Veteran sportswriter and high school football expert Robert Wilson is doing the Priority One Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard predictions column each week during the high school football season on teams from Hinds, Madison, and Rankin County. Wilson had a 28-2 record (93.3 percent) last week and has an 172-36 record (82.7 percent) this season.
Jackson Prep (7-0) at Hartfield Academy (7-1), Friday 7 p.m. (watch and listen at Jacksonprep.live and Hartfield.live).
This game has been circled on the Prep schedule for a while. There has been a bad taste in Prep’s mouth ever since last November when Hartfield won its first state football championship in school history and defeated then defending state champion Prep 21-0 for the MAIS Class 6A state title.
No. 1 seed Hartfield, just three years after moving up to the highest classification in the MAIS, became the first MAIS Class 6A team to finish 14-0. Madison-Ridgeland Academy is the last 6A team to finish undefeated with a 13-0 record in 2020. Prep was 13-0 in 2017, 2015, 2012 and 2007. Jackson Academy finished 13-0 in 2011.
Hartfield scored 16 points in the second half to defeat Prep 30-17 in last year’s regular season meeting at Prep.
Prep has won a MAIS record 26 state football championships.
Hartfield made sure No. 27 didn’t come last season.
Hartfield’s stingy defense – led by several Division I prospects like now Southern Mississippi freshman Chris Jones, now Arkansas commitment Reginald Vaughn, now Alabama commitment London Simmons and defensive back Bralan Womack (the top rated safety in the country in the Class of 2026) – kept Prep out of the end zone and limited Prep to 155 total yards, only 9 rushing yards. Prep never got inside the Hartfield 20. The deepest threat to score was when Prep drove to the Hartfield 24 and on fourth down, Eli Adams’ 41-yard field goal attempt was wide with 1 minute before halftime.
The last time Prep was shutout was 2004 when Jackson Academy defeated Prep 21-0 for the state championship.
Now Southern Miss freshman Reed Jesiolowski was the workhorse for Hartfield and had 223 yards on 30 carries and scored the final TD for a 21-0 lead in the fourth quarter.
Hartfield coach Craig Bowman, now in his fifth season at Hartfield and eighth as a head coach (three at Canton Academy), won his first state championship. Along the way to his undefeated season, Bowman defeated three coaches – Lafayette’s Anthony Hart, MRA’s Herbert Davis and Prep’s Doug Goodwin (twice) – who had at least 200 career victories, quite an accomplishment.
Goodwin fell one game short of winning his second consecutive state title since coming to Prep two years ago. Goodwin has a 29-5 record at Prep and came from Alabama where he was a Hall of Fame coach. He won 234 games in 27 years as a head coach. In 2008, Goodwin became the first coach in Alabama history to take three different teams to a state championship game. He led Demopolis to a 15-0 record and a state title in 2008 and set a state record with 761 points that season.
Bowman – who named the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Coach of the Year – has a tough task ahead of him this week. He has to get his team ready to rebound from last week’s first loss of the season. MRA ended Hartfield’s 21-game winning streak – the longest in Mississippi – with a 44-35 victory Friday night at MRA.
Bowman can only look at what Prep did to West Jones to be concerned that the Patriots will be pumped up for this one. Prep lost to defending MSHAA Class 6A state champion West Jones 21-6 last season but got their revenge a few weeks ago with a 42-7 victory to end West Jones’ 19-game winning streak.
Prep quarterback Billy Puckett completed 14 of 23 passes for 146 yards and was sacked seven times in last season’s Hartfield loss. Prep’s offensive front – led by 6-foot-8, 315-pound senior tackle and Baylor commitment Matthew Parker and 6-6, 315-pound senior tackle Duke commitment Cole Allen – will do their best not to let that happen again. They kept Puckett clean against West Jones this year, after he was sacked several times against West Jones last season.
Parker and Allen are two of the top three rated offensive linemen in Mississippi. 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.
Puckett has had an outstanding season. Son of former JA basketball star Hastings Puckett, Puckett has completed an amazing 74.4 percent of his passes for 1,588 yards and 20 TDs with only two interceptions. Senior wide receiver and Air Force Academy commitment Major Quin – who also starts as a defensive back on defense – has the most catches with 28 (416 yards and three TDs), but senior wide receiver Gardner Young has the most yards and TDs (448 and eight TDs on 17 catches). Also, senior John Ed Maddux has 21 catches for 368 yards and five TDs.
Prep longtime defensive coordinator Nick Brewer, who has been a part of 13 state championship teams, has his hands full trying to slow down the high-powered Hartfield offense, which scored at least 49 points in every game (with a high of 71 against Presbyterian Christian School) before last week’s MRA game.
Womack is not only a phenomenal defensive back, he also is an incredible wide receiver. Just ask MRA coach Herbert Davis. Womack caught four passes for 210 yards and four TDs last week, and dazzling the crowd with his moves, his great hands and ability to break tackles and outrun would-be tacklers. Prep defensive backs will have their hands full trying to cover Womack.
Womack has had an outstanding junior season. He has 20 catches for 666 yards (an eye-popping 33.3 yards per catch) and 10 TDs, two kickoff returns for a 54-yard average and one TD, three punt returns for a 34-yard average and one TD, and eight interceptions, and returned four of those for TDs.
Womack isn’t the only dangerous offensive weapon for Hartfield. Division I prospect Kenzy West is a dangerous wide receiver and also might be getting the ball on a reverse and threw a 40-yard TD pass against MRA. West has caught 18 passes for 417 yards and six TDs, has four carries for 69 yards and one TD and threw his TD pass on his attempt this season. He also has two kickoff returns for a 71.5-yard average and one TD and six punt returns for a 37.3-yard average and two TDs. West, who also starts at defensive back, has two interceptions.
Hartfield running back KD Catchings, another Division I prospect, is tough to bring down. The 6-2, 215-pound junior has gained 596 yards, averaged 11.2 yards per carry and scored 12 TDs. One player doesn’t normally slow down Catchings, but Prep is known for its gang-tackling and pursuit to the ball, led by senior linebacker and Arizona State baseball commitment Tre Bryant, who leads the team with 52 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks this season.
Prep’s offensive line, led by Parker and Allen, will be tested against Hartfield’s talented defensive front, led by Vaughn (6-3, 270) and Simmons (6-3, 290). The duo has combined for 70 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 13.5 sacks this season. Vaughn is rated No. 13 and Simmons No. 16 in Mississippi in the Class of 2025 by 247 Sports. They are the third and fourth highest rated defensive lineman in Mississippi.
Hartfield has seven players that start both ways, Womack, West, Simmons, Vaughn, Catchings, senior wide receiver-safety and Hinds Community College baseball commitment Sam Sheffield, and junior wide receiver-defensive back and Warren Central transfer Teryn Green, the sixth Hartfield player with Division I offers.
Hartfield’s starters hadn’t played a whole game this season and it showed last week against MRA in the second half. That could also be a factor this week.
Quin is the only Prep player who starts both ways.
MRA didn’t kick the ball to Womack and West. The Patriots did squib kicks on kickoffs and punted away from the talented duo. It will interesting if Prep does that as well. Prep’s Eli Adams has 49 touchbacks in 58 attempts.
Puckett’s ability to run and throw and Prep’s motivation from last year’s championship loss will be the difference.
Jackson Prep 28, Hartfield 21.
In other games (winners in bold):
Amory (5-2) at Richland (1-6), Thursday
McComb (2-4) at Lanier (7-0), Thursday, Hughes Field
Brookhaven (5-1) at Provine (1-6), Hughes Field
Forest Hill (1-5) at Hattiesburg (6-0)
Jim Hill (1-6) at Raymond (1-4)
McLaurin (2-5) at Southeast Lauderdale (1-6)
Murrah (7-0) at Madison Central (4-2)
North Pike (1-5) at Florence (3-3)
Northwest Rankin (4-2) at Meridian (4-3)
Oak Grove (4-2) at Brandon (5-1)
Petal (4-3) at Pearl (2-4)
Pisgah (6-1) at Pelahatchie (3-3)
Puckett (4-3) at St. Andrew’s (4-3)
Ridgeland (3-3) at Callaway (3-4), South Jackson Field
Starkville (6-1) at Clinton (3-3)
Terry (5-2) at Pearl River Central (2-4)
Tupelo (7-0) at Germantown (5-2)
Velma Jackson (5-1) at Noxapater (4-3)
Yazoo City (3-3) at Canton (4-2)
Christ Covenant (5-0) at Discovery Christian (2-6)
Kemper Academy (3-5) at Park Place Christian (3-5)
MRA (7-1) at Jackson Academy (7-1)
Madison St. Joseph (2-4) at Presbyterian Christian (4-3)
Oak Hill Academy (0-7) at East Rankin Academy (2-7)
Prairie View, La. (8-1) at Hillcrest Christian (2-6)
Riverfield, La. (6-2) at Canton Academy (5-3)
Tri-County Academy (8-0) at Central Hinds Aca. (5-3)
