There’s no easing into the start of district play this week for Jackson Academy and Madison Ridgeland Academy. These two will begin the second season Friday night as the Raiders travel to Madison to meet the Patriots in the division opener for both teams. The last time these two teams saw each other on the field was back in November in the MAIS 6A Championship game. MRA won that contest easily 41-14 for its second straight title.
The Raiders (3-0) have been perfect through their first three games of the season with wins over Starkville Academy 37-0, Leake Academy 27-13 and last week over St. Joseph Catholic 35-14.
The Patriots (2-3) current record, with three losses in the first five games, certainly looks concerning to the naked eye, until you take a closer look at who they’ve played. Greenville Christian, a 64-32 loss, is currently ranked number three in Mississippi with a wealth of highly ranked recruits. Oakland, Tenn., a 31-13 loss, was ranked number one in the state of Tennessee. The other loss was against Pulaski Academy, the second ranked team in Arkansas 63-39.
“We always felt like those games would make us better win, lose or draw,” said Herbert Davis, MRA Head Coach. “People certainly can’t say we don’t play anybody. We are young at so many positions and feel we have a good football team. We’ve taken some lumps to learn lessons and mature. I really feel we’ve got a lot of mistakes out of the way. Those teams showed us our weaknesses and our kids have definitely been able to get better.”
Raider’s Head Coach Lance Pogue attributes much of his team’s early success to experience. “We are off to a decent start and have lots of seniors, 19 to be exact, and there is no price tag for that,” said Pogue. “We have such a cohesive, unified team. It’s so hard this day and age, among kids and even coaches, where there is so much focus on the individual. This is truly a team, concerned about each other and doing what’s best for one another. That makes me so proud.”
For the Raiders offense, it’s been a very balanced attack. Senior Running back Marcus Harris is still the cog that makes everything go. In the first three games, Harris has carried the ball 41 times for 289 yards and scored six touchdowns.
“Marcus is great. Don’t be fooled though as you look at his numbers. They aren’t where they were this time last year but he is creating so many opportunities,” said Pogue.
The opportunities he is creating are for senior quarterback Tate Collins. Collins, in his first year at JA has posted some nice numbers through three games. He’s completed 27 of 38 passes for 428 yards, thrown five touchdowns against just two interceptions. Senior receiver Dakota Jordan is coming off a great game against St. Joseph where he had four catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
“Our passing game is a work in progress for sure. When the defense focuses on the run, we’ve got the opportunity for great shots down the field. We’ve got some good receivers and we are going to need them to win a championship,” Pogue said.
The Patriots offense is once again one of the most dangerous around. Their two wins have been dominating, Natchez Cathedral 56-7 and last week Simpson Academy 42-7. Moving the football has not been a problem for the Herbert Davis offense.
“We’ve had some trouble finishing drives in those big three games. We were right in against Pulaski and had a great chance to win. But we had turnovers in two red zone trips,” said Davis. “We can move the ball, put up the yardage, just haven’t punched it in. If we can do that we are going to being very successful.”
Davis says his sophomore quarterback John White is getting more comfortable in the system every day. Through his first four games White has thrown for more than 1,000 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The two constants and reliable receivers have continued to shine in seniors Davis Dalton and Street Toler. Through their first four games Dalton had 25 catches for 353 yards and a touchdown, and Toler had 19 catches for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
Another nice option at receiver is junior Rivers Godwin who has hauled in 13 grabs for 257 yards and three scores. As we’ve become accustomed, the Patriots use the pass to set up a little running game. Senior Tylor Latham and junior Jonathan Latham have been efficient adding in more than 400 yards and six scores on the ground to keep the defenses honest.
Defensively, MRA will look to senior linebackers Stone Blanton and Braeden Watters to lead the way. These two set the tone and have accounted for more than 60 tackles so far this year. Davis is also looking for big games from senior defensive lineman Will Hornback, junior linebacker Bennett Cloud, and junior defensive backs Jonathan Latham and Jeffrey Polk.
The Raiders defense will certainly have their hands full to slow down MRA. Linebacker Banks Whittington, defensive end Max Walenta and defensive tackle Ethan Archie have been stellar through the first three games and will be huge players in getting pressure on the quarterback.
“This is going to be a big game with JA, no doubt about it. I just want our kids to stay focused and keep getting better each play,” said MRA Coach Herbert Davis.
“This is going to be a fun game, lots of hype and build-up. It’s exciting for our kids to play such a meaningful game. I’m looking forward to having them just go play and hopefully play well,” said JA Coach Lance Pogue.
On paper this is just a regular season game for these two on Friday night, but they both have championship aspirations of perhaps meeting one another again in the postseason and maybe a title game rematch.
Keys to Victory:
On offense: For MRA, finish drives off with points. Coach Herbert Davis’ team could easily have won two of the losses by either scoring or not turning the ball over. The defensive competition was fierce but they need to score more
For JA, use the run to set up the pass. Marcus Harris has been great out of the backfield. The Patriots found a way to neutralize him last year in the championship. The Raiders will still stick with the run to set up opportunities to hit big plays in the passing game.
On defense: For MRA, stack the line. Linebacker play will be huge as they can slow down the Raider running game.
For JA, bend but don’t break. The Patriots will get yardage. You can’t stop that. The key is to not give up the big long yardage scores. Make them work from a short field with no a lot of room to spread out and keep them out of the endzone.
At a Glance:
Class/Division: Class: 6A District 6 (MHSAA)
MRA Head Coach: Herbert Davis (8th season)
Assistant Coaches: Danny White, Hayden Davis, Jacob Land, Matt Walker, John Weaver, Kenny Williams
JA Head Coach: Lance Pogue (2nd year as Head Coach, 5th at JA)
Assistant Coaches: Danny Robertson, Bryan Madden, Tommy Ferrill, Ken Chandler, Justin Shannon, Nick Louvier
The Series: Jackson Academy leads 11-9
Last Match-Up: MRA won 41-14 in the MAIS 6A Championship in 2020.
