Gavin Brice, Kaleb Gray, Braylon Poindexter, KeyShawn Coleman, King White, Tee Robinson, Parker Davis, Lonnie Smith Jr., Noah Chaplain, Malick Yedjou, Tyler Cannon, Demariet Davis, Henry Turner, Eli Dampier, Bryson Williams, Jayden Warren, Keith LeSure, Brad Evans, VanQuaveous Lard, ZyCameron Williams, Syrone McBeath, Taylor Moffett, TK Kennedy, Derrick Chambers, Grant Harvey, DJ McGruder, Chris Brown, Jackson Nicosia, Josh Brown, Anders Orsborn, Steele Davis, Crawford Kraft, William Kraft, Nick Burger, Brayden Davidson, David Steckler, Terrell Barnes, Alex Mason, Charlie Thompson, Eli Ortiz, Sam Clements, Willie Young, Jackson Boteler, Trip Mooney, Ryan Rainer, Jon Burse, JaQualen Lockett, Clay Pope. Coaches: Head coach Jason Moore; assistant coaches Dylan Hambick, Steve Pruett, David Streit, Paul Mooney, Reed Collins, Marcus April, Mike Horton, Garry Ketchings.
Jackson Academy and Madison St. Joseph Catholic School are coming into this week’s “Game of the Week” with very focused agendas. For the Raiders, it’s about righting a ship that has taken on water the last two games with back to back losses. For the Bruins, it’s about keeping the momentum going after a decisive win over their St. Joseph counterparts in Greenville 35-12. Both these teams are 0-1 in MAIS 6A District 1 and looking to build momentum.
“We really are trying to hit the reset button. We are preaching to the kids to do whatever it takes to put out their best effort,” said Jackson Academy Head Coach Aubrey Blackwell. “We were all disappointed after watching the tape against Lamar, knowing we waited too late in the game to turn things on. I think we had bit of a letdown after losing to Prep the week before. It’s time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and get the season restarted.”
Madison St. Joseph is playing its first year in MAIS 6A and comes in with a 3-2 overall record. The Bruins’ district loss came at the hands of Madison Ridgeland Academy 42-14. Through five games the St. Joe offense has outscored its opponents 156-94. The Bruins have wins over Delta Streets Academy (57-0) and Clinton Christian Academy (36-20) with their only other loss coming against Central Hinds Academy (20-14).
St. Joe is led on offense by sophomore quarterback King White, who has completed 64 percent of his passes for 836 yards, thrown nine touchdowns to just two interceptions. White has also toted the rock for 117 yards and a touchdown and is just shy of 1,000 yards of total offense with 953 on the season.
“He’s big and has a good arm. He will certainly make a play with his legs and is not afraid to lower his shoulder on defenders,” said Coach Blackwell. “They played great last week and are coming into this one with confidence. We’ve got to get out and start fast. He throws a really good midrange ball, especially against MRA last week. He’s very good at hitting those 8-12 yards on time and with accuracy. We have got to wrap him up and get him on the ground.”
White’s favorite target is sophomore receiver Keyshaun Coleman. He leads the team in receiving with 22 catches for 416 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Eli Dampier has hauled in 14 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. They are both very athletic and can be difference makers this week. The Bruins take some of the pressure off the passing game with running back Kaleb Gray. The senior is the leading rusher with 62 carries for 335 yards and seven touchdowns. Gray is a nice change of pace back and can keep an offensive drive rolling.
“They are just very athletic everywhere,” said Blackwell.
Defensively, the Bruins have an extremely talented defensive line. Sophomore defensive end Zycameron Williams leads the team with 31 tackles, five for loss and has notched two sacks. Senior defensive end Lonnie Smith Jr. has 30 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks.
Smith causes a lot of problems for folks. He is part of a group that brings pressure all the time,” said Blackwell. “They run a chaotic type defense that tries to get you out of position.”
If the front line doesn’t stop you, a pair of linebackers are waiting in the second level. Senior Demariet Davis has 29 tackles on the season, 28 being solo and five tackles for loss. He’s joined by fellow senior Parker Davis who has recorded 27 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.
Jackson Academy has lost two straight and is coming in off a bye week. Overall they are 4-2 and 0-1 in MAIS 6A District 1. The Raiders dropped a close one to Lamar School 28-26 their last time out. JA dropped its district opener against rival Jackson Prep 17-10. The Raiders have been riddled with injuries and illness for the last two games.
“Our bye week last week couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Blackwell. “We are going to be as close to full strength as we have been in a while.”
Leading rusher Omarean Ellis was sidelined the last two games with an ankle injury, but has been cleared to play this week, as long as he feels comfortable through the mid-week practices. The junior was on a blistering pace with 522 yards and seven touchdowns. The Raiders had 976 rushing yards through the first four games. In the last two games, JA was held to just 54 rushing yards against Prep and 87 yards vs. Lamar. The passing game struggled as well, averaging just 138 yards in each loss.
Leading receiver Kiandre Terry has been nursing a hamstring injury suffered in the Silliman game earlier this year and will hopefully be back to 100 percent. Most importantly Blackwell says his offensive line, which had been down two starters will be back to full strength for St. Joe. Senior Newell Etherly, sophomore Luke New, senior Ben Watson, junior Shamarye Lee, and junior Kriston Edwards are all expected to start this week
“It’s incredible how many injuries we’ve had this year,” said Blackwell. “Ankles, hamstrings and two shoulders, a meniscus and a hip. Thankfully none have been season ending, but it’s been crazy. We even had assistant coach Shay Hodge suffer a torn ACL while playing quarterback on our scout team.”
Defensively the Raiders are in pretty good shape. Senior Colby Archie has recorded 24 tackles, six for loss and three sacks in his last two games. Fellow senior Fagan Daniel picked up 16 tackles last week against Lamar, despite tweaking his knee in the Prep game. Junior Parker Halford and sophomore Dereon Albert will be tough for the Bruins to get around on the defensive line. JA will be without the MAIS leader in tackles for loss though. Senior Nicolas Harris is battling an illness and will not play.
This series has been dominated Jackson Academy with the Raiders winning all four match-ups. Their latest meeting in 2022, was a 36-12 JA victory.
Two teams battling for their first district win. Somebody’s going to get it. The question is, will it be the Bruins who keep the momentum going, or the Raiders hitting the reset button on their season? Friday night under the lights in Madison at St. Joseph will be a fun one to watch.
Keys to Victory for Madison St. Joseph:
On offense: Lean on the King. Quarterback King White is the true difference maker. His ability to pass or run will keep the Raiders guessing.
On defense: Contain Omarean Ellis. Ellis could be rusty after sitting two games with the ankle injury. Stack the line and try to make JA one dimensional.
Keys to Victory for Jackson Academy:
On offense: Find a way to run the ball. The Raiders struggles have been the lack of a running game in the losing streak. Having the offensive line intact should reap rewards this week.
On defense: Linebacker play will rule the day. Look for the Raiders to mix in blitzes to slow the Bruins down.
The Series: Jackson Academy leads the recent series 4-0.
Last Meeting: Jackson Academy won 36-12 in the 2022 regular season.
AT A GLANCE
Madison St. Joseph:
Class/Division: Class 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Record: 3-2 overall, 0-1 in District
Head Coach: Jason Moore
Assistant Coaches: David Streit, Dylan Hambick.
Jackson Academy:
Class/Division: Class 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Record: 4-2 overall, 0-1 in District
Head Coach: Aubrey Blackwell
Assistant Coaches: Jackie Smith, Tommy Ferrill, Shay Hodge, Jonathan Bolton, Andrew Crenshaw.
