FLOWOOD, Miss. — Jackson Prep leaned on a dominant ground game to open its season with a 42-35 victory over UMS-Wright (Ala.) on Friday night at Patriot Field.
Wade Smith and Herrin Goodman powered the Patriots’ rushing attack as they built an early lead and held off a late Bulldogs rally.
“I feel like we did a really good job of running the ball,” Jackson Prep coach Doug Goodwin said. “Our offensive line did well up front and our backs did a great job running. Glad to be 1-0.”
Jackson Prep struck first on its opening possession when Luke Essary connected with Asher Reynolds on a 30-yard touchdown pass, giving the Patriots a 7-0 lead with 7:12 remaining in the first quarter.
Smith extended the advantage to 14-0 on a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left in the period. Goodman then pushed the lead to 21-0 with a 23-yard scoring run at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter. Smith capped the first-half outburst with a 15-yard touchdown run, making it 28-0 with 4:10 remaining before intermission.
UMS-Wright responded late in the half. Max Fowler found Ty Mabrey for a 13-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 28-7 with 1:22 left. After a Jackson Prep fumble, Fowler scored on a 3-yard run as time expired, trimming the margin to 28-14 at the break.
The third quarter passed without a score. Early in the fourth, Essary hit Goodman on a 35-yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead to 35-14 with 9:28 remaining.
Fowler and Mabrey answered with a 25-yard scoring connection that made it 35-21 with 6:25 left, then linked up again on an 11-yard touchdown pass to pull within 35-28 with 2:25 to play.
Smith sealed the outcome with a 31-yard touchdown run that restored a 42-28 cushion with 1:33 remaining. Fowler and Mabrey closed the gap once more on a 14-yard touchdown pass, making the final score 42-35 with 49 seconds left. Jackson Prep recovered the ensuing squib kick and ran out the clock.
“We had a great start and had the game under control and let them back in it,” Goodwin said. “It’s the way football goes. We gave them momentum at halftime, but we regained the momentum on a good drive that we scored on. It’s a big win but we have a lot to improve on.”
The Patriots (1-0) finished with 329 rushing yards. Smith led the way with 188 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns. Goodman added 133 yards on eight carries and two scores. Essary completed 7 of 15 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
“We had them in the first half the entire time, but they stacked the box then we adjusted and in the second half they made some plays, so we had to fight to the end. I’m really proud of how the team played,” Smith said. “We ran straight up the middle to start, then ran outside zone and that really worked for the most part and then went back up the middle to end the game. Proud to be 1-0.”
Fowler threw for 286 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing score for UMS-Wright (0-1). Mabrey caught six passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns.
“There was so much that went wrong in the first half, but we wanted them to experience a game against a really experienced Prep team and they did a really good job. I’m proud of the kids for staying in it and for fighting to the end,” UMS-Wright coach Sam Williams said. “We have a lot of things to clean up, but it’s the first game and you know you have to do that. It’s a team game, it’s team football, and you have to be good on both sides of the ball and we weren’t good enough on either side tonight.”
