Jackson Academy and Hartfield Academy are an even 4-4 against one another since September of 2017, but not for long. The Raiders will square off against the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Jackson Academy comes in on six and Hartfield Academy on five.
Jackson Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Their defense stepped up to hand Madison-Ridgeland Academy a 35-0 shutout. Considering the Raiders have won eight contests by more than 26 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Josef Walker
| 11/14/25 @ Madison-Ridgeland Academy | 266 |
| 10/17/25 vs St. Joseph Catholic | 248 |
| 09/26/25 vs Madison-Ridgeland Academy | 227 |
| 09/19/25 @ Hartfield Academy | 197 |
| 09/12/25 @ St. Joseph | 183 |
Josef Walker had another great game (as he tends to do), throwing for 266 yards and three TDs while picking up 11.6 yards per attempt, and also rushing for 60 yards and one touchdown. Those 266 passing yards gave him a new career-high. Aaric Beasley helped out on the ground, rushing for 90 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Jackson Academy's run defense was locked in: Madison-Ridgeland Academy could only muster 1.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Adam Alexander for the heroic effort on defense: he. Jackson Academy's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.6.
Jackson Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Ashton Blackmon, Jack Seward, Carter Mathison, and Baird Kennedy picked up one apiece. Alexander was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, forcing one fumble, and making ten total tackles.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Hartfield Academy against Jackson Prep on Friday as the team secured a 48-21 win. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by 22 points or more this season.
Jackson Academy better keep an eye on Ethan Elliott. He was instrumental in Hartfield Academy's win, rushing for 142 yards and a pair of scores on only nine carries, while also throwing for 102 yards and two TDs. Elliott's passing game has become a key predictor of the Hawks' success: the team is 5-1 when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 1-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Collin McIntyre, who rushed for 97 yards and one touchdown.
Hartfield Academy's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Peyton Trigg.
Jackson Academy's record now sits at 10-1. As for Hartfield Academy, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Saturday's game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Walker and Elliott. Walker just won't slow down this season and has thrown 22 touchdowns (and no picks) while averaging 164.7 passing yards per game. Elliott has been a dominant force too and has thrown 14 touchdowns while averaging 151.2 passing yards per game.
Jackson Academy strolled past Hartfield Academy in their previous meeting back in September by a score of 41-22. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Hawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
