By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy and Hartfield Academy will battle against each other Friday night at 7 in a huge MAIS Class 6A game at Hartfield in Brandon. An overflow crowd of more than 3,000 at Hartfield’s Community Bank Field is expected.
Hartfield hasn’t been challenged this season, winning all eight of its games by large margins. The high scoring Hawks have scored at least 40 points in six of their eight games, including three times over 50.
Meanwhile, MRA has lost two games this season, 45-43 to four-time defending Arkansas state champion Pulaski Academy and 45-44 in overtime to Oak Grove, one of the favorites to win the MHSAA Class 7A state championship.
The Patriots also have a high-powered offense, scoring at least 42 points in every game with a high of 56 points against Magnolia Heights School.
Both teams have Division I prospects: MRA senior quarterback John White, Hartfield senior running back Reed Jesiolowski and Hartfield senior defensive end-linebacker Chris Jones have committed to Southern Miss. Hartfield’s 6-foot-3, 250-pound junior defensive lineman and Madison St. Joseph transfer Reggie Vaughn has plenty of Division I offers, including six from the SEC (Ole Miss, Mississippi State, two-time defending national champion Georgia, Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee). Sophomore defensive back-wide receiver Bralan Womack has SEC offers from Ole Miss, MSU, Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri.
Photo by Hays Collins
The 6-foot, 204-pound White – who also has 10 other Division I offers from around the country – is chasing the Mississippi all-time career passing yards record. He has passed for 13,529 yards, third best in Mississippi history. Myles Brennan is the Mississippi record holder with 15,138 career yards at St. Stanislaus from 2013-16. Ty Keyes from Taylorsville (14,525 from 2017-2020) is second. White has completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 2,109 yards and 23 touchdowns with only four interceptions this season. He has started 60 consecutive high school games, dating back to eighth grade at Winona Christian School.
White turned a lot of heads with his outstanding performance against Oak Grove. Playing against one of the best defenses in Mississippi, White completed 25 of 30 passes – 83.3 percent – for 394 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two TDs.
White also a talented group of receivers, led by sophomore Case Thomas. Thomas – the son of former Clinton High and Alabama kicker Neal Thomas – is having a monster year with 34 catches for 705 yards (20.7 yards per catch) and 10 TDs. Those numbers remind MRA fans of current Southern Miss wide receiver Davis Dalton, who caught 89 passes for 1,586 yards and 15 TDs, one of the best receiving seasons in the country in 2021, and led the Patriots to their third straight 6A state title as a senior.
The 6-4, 217-pound Jesiolowski has 965 rushing yards and 16 TDs while playing a little more than a half in most of Hartfield’s games this season. He is very difficult to slow down and one defender can hardly ever bring him down.
MRA remembers Jesiolowski in its regular season meeting last year. He ran for a school-record 292 yards on 23 carries and scored three TDs to lead Hartfield to a 31-28 victory over MRA, ending MRA’s streak of 19 consecutive wins against MAIS competition and a 26-game winning streak in regular season conference games. MRA had won 50 of its last 51 games against MAIS teams before Jesiolowski’s big game.
Photo By Robert Smith
MRA senior Max Zuluaga is one of the best kicker-punter combination players in the South. The Madison Central transfer has made 2 of 2 field goal attempts this season and 15 of 15 for his career. He also is averaging an impressive 49.6 yards per punt, has made 27 of 27 extra point attempts and has 17 touchbacks on kickoffs this season.
Many consider Hartfield’s defense as one of the most talented in MAIS history. Not only do the Hawks have Jones, Vaughn and Womack, but also there is also other talented players like 6-4, 350-pound senior lineman Antonio Ross, 6-2, 265-pound junior lineman London Simmons, 6-foot, 270-pound senior lineman Jordyn Erves and junior defensive back Kenzy West and senior defensive back Bralen Steele.
MRA will be without one of its best players against Hartfield. Junior defensive back-kick returner Matthew Perkins had leg surgery this week and is possibly out for the season. Perkins had two kickoff returns for TDs and was averaging 37.5 yards per return and had made 40 tackles.
MRA coach Herbert Davis has a definite edge in head coaching experience. He has won 234 games and five state championships (three at MRA, two at Brookhaven Academy and one at Pillow Academy) in 27 seasons 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.
Craig Bowman is in his fourth season as Hartfield’s head coach and has won 34 games. He won nine games in three seasons at Canton Academy. Bowman led Hartfield to the MAIS Class 6A state championship game two years ago in the Hawks’ first year at the 6A level and lost to MRA 35-7.
This game is a fairly even matchup, but MRA’s strength of schedule, White’s ability to make plays and Zuluaga’s leg will be the difference. Jesiolowski should have a big game, but not enough for a Hawk victory.
MRA 31, Hartfield 28.
