Veteran sportswriter and high school football expert Robert Wilson is doing the Germany Law Firm, PLLC/Mississippi Scoreboard predictions column each week during the high school football season on teams from Hinds, Madison, and Rankin County. Wilson had a 19-5 record (79.2 percent) last week and has a 144-47 record (75.4 percent) this season.
By Robert Wilson
JACKSON ACADEMY (7-1) AT MRA (5-2)
Defending MAIS Class 4A, Division I state champion Jackson Academy bounced back from its loss to Jackson Prep, which broke its 13-game winning streak, with a 34-0 victory over previously undefeated Magnolia Heights School last week for JA’s homecoming.
JA senior running back Aaric Beasley – one of the top running backs in Mississippi – had another big night with 191 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns. JA junior quarterback Peyton Smith completed 13 of 22 passes for 237 yards and one TD. Sophomore Braylon Morgan caught five passes for 89 yards and senior wide receiver Vaiden Taylor caught two passes for 76 yards and one TD. Junior linebacker Adam Alexander made a team-high 14 tackles and senior defensive lineman Jaden Walker and junior defensive lineman Reid Miller had 2.5 sacks each. Senior defensive back Ashton Blackmon had two interceptions and junior linebacker Gus Summers had two pass breakups.
JA registered its fourth shutout this season with the win over Magnolia Heights.
MRA is coming off a bye week after a brutal seven game stretch of opponents, one of the toughest schedules in school history. Only 12 teams in the Top 100 teams in Mississippi in the MaxPreps rankings have had a tougher schedule so far.
The schedule has taken its toll on the Patriots. And the end of the game with Baton Rouge Catholic two weeks ago (a 17-14 loss), MRA had as many as nine starters out of the game due to injuries. MRA coach Herbert Davis is hoping that most of them will be back for JA Friday night.
Both teams have two of the top offensive lineman in Mississippi – JA senior and Ohio State commitment Caden Moss (No. 3 player in Mississippi and the No. 7 offensive lineman in the country by the 2027 by 247 Sports) and MRA senior Caleb Unger (No. 14 player in Mississippi by 247 Sports).
MRA senior quarterback Austin Banks is having a solid season and has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,537 yards (11th best in Mississippi and 5th best in MAIS) and 16 TDs with only 2 interceptions this season. Senior wide receiver Jack Dalton has caught 49 passes for 715 yards (eight best in Mississippi and their best in MAIS) and nine TDs.
JA’s last defeat before the loss to Prep was a 35-24 decision to MRA during the regular season last year. It was the 11th straight victory for MRA in the series. But JA ended the streak with a 35-0 victory in the MAIS semifinals.
Both teams have experienced coaches. MRA coach Herbert Davis has won 262 games and five state championships in 30 seasons, including 136 wins in 13 seasons at MRA. Davis is trying to win his first state title since he led MRA to a three-peat from 2019 to 2021. JA coach David Duggan is in his third season as head coach at JA and has 38 years of experience being an college assistant coach. He led JA to its first state title since 2011 last season.
These are two of the top 10 teams in Mississippi. JA is No. 9 and MRA No. 10 in the MaxPreps rankings.
MRA is 2-0 in district play. Prep is 2-1, JA is 1-1 and Hartfield is 0-3.
A MRA gives it the No. 1 seed, Prep No. 2, JA No. 3 and Hartfield No. 4.
A JA win puts MRA, JA and Prep in a three-way tie for first at 2-1. Prep would be the No. 1 seed and depending on how many points JA won by, JA and MRA could be No. 2 or No. 3.
JA senior Rett Robinson kicks a winning field goal in the fourth quarter. He has made 8 of 12 field goal attempts over the past two seasons.
JA 24, MRA 21
OXFORD (5-1) AT GERMANTOWN (4-2)
Germantown had a big win last week with a 38-28 victory at Starkville in the MHSAA Class 7A, Region 2 opener for both teams in a Top 10 matchup,
Germantown senior running back-linebacker Sy McBeath had 19 carries for 139 yards and four touchdowns and caught one pass for 6 yards and made nine tackles, including one tackle for loss. He has been playing great and has bounced back from an ankle injury in the second game this season. Junior Bryce Johnson – rated as the No. 19 player in Mississippi in the Class of 2028 by 247 Sports – had four carries for 124 yards and one TD and three catches for 54 yards. Senior defensive back Christian Mumford led Germantown with 16 tackles.
