By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy named its offensive line “Trenchmob,” in 2018 and this year’s version has played like the definition of its name by controlling the line of scrimmage, especially Friday night in the first meeting between the two of the Big Four teams of the MAIS.
MRA’s massive offensive front opened up holes for 303 rushing yards and led the Patriots to a 49-21 victory over two-time defending MAIS Class 6A state champion Hartfield Academy in a game between two of the Top 20 teams in Mississippi before an estimated 3,500 at Hartfield’s Community Bank Field.
MRA – ranked No. 10 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – improved to 2-1 and won its second straight game.
Hartfield – ranked No. 18 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – dropped to 0-2 after winning 26 games with only two losses in the past two seasons.
The game was the first meeting between the MAIS’ Big Four (MRA, Hartfield, Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep) this season and a rematch of last year’s MAIS Class 6A semifinals that Hartfield won 17-14 on its way to its second straight 6A state title.
A big reason why MRA won Friday night was because of the front line of junior right tackle Brody Brown (6-foot-3, 229 pounds), senior right guard Heed Burnham (6-3, 292), senior center Morgan McCrory (6-foot, 215), junior left guard Clay Lawson (6-3, 304), junior left tackle Caleb Unger (6-3, 295), junior tight end Tripp Carroll (5-11, 195), and senior tight end Will Jones (6-3, 188).
“Those big guys up front did a great job,” said MRA coach Herbert Davis, who won his 248th career game in 29 seasons along with five state championships, three at MRA and two at Brookhaven Academy and one at Pillow Academy. “It was good to see.”
“I was very proud of our focus and approach to this week’s game plan,” MRA offensive line coach Kenny Williams said. “I felt that our linemen had a goal to be physical this week. We played really well and there is so much we can improve on for the future.”
“We played as a unit with a chip on our shoulder,” said Unger, who is a member of the Performance Therapy/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team and has 20 Division I offers, including Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley. “We physically and mentally came to play and that set us apart. Playing physical and comfortable is what worked for me.”
While Unger and his teammates opened holes, running backs Colson O’Cain and Jaxon Jenkins did an outstanding job running through them. O’Cain, a 5-8, 180-pound sophomore, gained 140 yards on 14 carries and scored five touchdowns and one two-point conversion. Jenkins, a 5-8, 177-pound senior, gained 133 yards on 23 carries. MRA had 303 rushing yards on 43 carries, an average of 7 yards per carry.
MRA jumped out to a 15-0 lead on two O’Cain TD runs then Hartfield came back. Senior defensive back and South Alabama commitment Teryn Green made an interception and returned it 13 yards for a score to cut the lead to 15-7 with 11 minutes, 45 seconds to play in the second quarter.
Senior quarterback Samuel Stockett completed a 23-yard TD pass to Jones – grandson of former Mississippi College men’s basketball coach and athletic director and Mississippi Hall of Fame member Mike Jones – to give MRA a 21-7 lead with 2:23 to play before halftime.
Hartfield senior wide receiver-defensive back-return specialist and Auburn commitment Bralan Womack scored on a 13-yard run and Hartfield junior quarterback Ethan Elliott scored on a 3-yard run with 12 seconds before halftime for a 21-21 tie.
MRA owned the second half, outscoring Hartfield 28-0.
James Downer blocked and returned a Hartfield field goal to the Hartfield 30 to set up O’Cain’s third TD of the game, a 4-yard run, in the third quarter.
MRA senior defensive back Jack Ridgway had a 27-yard interception for a TD to push the lead to 35-21 in the third quarter, then O’Cain scored two TDs in the final four minutes for the final margin.
“I told the team at halftime to calm down and start back doing what we did to get up 15-0,” Davis said. “We did a great job on the second half. Colson reminds me of Arizona State’s running back Cam Skattebo (who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and is now a rookie with the New York Giants). He’s short, strong, fast and quick. He and Jackson did a great job running the ball.”
“We have to be better as a team,” said Hartfield coach Craig Brown, who has a 53-14 record and two state titles (the first two in school history) is his six seasons at Hartfield. “MRA played a great game and just was better. No excuses will be made.”
