Two high school football powerhouses will face their first major test of the season Friday, when Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA) and Jackson Academy (JA) square off in the third game of the season at Raider Field.
The matchup continues a storied rivalry between the two schools and represents the first division game for both teams on the year.
MRA (2-0, 0-0) comes into the game as defending state champs and has won five of their last six regular-season matchups against JA.
JA (1-1, 0-0) enters the game much improved on the 2019 season, but still needing some work. After trouncing Pillow Academy in its season opener, the Raiders fell to Leake Academy last week.
“It’s one of our big rivalry games. We’re always wanting to play well in this game,” said MRA head coach Herbert Davis. “They’re going to be much improved this year with Coach Pogue, so we’re going to have our hands full.”
MRA is riding a nine-game win streak, which includes a 27-26 squeaker against the top-ranked Trinity Christian in the school’s season opener.
Despite losing several key players from its 2019 championship team, MRA appears to have reloaded.
Senior quarterback Zach Beasley passed for 199 yards and three touchdowns in his first game. On the ground he was backed up by junior Tyler Latham, who rushed for 78 yards, and senior Rayf Vinson, who carried the ball for 45 yards and a touchdown, according to Maxpreps.com stats.
Week two stats for the Patriots were not available at press time.
The Raiders’ offense is led by senior quarterback Jackson Conn, who passed for 96 yards and a touchdown and has rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns in his first two games this year. Conn missed the 2019 season due to injury.
Meanwhile, junior running back Marcus Harris picked up where he left off, carrying the ball 38 times for 218 yards and five scores in the first outings of the season.
Head coach Lance Pogue said MRA will be a “major test, the third game out of the gate.”
“We’re brand new at offense. We’re doing things differently on defense. We have guys in different positions,” he said. “We’re going to get better as we get experience.”
JA will be relying on linebackers Donovan Beasley and Caleb Hernandez to help stop MRA’s up-tempo pass and run games.
“We’re getting Donovan back at linebacker and Caleb Hernandez,” Pogue said. “They’ve really helped us. Ethan Archie has done well at nose guard. Our secondary is athletic. It’s just a matter of some guys haven’t played a lot yet.”
In his first two games, Veasley, a senior, notched eight tackles and a sack. Hernandez, also a senior, had 13 tackles and a sack of his own. Meanwhile, juniors Ethan Archie and Max Walenta put up 14 total tackles while junior J.T. Thigpen recorded 10.
The Patriots are no slouches on defense, either. In week one, the Pats recorded a combined 96 tackles, 5.5 sacks and an interception, and held Trinity to 26 points. Last year, Trinity averaged 45 points per game.
Junior Stone Blanton had 17 tackles in the matchup, while senior Hayes Puckett had 11.
Even so, Davis said his team could have played better. “We had too many penalties, blown assignments,” he said. “Fundamentally, I don’t think we played well on the offensive front.”
MRA had 12 penalties for 90 yards, and left two scores on the field. “We had a touchdown called back. We dropped a touchdown and then we had one called back by a penalty,” he said. “We have good potential there. Hopefully, we can continue to get better.”
Madison-Ridgeland Academy will travel to Jackson to take on Jackson Academy on September 4. The game is at 7 p.m. It is an away game for the Patriots.
Patriots’ Keys to Victory
Don’t overlook JA: The Raiders have lost five of their last six against MRA.They’re hungry for a win.
Get the points: MRA left two touchdowns on the field against Trinity. The game could have been much more lopsided had the Patriots scored on two other drives.
Raiders’ Keys to Victory
Shut down the air raid: Zach Beasley threw for nearly 200 yards in week one. Stop him and limit MRA’s up-tempo offense.
Get three-and-outs: MRA can run up the score. Keep the offense off the field.
MRA at a glance
Class/Division: Class: 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Head Coach: Herbert Davis
Assistant Coaches: Danny White, John Weaver, Kenny Williams
2019 record: 12-2
JA at a glance
Class/Division: Class 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Head Coach: Lance Pogue
Assistant Coaches: Tommy Ferrill, Bryan Madden, Trey Bayliss, Danny Robertson, Justin Shannon, Kyle Smith
Record 1-1, 0-0
