The Heritage Academy Patriots will head out to square off against the Lamar Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Heritage Academy lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Starkville Academy, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Friday's contest. The Patriots blew past the Volunteers 34-14 on Friday. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 20 points or more this season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lamar, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They strolled past Winston Academy with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 27-12. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Raiders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while the Patriots are ranked 211th).
A big part of Lamar's victory came down to the chemistry between Sullivan Reed and his top target Jalin Trotter. Reed threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.0 yards per attempt while Trotter picked up 207 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Those 207 receiving yards gave Trotter a new career-high.
Lamar's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.4 points on average over those games. As for Heritage Academy, their record is now 7-2.
Heritage Academy might still be hurting after the 42-20 loss they got from Lamar in their previous meeting back in September of 2024. Thankfully for the Patriots, Kellan Kerley (who rushed for 106 yards and three TDs) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
