STEENS — The Oak Hill Academy football team is back in the postseason.
Oak Hill Academy wrapped up a wild-card playoff berth in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA playoffs with a 20-19 District 2 victory against Immanuel Christian on Friday night.
With the victory, Oak Hill Academy earned one of two wild-card spots in the 16-team playoff field. For the Raiders, it is their first playoff berth since 2009. The win also secured the school’s first winning regular season since 2006.
“This is a big accomplishment for this team,” Oak Hill Academy first-year coach Daniel Merchant said. “From the first practice, we set the goal of making the playoffs. It was all about changing the mind-set and changing the culture. The kids really bought in. They have worked very hard to get to this point.”
Oak Hill Academy (6-5 , 2-3 district) will travel to District 1 champion North Delta Academy (8-2, 4-0) for an opening-round playoff game Friday night.
“I feel like we still have some football left to be played,” Merchant said. “Winning the last three games of the regular season have given our kids a high level of confidence. Hopefully, we can go on the road, shock some people and keep playing.”
For the Raiders, John Willis Stevens had a huge second half. Stevens had an interception and 50-yard return with 30 seconds left in regulation to close out the victory. Stevens also had a 60-yard kickoff return to help set up the go-ahead score.
The Rams built an early in the second quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run by Justin Tate. Oak Hill Academy answered with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Riley Pierce to Curt Huffman.
Immanuel Christian broke on top again on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Steven Good to J.D. Dantzler. Oak Hill Academy answered for a 14-13 halftime lead on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Pierce to Drew Riley. Jeb Stevens ran in the two-point conversion.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Immanuel because they really played great,” Merchant said. “It was a hard-fought physical game which went down to the last play. I am proud of my kids for playing with heart and finding a way to get it done.”
Immanuel (3-8, 0-5) led for a third time in the third quarter on a 65-yard punt return by Tate. Again, the conversion failed. Stevens’ huge kick return set the stage for the Raiders to rally one last time.
A 6-yard touchdown run by Drake Riley early in the fourth quarter provided the margin of victory.
Oak Hill rushes 40 times for 203 yards but lost three fumbles. Drake Riley led the Raiders with 10 rushes for 81 yards, with a touchdown. Drew Riley had six rushes for 60 yards. Jeb Stevens had seven rushes for 39 yards, while Riley Pierce had three rushes for 19 yards. Samuel Harris had two rushes for four yards.
Quarterback Riley Pierce was 5 of 8 for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Drew Riley had two catches for 38 yards, while Bradley Allen (66 yards), Curt Huffman (22 yards), and Drake Riley (20 yards) had a catch apiece.
“Riley is now 3-0 as a starter,” Merchant said. “He has really stepped up and he is only a sophomore. He has thrown a touchdown pass in each game and not thrown in interception. He has given the team some great leadership.”
Defensively, Stevens led the way with 11 tackles. Drake Riley had eight stops, while Drew Riley and Joseph Caskey each had five stops. Curt Huffman had four stops.
“We lost three games in a row earlier this year,” Merchant said. “Even though our playoff chances did not look good, we kept working. After we won the first couple of games, the kids got a taste. They really wanted to work hard to reach their goals.”
Immanuel Christian led 19-14 at the end of three quarters.
Tate had 17 carries for 76 yards and a 10-yard touchdown. He also had a 60-yard punt return for a score. K.C. Cunningham had 14 carries for 79 yards. Good was 7 of 13 for 105 yards and a touchdown. Dantzler had five catches for 93 yards and a 19-yard score.
Wilson Harmond had 11 tackles and fumble recovery, Luke Hudson had 10 tackles, Ryan Forrester had eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Phillip Taylor also had a fumble recovery.
n Tuscaloosa Christian 52, Victory Christian 42: At Cottondale, Ala., the Eagles saw their season end in a semifinal round loss of the Alabama Christian Football Association playoffs.
Victory Christian (3-6) saw the season end with back-to-back losses to regular season runner-up Tuscaloosa Christian. The Eagles dropped a 41-22 decision last week but fared much better in dropping the hard-fought rematch.
Cody Bolton rushed for 319 yards and six touchdowns for the Eagles. Bolton scored on touchdown rushes of 65, 54, 42, 23, 6, and 39 yards.
Bolton scored three times in the first quarter as the Eagles led 21-20 after one quarter.
