JACKSON — Heritage Academy football coach Sean Harrison had just two words for his team after everything started to go wrong.

Settle in.

Only two plays into Friday’s MAIS Class 5A championship game at Jackson Academy, the Patriots trailed Copiah Academy 7-0. The Colonels had gashed the Heritage defense for a 72-yard touchdown run by John David Weed, sending the Copiah bench and the stands behind it into raucous cheers.

On the opposite sideline, Harrison rallied his troops. He reminded the Pats they couldn’t prepare for Weed’s speed nor for the Colonels’ unique offensive scheme. With more than 47 of 48 minutes remaining, Heritage Academy still had plenty of time left.

“We just needed to settle in,” Harrison said, “and that’s what they did.”

That’s one way to put it, anyway.

Heritage Academy (13-1) scored six consecutive touchdowns en route to a 51-21 win over Copiah (10-3), winning the Class 5A title for the second time in three years.

“It was a crazy season, man,” senior wide receiver Mitchell Woodard said. “We’re just so happy right now.”

Woodard caught three touchdown passes from junior quarterback Mack Howard, who finished with a whopping six scoring tosses in the Patriots’ rout. Trey Naugher, Eli Dement and Luke Fisher also caught touchdowns from Howard, who threw the ball all over the field like few high school quarterbacks can do.

“He makes life easy,” Harrison said. “He makes this job really easy.”

Howard won his first state title as the Patriots’ starting quarterback after backing up senior Carter Putt as a freshman. That year, Heritage Academy went 14-0 and romped to the state title with a 55-10 thrashing of rival Starkville Academy.

But then the Patriots lost 14 seniors, including Putt, running back KJ Smith, offensive lineman Eli Acker and wide receiver Jared Long.

Harrison was left with a young group. He was concerned about how many players he’d be able to field. But he saw the talent in Howard and the Pats’ raw young players.

“I knew this bunch could be special,” he said.

They showed it in 2020. Heritage Academy made it all the way to the state semifinals. They took Adams County Christian School to overtime.

Then they lost.

Still, Harrison saw what could be.

“I thought … we had a chance to go take that next step just because they developed last year so much quicker than I ever thought they could have,” Harrison said. “That loss kind of translated into a great spring, summer and then obviously through the season.”

Heritage Academy started 9-0 before meeting powerhouse Leake Academy in Columbus on Oct. 15, dropping a 35-28 contest for their first — and only — loss.

The Patriots figured they’d see the Rebels again in Friday’s title game, but fourth-seeded Copiah upset top-seeded Leake 33-21 last week.

“It was a shock to all of us, obviously,” Howard said.

But they got to watching film and saw Copiah’s physicality and athleticism pop off the tape. Howard, Harrison and Co. took notes. When they came out Friday, they were ready.

After Weed’s touchdown, Heritage Academy responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Howard to Naugher on a throw over the top Harrison called his quarterback’s best of the night.

The Patriots pounced on a fumbled kickoff and cashed in one play later, with Howard finding Dement from the 8-yard line for the score.

Add in touchdowns of 51 and 73 yards for Woodard, and Friday’s game was effectively over — long before the automatic running clock came into play when the Pats’ lead reached 35 points late in the third quarter; long before the final horn sounded amid an almost businesslike celebration.

“We were rolling at that point,” Woodard said. “Once we get rolling, it’s hard to stop us.”

Todd Sharp kicked a 30-yard field goal to put Heritage Academy up 30-7 at halftime, and Fisher caught a 10-yard touchdown grab to open the second half.

Weed scored again for Copiah Academy, but Pats senior Wesley Miller showed why Harrison called him postgame the “best athlete on the field.”

Undeterred by having a 37-yard rushing score called back on a holding penalty, Miller promptly scored again from 25 yards out on the next snap.

Then Woodard caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Howard with 34 seconds left in the third. Cue the running clock.

Howard said the Patriots blew a 20-7 halftime lead last week to Oak Forest Academy before winning their semifinal game. They couldn’t let a similar collapse happen again.

“Our mindset was, ‘We want to come out here, and we’re going to step on their throat early,’” he said. “In the second half, we’re going to assure that.’”

The quarterback credited Fisher at linebacker with another big performance, part of a Heritage Academy defense that held Copiah to just six points between Weed’s opening-drive score and his garbage-time touchdown with 3:24 to go.

Woodard, who plays safety as well as receiver, said the Pats knew what to prepare for with the Colonels’ offense.

“I think we did a really good job of stopping the run,” he said. “We knew coming in we had to wrap up, and I think we did a good job of doing that.”

The lockdown defensive showing helped Heritage Academy to its fourth-ever state title. The Patriots won it all in 1986 and 2012 before winning the 2019 championship.

“This is a special program — special things going on here,” Howard said. “Coach Harrison’s done a heck of a job here, and I’m just honored to be one of his players.”

While seniors including Miller, Woodard and Dement wrap up their careers with Friday’s win, Howard still has a year to go. And next November, he’s aiming to be right back here — on top of it all.

“No doubt,” he said. “No doubt.”

Heritage Academy 51, Copiah Academy 21

Copiah Academy (10-3) 7 0 6 8 — 21

Heritage Academy (13-1) 20 10 21 0 — 51

First quarter

CA — John David Weed 72 run (Tanner Hollingsworth kick), 11:05

HA — Trey Naugher 26 pass from Mack Howard (Todd Sharp kick), 7:53

HA — Eli Dement 8 pass from Howard (Sharp kick), 7:37

HA — Mitchell Woodard 51 pass from Howard (pass failed), 4:17

Second quarter

HA — Woodard 73 pass from Howard (Sharp kick), 11:20

HA — Sharp 30 field goal, 4:22

Third quarter

HA — Luke Fisher 10 pass from Howard (Sharp kick), 11:16

CA — Weed 2 run (run failed), 6:53

HA — Wesley Miller 25 run (Sharp kick), 4:37

HA — Woodard 33 pass from Howard (Sharp kick), 0:34

Fourth quarter

CA — Weed 3 run (two-point play successful), 3:24

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.