The Mavericks are averaging 42.3 points per game, and couldn’t do it without their two outstanding offensive linemen, senior and Southern Miss commitment Everett Turnage (6-foot-5, 335 pounds) and senior Wells Higginbotham (6-foot, 265 pounds), both members of the Taste Restaurant/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team.
Oxford has two rated players, both in the Class of 2028, in 6-4, 280-pound defensive lineman Andrae Maddox (rated No. 7 in Mississippi and No. 34 defensive lineman in the country) and quarterback Price Renovich (rated No. 26 in Mississippi and No. 73 quarterback in the country).
Oxford defeated Madison Central 31-28 last week in the region season opener when Oxford senior defensive back Wesley Gaia recovered a Madison Central fumble at the Madison Central 21 with 3 minutes to play and Michael Thompson kicked a 39-yard field goal with 2 minutes to play.
Renovich passed for 213 yards and four TDs and senior wide receiver DJ Stribling, Jr. caught four passes for 128 yards and three TDs and senior wide receiver Davis Carruth caught four passes for 75 yard and one TD and junior running back Demar Jamerson had 115 yards on 31 carries and one TD.
Both teams have experienced coaches. Germantown coach Russell Mitchell has won 29 games in his fifth season at Germantown after being has been a part of state or national championship teams in seven of his 18 seasons as an offensive coordinator and assistant in South Mississippi. Oxford coach Chris Cutcliffe – son of former Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe – has won 93 games in his 11th season in Oxford. He led the Chargers to the state championship in 2019 and a state runner-up finish in 2020.
Germantown sophomore Nate Muzzi has made 11 field goal attempts over the past two seasons and is 5 for 5 this season. He could be the difference Friday night.
Germantown 38, Oxford 35.
In other games (winning team in all CAPS):
LANIER (6-1) at Holmes County (2-5), Thursday
Brandon (5-1) at PETAL (6-1)
Canton (6-0) at NESHOBA CENTRAL (4-2)
Florence (2-5) at CLEVELAND CENTRAL (5-1)
Forest Hill (0-7) at HATTIESBURG (3-3)
Jim Hill (2-5) at GEORGE COUNTY (2-4)
McLaurin (2-5) at SEMINARY (6-1)
MENDENHALL (7-0) at Richland (5-2)
Murrah (1-6) at MADISON CENTRAL (2-4)
Pearl (2-5) at NORTHWEST RANKIN (2-4)
Pelahatchie (3-4) at LAKE (3-3)
PUCKETT (5-2) at Salem (2-4)
Raymond (1-6) at FOREST (4-2)
RIDGELAND (3-3) at Callaway (3-4) (Hughes Field)
St. Andrew’s (3-4) at PISGAH (3-4)
STARKVILLE (4-2) at Clinton (2-4)
VELMA JACKSON (3-4)at Philadelphia (0-7)
VICKSBURG (1-5) at Provine (3-4) (South Jackson Field)
WEST JONES (5-2) at Terry (4-3)
Carroll Academy (1-8) at EAST RANKIN (4-4)
Clinton Christian (3-2) at NEWTON COUNTY ACADEMY (5-4)
Christian Collegiate (0-5) at PARK PLACE (3-4)
DISCOVERY CHRISTIAN (6-2) at Sylva-Bay Academy (0-6)
GREENVILLE ST. JOSEPH (6-2) at Canton Academy (6-2)
HARTFIELD ACADEMY (3-4)at Lamar School (5-2)
MADISON ST. JOSEPH (1-7) at St. Aloysius (2-5)
Porter’s Chapel (2-7) at CHRIST COVENANT (8-0)
Riverfield Academy (La.) (3-4) at TRI-COUNTY ACADEMY (6-1)
Silliman Institute (La.) (3-5) at JACKSON PREP (7-1)