The Warriors scored twice in the second quarter to build a 32-20 halftime lead. Still, Victory Christian hung tough as Bolton’s 23-yard run brought the Eagles within 32-27. The 39-yard run early in the fourth quarter brought VCA within 45-42.
A 54-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Potter to Caleb Waddell clinched the victory for the Warriors.
While Bolton was posting his monster night, Potter was matching him stride for stride. The senior quarterback set a new school record with 412 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Potter became the first TCA player in the 35-year history of the program to throw for 400 yards in a game.
Freedom Woods also ran for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Tuscaloosa Christian and Tabernacle play Friday night for the league championship in Gardendale, Ala.
Bolton and Brandon Shaw each had 10 tackles. Michael Elliott caught two passes for 53 yards. Bryer Bolton was 3 of 15 for 57 yards.
Joshua Foxworthy and Bo McCrary blocked punts. McCrary returned his blocked punt 5 yards.
n Aberdeen 39, South Pontotoc 3: At Pontotoc, the Bulldogs completed an undefeated run through Class 3A, Region 2.
Aberdeen (9-2, 5-0 region) will face Region 3 fourth-seed Winona (5-6, 2-3) in a home playoff game Friday night.
“We struggled earlier in the year to find our identity,” Aberdeen coach Mark Bray said. “The kids kept working and were determined to have a good season. Finishing first in the region is huge because it gives you the advantage of playing at home in the playoffs. We feel like we are playing as well as anyone right now going into the Class 3A playoffs.”
For Aberdeen, Josh Williams threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Trey Mims and a 35-yard touchdown to Jeremy Brandon. Chico Harrison ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Justin Lucas added 75 yards and two touchdowns.
n Center Hill 41, New Hope 0: At Olive Branch, the Trojans fell behind 34-0 at halftime and were unable to recover in this Class 5A, Region 1 matchup.
Center Hill (4-6, 3-3) enters the final week of the regular season in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots in the region. New Hope (3-7, 1-5) has been eliminated from playoff consideration.
The Mustangs scored four second-quarter touchdowns to build the big halftime lead.
Curderion Hampton and Kaelin Thomas each had two rushing touchdowns for the Mustangs. Jacob Marsh also had a rushing score. Cole Paulion added a return score.
Thomas rushed 16 times for 118 yards. Center Hill managed only 253 yards of total offense but forced seven turnovers, including six fumble recoveries.
New Hope will close the regular season Friday night when it plays host to region champion West Point.
n West Lowndes 14, Weir 7: At Weir, the Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory in Class 1A, Region 3 play.
Despite the win, West Lowndes (4-6, 3-4) has been eliminated from playoff consideration. It will close the season by playing host to Sebastopol in another region game.
“It felt good to see the kids get a win,” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “We had been struggling, but the kids really played a complete game. We played well defensively and did enough offense. This will give us some confidence going into that last game. Hopefully, we can finish strong.”
Eric Harris scored a pair of rushing touchdowns as West Lowndes built a 14-0 halftime lead.
n Nanih Waiya 28, East Oktibbeha 6: At Louisville, the Titans dropped their fifth straight with a Class 1A, Region 3 loss.
Nanih Waiya (6-4, 5-2) rushed for 340 yards while nailing down a playoff berth. The Warriors (6-4, 5-2) can enhance their position by knocking off region champion Noxapater on Friday night.
East Oktibbeha (2-8, 1-6) will close the season Friday when it plays host to Weir
Deandre Holmes ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns to pace Nanih Waiya. Luke Rosamond and Hunter Luke had the other touchdowns.
A touchdown pass from Justin Williams to Destin Covington was the lone score for the Titans.
n Ackerman 42, Hamilton 7: At Ackerman, the Lions dropped a one-sided decision in their final Class 2A, Region 2 contest of the regular season.
Hamilton (4-7, 2-3) finishes as the region’s fourth seed and will travel to Mound Bayou JFK for a first-round playoff game Friday night. Ackerman (8-3, 4-1) finishes as the region’s second seed and will host Broad Street in a playoff match Friday night.
The Indians racked up 637 yards of total offense and quickly built a 28-7 halftime lead. Quarterback Dakota Brasher completed 6-of-8 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown.
On the ground, Ackerman ran for 398 yards, including monster nights by both T.C. Hatchett (15 rushes, 206 yards, four touchdowns) and Corey McPherson (9 rushes, 108 yards). Hamilton actually held a 7-6 lead after Deion Howard’s 30-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Howard finished with 105 yards but the Lions were plagued by three turnovers.
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