Hartfield Academy has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Jackson Prep Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
With a playoff game on the line, Hartfield Academy rose to the challenge on Friday. They blew past Jackson Academy 35-7 at home. Hartfield Academy might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 11 matches by 26 points or more this season.
Reed Jesiolowski was his usual excellent self, rushing for 220 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.6 yards per carry. Jesiolowski has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last eight times he's played. Hartfield Academy also got help from Kenzy West who showed off his sure hands for 96 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Jackson Prep faced Madison-Ridgeland Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Jackson Prep had just enough and edged Madison-Ridgeland Academy out 28-25. Winning may never get old, but Jackson Prep sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Jackson Prep's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Cole Gideon, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, and Billy Puckett, who rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries.
Hartfield Academy pushed their record up to 13-0 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Jackson Prep, their win bumped their record up to 10-3.
Hartfield Academy was able to grind out a solid win over Jackson Prep when the teams last played back in October, winning 30-17. Does Hartfield Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Jackson Prep turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
