Rivalry games are what make sports great. No opponent rallies the fan base more than your rival. The stories told of games past that start with “remember the year…” and the adage “throw the records out in this one,” are just special when you reach rivalry week. Every player seems to put out just a little more in practice and swell with pride in the week leading up to the game. When the lights come on Friday night, the adrenaline pumps like no other week. That is most certainly the case this week as our C Spire Game of the Week shines the spotlight on Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep. The names and faces change over the years but the intensity meter is always topped out. This year both schools have new coaches that will lead their teams into the JA-Prep experience.
“The fun of high school football is being able to enjoy it, celebrate winning and doing it against your rival would be even better,” said Jackson Prep Head Coach Doug Goodwin. “I’ve been blessed to be a part of many rivalries over the years and the key is to not let kids get too over-hyped and try our best to treat them as any other opponent.”
“This will be the biggest week ahead for us, not because it’s Prep but because we are coming off our worst performance of the season,” said Jackson Academy Head Coach Aubrey Blackwell. “How do we respond is what I’m excited most to see. This is about character building, learning from and overcoming adversity.”
These rivals enter this game coming off polar opposite results last week. Jackson Prep annihilated Yazoo City 70-20. Jackson Academy stumbled at home in a district game against Hartfield last week 38-6.
It was a rough road for JA against the Hawks as Coach Blackwell was already without starting quarterback Clayton White who was held out because of a concussion protocol for a hit he took the week before. Back-up quarterback Maddox Greer suffered a scary hit and possible concussion against Hartfield and was knocked out of the game. Coach Blackwell said it was scary, but Greer is doing well. The Raiders went to third string quarterback Anderson Cross, who also hurt his ankle, then had to find the emergency quarterback in running back DJ Watkins.
“We don’t have a plan for a fourth string quarterback. I’ve never had more injuries hit a team in my career like we’ve had this year. I’ve only seen three high school concussions and we’ve seen two in two weeks,” said Coach Blackwell. “We should have Clayton back this week, but we are still trying to overcome the losses of our starting running back Omarean Ellis, who is out for the year, and our versatile receiver/running back Merritt Nations, who we might get back for the playoffs. To say this is challenging doesn’t do it justice.”
Jackson Academy was held to just 174 total yards against Hartfield, with 162 of them coming on the ground. DJ Watkins was a bright spot running for 68 yards on 11 carries and Dre Terry has emerged as a solid back with five carries for 42 yards and scored the lone touchdown.
Jackson Prep plays the host this week and comes into the game with an overall record of 7-1 and 1-1 in MAIS District play. The only blemish on the record so far this year is a 26-14 loss to Madison Ridgeland Academy. It has been a remarkable turnaround brought about by Coach Doug Goodwin, who took over the team that lost five games for the first time in school history last season. Goodwin is extremely humble though and credits the work of his assistants and the dedication of his players.
“I wasn’t surprised with how we started. The players and coaches made this such a smooth transition, they have been very accepting of the new system,” said Coach Goodwin. “We talk all the time about getting a little bit better every day and I believe we are. We’ve still got a ways to go but we’re getting there.”
The Patriots defense has been downright stingy, giving up an average of just 13 points per game. Senior Duncan Mathews is playing lights out with a team leading 70 tackles, 31 of those being solo, with a whopping 16 tackles for loss and five sacks. Fellow senior Sam Watts is second on the team in tackles and racked up eight tackles for losses. Junior Andy Brown has notched nine tackles for loss and four sacks of his own.
Offensively, Patriots quarterback Paxton Thompson is in the midst of a stellar season. The senior signal caller has thrown for more than 1,700 yards, an average of 230 yards a contest, and 20 touchdowns. Thompson’s top target is senior Will Upton who has 44 catches for more than 800 yards and 12 touchdowns. Prep has mixed the run game in effectively as well with junior Lake Womack rumbling for more than 400 yards on just over 80 carries. All told, this offense is averaging 40 points per game which is hard for opposing teams to keep up with.
Defensively, Jackson Academy will look to senior linebacker Adams Kennedy, who leads the team with 104 total tackles, freshman defensive tackle Dereon Albert with 61 tackles and five sacks, and sophomore linebacker AJ Parker, 66 tackles four sacks, to be the foundation of slowing down the Prep offense.
“We have got to get pressure on their quarterback (Paxton) Thompson,” said Coach Blackwell. “We need to get our guys in the right position and on the same page communication wise which we really got away from last week.”
Blackwell also says while they are of course game planning for Prep, he and the coaches are just looking to piece together enough healthy pieces for the Raiders to compete at a high level.
Meanwhile Coach Goodwin believes it might be a little harder for his team pinpoint what the Raiders will throw at them with all the new faces in new places. He also doesn’t want his team thinking it’s going to be an easy road because of all the injuries.
“It’s dangerous when you hear how many kids they have out.” said Goodwin. “Our message is don’t worry who they put out there, focus on yourselves.”
The outcome of any game is never determined by what’s on paper before kick-off. Throw in a rivalry game and often times, strange, unexpected and memorable moments happen. The atmosphere will be electric, the fans will be frenzied and the players and coaches will do their best to stay grounded and in the moment. Even casual observers will be interested in how things go between Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep this Friday night on Lakeland Drive. Rivalry games are just special.
Keys to Victory for Jackson Prep:
On offense: Quarterback Paxton Thompson has been extremely patient and efficient so far this season. Jackson Academy is probably going to blitz a lot so the pressure will be on to get rid of the ball quickly and if the line holds up there will be some shots at big plays.
On defense: Get the Raiders in third and long situations, forcing them to pass.
Keys to Victory for Jackson Academy:
On offense: Expect Prep to stack the box and dare you to throw. Coach Blackwell will undoubtedly find ways to use screen passes, draw plays and the like to slow the defensive rush. JA wants to keep this a low scoring game and control time of possession.
On defense: The Raiders really want to put pressure on Paxton Thompson to hopefully force some bad throws. The key will be not giving up quick, long scores.
The Series: Prep leads the all-time series 21-10.
Last Meeting: Prep won 10-6 in the 2021 regular season.
AT A GLANCE
Jackson Prep:
Class/Division: Class 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Record: 7-1 overall, 1-1 in District
Head Coach: Doug Goodwin (First Season)
Assistant Coaches: Nick Brewer, Rusty Burke, Matt Butts, Graham Eklund, Derek Rang, Zander Romano, Marcus Thompson, Marcus Canoy, Brent Heavener, Les Triplett.
Jackson Academy:
Class/Division: Class 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Record: 6-2 overall, 0-2 in District
Head Coach: Aubrey Blackwell (First Season)
Assistant Coaches: David Duggan, Jackie Smith, Tommy Ferrill, Shay Hodge, Trey Downes
