown for 2,088 yards with 22 touchdowns to just one interception and also run the ball 94 times for 502 yards and 11 touchdowns. White is also great at distributing the ball as he has six receivers with triple digit yardage. Senior Keyshaun Coleman leads the way with 48 catches for 713 yards and eight touchdowns. Not far behind is senior Lawson Branson who has 678 yards on 36 catches and 10 touchdowns. The leading rusher on the team is Nyrikius Johnson who has 117 carries for 650 yards and nine scores. This explosive Mavericks offense is averaging 40 points per game.
The Desoto Central Jaguars boast one of the most powerful running games in Mississippi as they’ve rushed for 3,602 yards and scored 45 touchdowns. Junior Cade Rogers is simply amazing with 1,951 yards on 284 carries with 15 touchdowns. He stands just 5’11 and 170 pounds but is averaging 177 yards a game. Senior tailback Eric Perry is averaging 11.3 yards every time he runs the ball. Perry has 1,197 yards on 106 carries and scored 22 touchdowns.
This has the potential to be a high-scoring shootout with the winner decided by who has the ball last.
Madison Central at Horn Lake
The Jaguars (6-4) clinched a playoff spot last week with a hard fought win over Clinton and are rewarded with a trip to Horn Lake (7-3) in the first round. This will be a battle of two very tough, defensive minded teams.
Head Coach Toby Collum’s offense has been a work in progress this season and seems to be hitting its stride at just the right time. Ideally the Jaguars are a run first to set up the pass type offense which has worked brilliantly the last two weeks. Junior running back Mikel Stephen ran for 190 yards and a touchdown against Starkville and 101 yards and a touchdown against the Arrows. The success of Stephen put sophomore quarterback Tripp Smith at ease as he played his best two games of the season, throwing for 458 yards and six touchdowns.
The Eagles are very similar offensively, as they like to use the run to set up the pass. Horn Lake has run for a total of 2,095 yards with 29 touchdowns and thrown for 1,352 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Jaguars could find success if they can force quarterback Jason Edwards Jr. into throwing the ball. The senior is only completing 55 percent of his passes and has thrown 11 interceptions.
The Madison Central defense can certainly be the difference maker and are led by senior linebacker Ronderious King and junior linebacker Corey Wiggins. King and Wiggins lead the team in tackles and combined for 16 tackles for loss. Senior Keevon Jacobs, the big man in the middle of the defensive line, will also be a key to shutting down the Eagles running game. Jacobs has a nose for the backfield as he has recorded a whopping 19 tackles for loss on his own.
This should be a very tight game with every penalty and miscue magnified. Whoever wins the turnover battle should win this one.
