The Hartfield Academy Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Jackson Prep Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hartfield Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight games -- so hopefully Jackson Prep likes a good challenge.
Even though Madison-Ridgeland Academy scored an imposing 56 points on Friday, Hartfield Academy still came out on top. Hartfield Academy took their match against Madison-Ridgeland Academy 63-56.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hartfield Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Reed Jesiolowski, who rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.7 yards per carry, and also caught a touchdown. Jesiolowski is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last four games he's played. Bralan Womack was in the mix too, providing Hartfield Academy with four touchdowns.
Meanwhile, after only six points in their last game, Jackson Prep made sure to put some points up on the board against Presbyterian Christian on Friday. Jackson Prep blew past Presbyterian Christian, posting a 49-0 victory on the road. Given Jackson Prep's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 15th, while Presbyterian Christian is ranked 146th), the result wasn't exactly an upset.
Billy Puckett had a dynamite game for Jackson Prep, throwing for 296 yards and five touchdowns while completing 82.4% of his passes, and also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Peyton Puckett, who picked up 86 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Hartfield Academy's victory was their fifth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 9-0. To be fair, it's not like the team was facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-7 Brookhaven Academy and 2-6 Cathedral (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 35.7% over those games). Jackson Prep has been no stranger to the win column this season, as they've started out with wins in seven of their first eight matchups, giving them a 7-1 record.
Hartfield Academy couldn't quite finish off Jackson Prep when the teams last played back in November of 2022 and fell 10-7. Can Hartfield Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
