By Robert Wilson
Friend Walker passed for 3,931 yards and 37 touchdowns and ran for seven more TDs over the past two seasons as St. Andrew’s starting quarterback.
With Friend now a student at Mississippi College, one of the first assignments for first-year Saints head coach and former Ole Miss and NFL player Channing Word was to find a new quarterback.
Madison-Ridgeland transfer and St. Andrew’s sophomore Pierce Ingram won the job, and he had a superb performance this past week.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound quarterback-linebacker completed 16 of 30 passes for 276 yards and three TDs without an interception and had 11 tackles and one for loss and led MHSAA Class 2A St. Andrew’s to a 24-6 victory over MHSAA Class 3A McLaurin at McLaurin in Star.
For his outstanding performance, Ingram has been named the Junction Deli/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Football Player of the Week.
Ingram completed TD passes of 28 yards to junior John William Walker in the first quarter and 90 yards to Walker in the second quarter, and 20 yards to senior Stone Myrick in the third quarter.
His passing yards, TD passes and tackles were career highs.
Ingram has passed for 554 yards and eight TDs and ran for 82 yards and two TDs and has 26 tackles this season.
“He played very well, read his reads good, took care of the ball, and made a lot of tackles for us,” Ward said. “He is a kid that every coach wants to coach.”
“I’ve been amazed by how fast Pierce caught onto the system and everybody got behind him and showed him that they have his back,” said first-year St. Andrew’s offensive coordinator Jonnas Spivey, who played quarterback at Bay Springs High, and wide receiver at Mississippi State, Jones County Junior College, and West Alabama. “I tell him to go out there and play ball. Don’t think too much, be free. He has really done a great job so far.”
Ingram also plays baseball and plays third base, outfield and pitches and will play for St. Andrew’s next spring.
Ingram is the son of Russell and Fran Ingram. Russell played football, basketball and ran track at Jackson Academy and graduated from MSU. Fran graduated from Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science, MSU and Mississippi College School of Law. Ingram has two brothers, Barrett and Luke. Barrett is in the eighth grade and plays football, basketball, and baseball at JA. Luke is in the fourth grade and plays baseball, basketball, and football at JA.
St. Andrew’s, 3-2, plays its first Class 2A, Region 6 game against Pelahatchie, 2-3, Friday night at St. Andrew’s in Ridgeland.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a football player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
WEEK ONE: Samuel Stockett, MRA
WEEK TWO: Billy Puckett, Jackson Prep
WEEK THREE: James Farr, Clinton
WEEK FOUR: Tyshun Willis, Velma Jackson
WEEK FIVE: Josef Walker, Clinton
WEEK SIX: Caleb Under, MRA
