LOUISVILLE — The Heritage Academy football team remained in first place in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 race with a 42-14 win at Winston Academy on Friday night.
With its sixth-straight win, Heritage Academy improved to 7-1 and 2-0 in the district. Even though the Patriots only have one district game left, the race isn’t over. Heritage Academy can wrap up an undefeated run through district play with a win Oct. 21 at home against Leake Academy (2-6, 1-1).
Dontae Gray scored on runs of 10 and 12 yards, while Lukas Bryant scored on a 30-yard scamper. Dalton Alexander hauled in a pass from 20 yards out from Tyler Anderson. Anderson also kept for a score.
Coach Sean Harrison was pleased to see his team start fast after a pair of slow starts the past two weeks.
“It was good to come out and start fast,” Harrison said. “Defensively, we played really well. Our linebackers — (Bryant), Toby Young, and Logan Sneed — had a really good game. It was good to start fast and take care of business.
“When you play a district game on the road, you really need to come out ready to play, We scored early and you could tell that helped deflate Winston a little bit.”
Heritage Academy will play Friday at Indianola Academy (8-0).
“We are playing a great opponent Friday night, and they will help us prepare for the playoffs,” Harrison said. “The confidence level is high, and we just have to keep working hard. We can’t be satisfied. We just have to push like we have a lot to play for.”
n Starkville Academy 28, Leake Academy 27, 2OT: At Madden, the Volunteers boosted their playoff hopes with a double-overtime road win in MAIS Class AAA, District 2 play.
Starkville Academy (5-2, 1-1 district) can nail down the second playoff berth from this district with a win against Winston Academy on Oct. 21.
“We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game,” Starkville Academy coach Chase Nicholson said. “We told our kids they had to play hard for four quarters. They did that and then had to do it some more. When you play a game on the road and both teams need it for the playoffs, it is going to be a battle.”
Codie Futral provided the biggest play when he batted down a two-point conversion attempt after Leake Academy (2-6, 1-1) had pulled within one point in the second overtime.
Futral also scored his team’s points in the second extra frame when he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Noah Methvin.
Starkville Academy built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs of 88 and 59 yards by Dalton Dempsey.
Leake Academy cut the margin to 14-7 at halftime and struck for the game-tying score in the final minute.
In the first overtime, Leake Academy built a 21-14 lead. The Volunteers answered on a 1-yard run by Methvin and the kick by Sam Cox.
“This is when you see how much character team has,” Nicholson said. “It can be deflating when you give up a score late in the game when you are close to winning. We overcame that, and I am proud of how we finished.”
Starkville Academy will play its final non-district game Friday night at Pillow Academy (4-3).
n Louisville 42, Caledonia 35: At Louisville, the Confederates were on the wrong end of a shootout in Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A, Region 4 play.
Jamel Thomas had three touchdowns and sparked the defense with an interception for the Confederates.
Caledonia coach Andy Crotwell was pleased with the performance of Thomas. Crotwell felt like his team played hard and limited mistakes but still couldn’t break through.
“(Thomas) had a great game,” Crotwell said. “He, like the rest of us, weren’t pleased with the end result, but we are going to continue to work and try to get a win next week. We are close, and you can tell the kids know that. We just need to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us.”
For Caledonia (3-4, 0-2 region), Spencer Unruh was 18 of 33 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Jamel Thomas had 10 receptions for 111 yards and both scores. Robert Hamilton had two receptions for 47 yards.
The Confederates rushed for 105 yards and three scores. Zion Ford had 15 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas had two rushes for 27 yards and the other rushing score.
Caledonia will fight to keep playoff hopes alive Friday night with another region road game, this time at Kosciusko (1-6, 0-2).
n Victory Christian 56, First Assembly (Ala.) 22: At Columbus, Garrett Anthony had 16 carries for 171 yards, and Jordan Payne added 10 carries for 106 yards Friday night to lead the Eagles (3-4).
Anthony scored on runs of 3, 7, 10, and 66 yards. He also had one catch for 49 yards. Payne scored on a 1-yard run. He also had one catch for 64 yards.
Kenny Collier had one catch for 3 yards, Kody Anthony had one catch for 21 yards, Tyler Nelson had one catch for 67 and a touchdown from Anthony, and Jay Elmore had one catch for 28 yards and a touchdown from Gavin Forrester.
Austin Braswell completed his only pass for 64 yards. Preston Kinard added a 14-yard touchdown run. Brandon Moore was 6 of 7 on extra points.
Payne had nine tackles, including one for a loss. Michael Tate added eight tackles and a sack. Garrett Anthony had seven tackles and an interception. Elmore had eight tackles and a sack.
Victory Christian will play at 7 p.m. Thursday at Tuscaloosa Christian.
n Carroll Academy 42, Oak Hill Academy 31: At Carrollton, the Raiders saw a major blow dealt to their MAIS Class A/AA playoff hopes with a road loss.
Wide receiver John Carver Middleton made some key receptions, while quarterback Ken “Buddy” Dill confidently found his receivers. On defense, Middleton and defensive end Mac Newell were able to make some critical stops.
Coach Chris Craven said that his team did not execute perfectly, but he was still pleased with how his team performed.
“We executed decently on offense,” Craven said. “At times, not all cylinders were firing at the same time. On defense, we needed to do a better job in tackling. That’s what hurt us.”
Dill threw three touchdowns, with Middleton being on the receiving end of two of those.
Oak Hill Academy will play at Leake Academy (2-6) Friday night in non-district play, before finishing the district schedule with a home game against Deer Creek School.
n Aberdeen 48, Hatley 7: At Hatley, the Bulldogs broke through in the MHSAA Class 3A, Region 4 race with their first region win.
“It was good to get back into the region race,” Aberdeen coach Eric Spann said. “It is hard when you lose the first two region games, so it is good we avoided that. When you play on the road, it is important that you start fast and we were able to do that.”
Dajoun Rogers ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs. Fred Fields also added two rushing scores. Fields also hit Isaiah McMillian for an 18-yard touchdown pass.
Aberdeen (2-6, 1-1 region) will play Friday at South Pontotoc (6-2, 2-0) in region play.
n Deer Creek School 36, Columbus Christian 32: At Arcola, the Rams couldn’t make it back-to-back wins in MAIS Class A/AA, District 2 play as they fell on the road in heart-breaking fashion.
Columbus Christian (2-6, 1-3 district) will play at Carroll Academy (6-2, 1-1) in its final district game Friday night.
n Delta Academy 26, Central Academy 20: At Marks, the Vikings fell in another close game on the road in MAIS Eight-Man play.
n Central Academy (2-5, 1-1 district) will play at Kemper Academy (6-0, 1-0) with a playoff berth on the line Friday night.
n Marvell Academy 54, Hebron Christian 0: At Marvell, Arkansas, the Eagles fell in a rematch of an MAIS Eight-Man playoff contest from a season ago.
Hebron Christian (0-6, 0-1 district) will play at Calhoun Academy (2-5, 1-1) in district play Friday night.
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