Photo by Robert Smith
By Robert Wilson
FLOWOOD – Jackson Prep senior quarterback Billy Puckett doesn’t have any Division I offers and his name doesn’t show up on any of the recruiting rankings.
But there might not be a more accurate passer, more poised player, and more determined runner than Puckett in Mississippi.
You won’t get an argument from Madison-Ridgeland Academy coach Herbert Davis, who has coached many outstanding quarterbacks in his coaching career.
Puckett passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 173 more with two scores to lead Prep to a convincing, 42-17 victory over MRA in a MAIS Class 6A game between two of the best teams in Mississippi before an estimated 3,500 on Senior Night at Prep’s Patriot Field.
Prep improved to 10-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play and clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the 6A state playoffs. The last time Prep won its first 10 games was in 2017 when Mississippi Hall of Fame member and former National Coach of the Year, Coach Ricky Black, led Prep to a 13-0 season and a state championship.
MRA dropped to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play and will be the No. 2 seed and receive a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Puckett – one of 36 seniors recognized prior to Friday’s game – was focused from the opening kickoff. On the first play of Prep’s first possession, Puckett hit tight end Aiden Rowe across the middle for a 30-yard gain. Four plays later, Puckett connected with senior wide receiver Gardner Young in the right corner of the end zone for a 30-yard TD for a 7-0 lead with 8 minutes, 43 seconds to play in the first quarter.
Then on Prep’s next possession, Puckett drove his team 80 yards in six plays and connected with Young again, this one for a 14-yard TD on the left sideline of the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 5:04 to play in the first quarter.
Two long scoring drives, covering 155 yards (75 and 80) in the first seven minutes. The tone was set.
MRA never recovered.
Puckett scrambled and ran for a 48-yard TD with a minute to go before halftime for a 21-7 Prep lead.
He added a 25-yard TD pass to Rowe for a 35-17 lead with 37 seconds to go in the third quarter and an 18-yard TD run for a 42-17 lead with 4:57 to go in the fourth quarter.
Puckett – who has had several Division I schools show interest but none have offered a scholarship yet – had a solid performance, just like he has had all season. He completed 10 of 14 passes for his 201 passing yards and had 11 carries for his 172 rushing yards.
“Our line was playing lights out and we did a great job of taking what the defense was giving us and not trying to do too much,” Puckett said. “We played really well as a team and had each other’s backs. The line gave me time to throw, and I just put in our athletes’ hands and gave them a shot to make a play and they did great. I was able to run the ball well because our running back carried out his fakes well and I had guys working hard to block for me in the open field. Overall, we just did a fantastic job of play calling and playing our game. When you have athletes on the field that play well together, it leads to an unstoppable offense.”
Puckett – whose father Hastings was a star basketball player at Jackson Academy in the mid-1990s – came into Friday with a 69 percent completion percentage, 1,789 passing yards, 21 TDs with only two interceptions and 365 rushing yards and nine TDs this season.
Prep’s senior offensive line – left tackle and Duke commitment Cole Allen (6-6, 260 pounds), left guard Reid Vineyard, senior center Thomas Coco (6-2, 275 pounds and son of head of school Lawrence Coco), right guard Laquarrious Finley (6-2, 280), and right tackles Matthew Parker (6-8, 310 pounds and a Baylor commitment) and Robert Watson (6-5, 225) – opened holes and protected Puckett all night as the Patriots produced 553 total yards (352 rushing and 201 passing). Parker is rated No. 20 and Allen No. 21 in the Class of 2025 in Mississippi by 247 Sports. Only Tyler Miller of Laurel (rated No. 6) is ranked higher than Parker and Allen among offensive tackles. Parker has 25 Division I offers, including Power 5 schools Vanderbilt, Duke and Florida State. Allen has 19 Division I offers.
Prep coach Doug Goodwin won his 266th game in his 30-year coaching career, 234 of those in 27 years in Alabama where he is member of the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame. Goodwin became the first coach in Alabama history to take three different teams to a state championship game. He has a 32-5 record in his three seasons at Prep.
“Billy played very well,” Goodwin said. “He threw it well and ran it well, too. Our offensive line blocked well. We didn’t throw it a lot but when we did our receivers did very well. I thought our backs ran hard. Our defense played well, both upfront and on the back end. (Senior free safety) Demarion Tyler and (senior cornerback) Blount Blackledge both had big interceptions. Our defense front did a good job of getting pressure on their quarterback. Our kicking game was good and only gave up seven return yards. I’m proud of our guys and coaches.”
In addition to Puckett, junior Thomas Hewitt Oswalt had 78 yards, senior Tre Bryant 66 and senior and senior Major Quin had 25 yards rushing. Quin, an Air Force Academy commitment, led Prep in receiving with 81 yards. Rowe had 55 and Young 49.
Prep had to refocus after last week’s emotional, 51-45 victory over defending MAIS 6A state champion Hartfield in a rematch of last year’s state championship game when Hartfield shutout Prep 21-0, the first time Prep had been held scoreless since 2004.
“We just take it one week at a time, focusing on the opponent we play,” Puckett said. “We knew that this was a big game to set us up well in the playoffs. We also remembered that feeling of that win last week and wanted the same feeling again. It all starts with focusing in practice and staying locked in this late in the season. We did just that and that allowed us to have a great mindset and be prepared heading into this game.”
“We prepare for our game each week the same way,” Goodwin said. “We try to correct our mistakes from the previous week and get better each week. We just try to focus on what we need to do to get better. We try to be as consistent with that as we can no matter who our opponent is.”
Prep was equally impressive on defense. The Patriots allowed only 288 total yards (288 passing and 50 rushing). MRA junior quarterback Samuel Stockett was 19 of 41 passing with two interceptions and was sacked twice and pressured multiple times. MRA averaged only 2.8 yards per carry on 18 attempts.
This is the same offense that had scored 40 or more points seven times this season.
“Our kids played hard,” said Prep defensive coordinator Nick Brewer, who has been a part of 13 state championships since coming to Prep in 1999. “We knew we couldn’t let their quarterback sit back in the pocket. We had to put some pressure on him, and it worked. We were on all on the same page. Our guys did a good job on their running game and our secondary covered well.”
“We came into this week knowing it was going to be a tough and physical game on both sides of the ball all night,’ said Prep senior linebacker-running back and Arizona State baseball commitment Tre Bryant, son of former longtime Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant. “I just think we wanted it more. Both teams are very talented, and I just felt like we had a better mentality going into it than they did. We were physically dominant and that really helped us. Our lineman did great and that is what propelled us to a win.”
Friday’s 17 points in the least number of points MRA has scored since a 21-14 loss to Prep in the 2022 state championship game.
MRA coach Herbert Davis – a Brookhaven Academy, Co-Lin CC, and Mississippi College (bachelor’s degree) and Delta State (master’s degree) graduate – was denied his 246th career win to go along with six state championships (three at MRA, two at Brookhaven Academy and one at Pillow Academy) in his 28th season as a head coach. He is the only football coach in Mississippi history to take five schools (MRA, Brookhaven Academy, Pillow Academy, Heritage Academy and Winston Academy) to state championship games. Davis has won 111 games in 11 seasons at MRA.
Davis hasn’t had many nights like Friday’s, especially since he’s been at MRA.
“They physically took it to us,” Davis said. “We dropped some balls, didn’t block well, blew too many assignments on both sides of the ball. And Billy played well, he’s smart and he’s a competitor. Hopefully, this game will make us better.”
