Photo by Chris Todd
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 21-6 record (77.8 percent) last week and has a 108-36 record (75 percent) this season.
By Robert Wilson
Jackson Academy (6-0) at Jackson Prep (5-1)
The Raiders haven’t had this much success since when Coach David Sykes led them to three consecutive state championships from 2009-2011.
The defending MAIS Class 4A, Division I state champions have won 13 consecutive games and hasn’t lost since a 35-24 decision to Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the fifth game last year.
JA doesn’t have dominating defensive players like linebacker TJ White and nose guard Dereon Albert like last year (both freshman at nationally ranked Tennessee this season), but it still has a solid defense and a high-scoring offense, which has scored 46 or more points in four games.
The Raiders return one of the best offensive lineman in the country in 6-foot-5, 305-pound senior and Ohio State commitment Caden Moss, rated the No. 3 player in Mississippi and the No. 7 offensive lineman in the country in the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports and a member of the Taste Restaurant/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team.
In addition to Moss, the Raiders have eight other returning starters. Senior running back Aaric Beasley is having an outstanding season with 1,041 yards and 14 TDs. Junior quarterback Peyton Smith, in his first year as the starter, has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 898 yards and 10 TDs. Junior linebacker Kirkland Houston, another new starter, has been a standout on defense with a team-high 61 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and one interception for a score this season.
Prep doesn’t have any rated players like Moss, but has a solid team made up of a lot of experienced seniors like quarterback Luke Essary (728 passing yards, 10 TDs), running back Wade Smith (779 rushing yards, eight TDs), 6-1, 240-pound offensive lineman Manning Parks and linebackers Brogen McCluskey, Owen Brown and Gaines Reeves (who is out indefinitely with an ankle injury). In addition, speedy junior running back-defensive back-return specialist Herrin Goodwin is having a solid season (508 all-purpose yards, 21 tackles).
Both coaches have outstanding resumes. JA coach David Duggan has won 26 games in his third season as head coach and has 38 years of experience as a college assistant coach. Prep coach Doug Goodwin has won 46 games in his fifth season at Prep after winning 234 games in 27 seasons and had a Hall of Fame career in Alabama.
JA – which defeated Prep for the first time since 2020 and for only the second time in the past 18 meetings last season – should win again this year in the unique rivalry where many families have connections to both schools and the schools are only separated by few miles between Northeast Jackson and Flowood.
Prep is ranked No. 1 in MAIS Class 4A and No. 11 in Mississippi and JA is No. 3 in MAIS Class 4A and No. 14 in Mississippi by MaxPreps.
Jackson Academy 31, Jackson Prep 17
Northwest Rankin (2-3) at Brandon (4-1)
Brandon has been on a roll since an opening season loss to Tupelo, which is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Mississippi and No. 88 in the country by MaxPreps.
Brandon has defeated Madison Central 33-23, Clinton 30-18, West Monroe, La., 40-23 and last week defeated previously undefeated Starkville 38-31 in double overtime.
And the highest rated player in this week’s game – senior running back and Michigan commitment Tyson Robinson – was the difference against Starkville.
Robinson – rated the No. 10 player in Mississippi and the No. 20 running back in the country in the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports – gained 128 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns – two TDs in overtime – and caught three passes for 83 yards and one score.
For his outstanding performance, Robinson has been named the Taste Restaurant/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Football Player of the Week.
He has 571 rushing yards and three TDs and caught 10 passes for 147 yards and one TD for this season for Brandon, ranked No. 5 in MHSAA Class 7A and No. 5 in Mississippi to MaxPreps.
Northwest Rankin has a star of its own in senior wide receiver and Georgia Tech football and basketball commitment De’Shawn Dillion, one of the top rated multi-sport athletes in the country.
He is rated the No. 16 player in Mississippi and the No. 71 wide receiver in the country in the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports and a member of the Taste Restaurant/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team. Also a guard in basketball, Dillion was named the Mississippi Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year last season. He is ranked No. 2 in Mississippi and No. 23 shooting guard in the country in the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports.
Dillon has caught 41 passes for 429 yards and three TDs this season for Northwest Rankin, ranked No. 14 in MHSAA Class 7A and No. 25 in Mississippi by MaxPreps.
Even though Brandon is the favorite, this rivalry between Rankin County schools has had its share of upsets over the years.
Brandon leads the series 32-10 with the first game in 1982 one year after Northwest Rankin opened and has won the last eight meetings and 13 of the last 14 meetings. Northwest Rankin’s only win over the past 14 years was a 28-14 decision at Northwest Rankin.
But last year’s game was tight. Brandon won 3-0 as Robinson moved to quarterback (replacing Slade Shack who was out with an injury) and gained 175 yards and Jace Eldridge kicked 30-yard field goal with 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
This one won’t be that close.
Brandon 28, Northwest Rankin 14
Tupelo (5-0) at Hartfield Academy (3-2)
Tupelo – Mississippi’s top rated team, which is also ranked No. 88 in the country by MaxPreps – comes to Metro Jackson to visit Hartfield in the second game of a two-year series.
Tupelo won last year’s meeting 35-0 in Tupelo. It was the first win after the Blue Wave lost to West Point 28-21 the week before. Tupelo has won 15 of 16 games, with the only loss, a heartbreaking, 21-20 decision to Gulfport of the MHSAA Class 7A state championship game.
Tupelo is loaded with Division I recruits, and has been dominating opponents all season. Consider this: the Blue Wave’s closest game was the season opener against Brandon, and they won by 24 points, 38-14. Brandon hasn’t lost since.
Hartfield doesn’t have the stars like All-American defensive back Bralan Womack and running back-linebacker KD Catchings (playing at Mississippi State and Michigan respectively) like the Hawks had last season.
Hartfield’s speedy senior quarterback Ethan Elliott must have a great game in order for the Hawks to stay close. Elliott – one of the fastest quarterbacks in Mississippi – has run for 463 yards, an average of 11 yards per carry, and seven TDs and passed for 587 yards and four TDs.
Tupelo rolls to its sixth straight lopsided victory.
Tupelo 35, Hartfield 7
Baton Rouge Catholic (1-3) at MRA (5-1)
Madison-Ridgeland Academy wasn’t expected to hang with Louisiana powerhouse Baton Rouge Catholic last season when the Patriots made the three-hour trip to Baton Rouge.
Catholic came in ranked No. 4 in Louisiana and had won the state championship in their division (Division I select)three times in the past five seasons and entering last season with a 55-7 record during those five years. Catholic is an all boys school with more than 1,100 students grades 8-12.
But MRA, with about 400 students in grades 9-12, came away with a 27-26 victory as it stopped Catholic on a two-point conversion in the final minutes.
The game was played in Catholic’s Memorial Stadium, which seats 21,500. There were an estimated 7,500 at the game, one the largest crowds MRA has ever played in front of.
Now Catholic makes the return trip to Madison. Don’t let the 1-3 record fool you. These guys are good, real good. They are ranked No. 13 in Louisiana by MaxPreps. The losses were to Carrollton, Ga., the No. 12 ranked team in the country, Ruston, the No. 2 ranked team in Louisiana, and a one-point loss to St. Thomas More, ranked No. 12 in Louisiana. Their only win? A 55-8 blowout over Baton Rouge Dunham, which features senior quarterback and Alabama commitment Elijah Haven, the No. 3 rated quarterback in the country. He was 14 of 35 passes for 140 yards and one TD with one interception.
If MRA – ranked No. 12 in Mississippi – is going to stay with Catholic Friday night, the Patriots need to slow down senior running back and Florida State commitment Jayden Miles (rated No. 12 player in Louisiana and No. 16 running back in the country in the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports), senior tight end and Stanford commitment Jude Chamberlain (rated No. 39 player in Louisiana) and senior defensive lineman and Oklahoma State commitment Jayden Vessell (rated No. 46 player in Louisiana).
MRA has one rated player, senior offensive lineman Caleb Unger, rated No. 14 player in Mississippi in the Class of 2027) and a member of the Taste Restaurant/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team.
MRA senior quarterback Austin Banks has had an outstanding season and has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 1,444 yards (third in Mississippi by MaxPreps) and 16 TDs (tied for second in Mississippi) with two interceptions. His main target is senior wide receiver Jack Dalton, who has caught 41 passes for 648 yards (fifth in Mississippi) and eight TDs.
Baton Rouge Catholic 28, MRA 14
In other games (winning team in ALL CAPS):
Callaway (2-3) at HARRISON CENTRAL (1-3), Thursday
Forest Hill (0-5) at PROVINE (2-3), Thursday, Hughes Field
Puckett (4-1) at SCOTT CENTRAL (3-2), Thursday
Velma Jackson (3-2) at EUPORA (5-0), Thursday
Jim Hill (1-4) at RAYMOND (1-4), Thursday
LANIER (4-1) at Murrah (1-4), Hughes Field
Madison Central (2-3) at OXFORD (4-1)
MORTON (4-1) at Richland (4-1)
Mount Olive (0-5) at ST. ANDREW’S (2-3)
PELAHATCHIE (2-3) at West Lincoln (0-5)
SOUTHEAST LAUDERDALE (4-1) at Pisgah (2-3)
Terry (3-2) at PEARL (1-4)
Vicksburg (1-4) at FLORENCE (1-4)
CANTON (5-0) at Leake (3-3)
CENTRAL HINDS (4-2) at Riverfield, La. (3-2)
Clinton Christian (3-1) at DELTA ACADEMY (2-2)
Discovery Christian (5-2) at BEN’S FORD, LA. (4-3)
Madison St. Joseph (0-6) at STARKVILLE ACADEMY (3-2)
Prairie View, La. (5-1) at CHRIST COVENANT (6-0)
Simpson Academy (0-6) at EAST RANKIN (3-3)
TRI-COUNTY ACADEMY (4-1) at Washington (5-1)
Park Place (2-3) at BOGUE CHITTO (1-4)
