The MAIS 6A district crown is on the line Friday night as Madison Ridgeland Academy (8-1 overall, 3-0 in district) travels to Jackson Prep (9-0 overall, 3-0 in district). The winner also guarantees itself a coveted first round bye in the playoffs. These two have met four times over the last two years in both the regular season and playoffs. Prep has won both playoff battles, one for the state title in 2022 and in the semifinals last year. MRA has won each of the last two regular season games. They’ve all been close and super intense.
“It’s just kind of the way it’s worked out us winning in the playoffs. Either team could have won the game. This one feels like a toss-up again,” said Jackson Prep Head Coach Doug Goodwin, who joined this rivalry in 2022. “It’s really who makes the fewest mistakes and can come up with the big plays.”
“We are playing a great football team this week in Prep,” said MRA Head Coach Herbert Davis. “They are a very familiar opponent. We know what they are going to try to do and the same for them. It’s a big game that will come down to execution and maybe throw in a wrinkle or two.”
Prep is coming off a nail-biting 51-45 win over Hartfield last week. The Patriots tailed 45-31 at the end of the third quarter but rallied with 20 points in the fourth quarter to snag the victory and keep their perfect record intact.
“Wasn’t that something!” said Goodwin. “I don’t think we ever flinched, we never said, that’s it. We had some adversity, but I told our kids to just keep playing, the next play is the most important. That never say die attitude was amazing.”
Senior quarterback Billy Puckett was 17 of 34 for 201 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The dual threat QB also ran the ball 17 times for 57 yards and two scores. Puckett’s three senior receivers were solid against the Hawks as Major Quin had three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, John Maddux had six catches for 59 yards and Gardner Young two for 51.
The running game was solid as five rushers combined for 35 carries, 156 yards and six touchdowns. While Puckett led the way with his 57 yards, junior Thomas Hewitt Oswalt chipped in for 42 yards and a touchdown, senior Cole Gideon rushed for 29 and a touchdown, and senior Tre Bryant made the most of his 11 yards scoring twice. The ability to run the ball this week will be critical in keeping the MRA offense off the field and limiting the number of possessions.
“We have two choices. Do we play tempo to go as fast as we can to wear them out, or play at a normal pace and try to keep it from them,” said Goodwin. “We want to run the ball, which means we’ve got to block. The longer we have the ball, their offense won’t be able to score while standing on the sidelines.”
While the Prep defense shut down the Hawks on the ground last week giving up just 51 yards, they were very soft against the pass. Hartfield QB Cayman Tapper was 27 of 49 for 439 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. That could bode well for the MRA passing attack.
“I’m not worried about our secondary. If we’re playing good coverage and guys make big plays, then so be it. We just want to make sure we don’t have blown coverages and clean up the penalties. We drew too many flags last week,” said Goodwin.
MRA won 24-14 last week at Jackson Academy but Coach Davis said it was a lackluster offensive performance. The MPats were averaging 48 points per game going into the JA game.
“We made just about every mistake imaginable. We had blown assignments everywhere, guys running the wrong routes, the quarterback making the wrong reads and the line not picking up their blocks,” said Davis.
MRA was in a tough position coming off an emotional, draining win against Hartfield, then playing the Raiders with the Prep game looming this week. That said, MRA held on for the win to set up this showdown.
Taking a look at Hartfield as a common opponent, the MPats beat the Hawks 44-35 but also gave up big time yardage through the air allowing 321 yards and four touchdowns. It was a very balanced offensive attack that ultimately allowed MRA to get the win. Junior quarterback Samuel Stockett threw for 284 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception. A trio of running backs put up 241 yards on 34 carries with senior running back DJ Watkins leading the way with 121.
Both of these teams have strived for offensive balance. To this point, Prep has proven to be the most effective. Billy Pucket has thrown for 1,800 yards, 21 touchdowns to just two interceptions. As a team, Prep has run for 1,600 yards and 30 touchdowns. Coach Goodwin has three backs that have all exceeded 300 yards. Thomas Hewitt Oswalt tops out with 386 yards and four touchdowns, Cole Gideon has 380 yards and seven scores along with Puckett, through designed runs has 365 yards and nine touchdowns.
For MRA, Samuel Stockett has thrown for more than 2,200 yards, 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions. They’ve also amassed 1,154 rushing yards with Jaxon Jenkins, DJ Watkins, and Michael McCrory.
The pressure this week will ride heavily on both defenses.
“We have got to stop the run,” said Coach Davis. “Puckett is a great passer, but he is very dangerous with his legs, both on designed runs and his ability to scramble. Coach Goodwin is a master of formations, trying to disguise what they are going to run. In the end we’ve just got to play a clean game and not make mistakes. In the championship two years ago we had six turnovers, in last year’s semi-final it was a multitude of miscues.”
“It gets harder and harder to disguise our formations because we’ve played them so much,” said Goodwin. “The bottom line is this, and I know it sounds like coach speak but it’s true, it’s all about blocking, tackling and execution. Whoever does that best is going to win.”
These will be the top two teams heading into the playoffs. Both will have first round byes and the winner on Friday night earns the district title, but the ultimate prize is still several weeks away.
Keys to Victory for Jackson Prep:
On offense: Control the clock. This offense is built on a run-pass balance. The longer you have the ball means less time for the MRA offense.
On defense: Keep everything in front. This defense has done a great job of limiting explosive plays. Look for Prep to do plenty of blitzing to make Samuel Stockett uncomfortable.
Keys to Victory for MRA:
On offense: Look for the offense to shake off the rust of last week and to run fast tempo. Their offensive success is all about rhythm and spreading the ball around with yards after the catch.
On defense: Never lose sight of the quarterback. Billy Puckett is as talented as they come and can beat you in so many ways. Limit his big plays and try to force a turnover or two.
The Series: Jackson Prep leads the all-time series 26-9.
Last Meeting: Jackson Prep won 28-25 in the 2023 playoffs semi-final round.
AT A GLANCE
Jackson Prep:
Class/Division: Class 6A, District 1 (MAIS)
Record: 9-0 overall, 3-0 in district
Head Coach: Doug Goodwin
Assistant Coaches: Marcus Canoy, Jake Pickett, Zach Miller, Matt Bryant, Nick Brewer, Matt Butts, Keith Giordano, Rusty Burke
MRA Patriots:
Class/Division: Class: 6A District 1 (MAIS)
Overall Record: 8-1 overall, 3-0 in district
Head Coach: Herbert Davis
Assistant Coaches: Danny White, Matt Walker, John Weaver, Kenny Williams
