For the first time this season, Jackson Academy will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will venture away from home to square off against the Magnolia Heights Chiefs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Jackson Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Mississippi's top teams: Madison-Ridgeland Academy, who was ranked first at the time (Jackson Academy was ranked 17th). The Raiders took a 35-24 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Patriots on Friday. The game marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Despite the defeat, Jackson Academy had strong showings from Aaric Beasley, who gained 126 total yards and a touchdown, and Josef Walker, who threw for 227 yards and one TD while completing 75% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Magnolia Heights is still undefeated this season after their contest against Heritage Academy on Friday, but Heritage Academy came as close as anyone has to beating them. The Chiefs sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 31-28 victory over the Patriots. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Chiefs have posted since October 25, 2024.
Magnolia Heights' victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Jackson Academy, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Jackson Academy skirted past Magnolia Heights 13-11 in their previous meeting back in September of 2016. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
