CLINTON — Jackson Academy ended a 14-year state championship drought with a commanding 50-14 victory over Hartfield Academy on Saturday night at Mississippi College’s Robinson-Hale Stadium.
The Raiders (11-1) claimed their 10th state title overall — and first since 2011 — behind a dominant ground game and a defense that limited Hartfield to 149 total yards.
“We just have a great team. Our guys did a great job of playing each play, staying focused, and giving great effort,” Jackson Academy Head Coach David Duggan said. “This is a pretty good feeling. I’m so proud of this team and I can’t say enough about how each player contributed.”
Hartfield struck first after a turnover, taking a 7-0 lead on K.D. Catchings’ 8-yard touchdown run with 7:09 left in the opening quarter.
Jackson Academy answered quickly. Aaric Beasley broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run with 5:15 remaining in the first to tie the score at 7-7.
The Raiders took the lead for good on Josef Walker’s 8-yard touchdown run with 2:31 left in the second quarter. A safety with 1:43 remaining and Beasley’s 1-yard plunge with 11 seconds left before halftime gave Jackson Academy a 23-7 cushion at the break.
Jackson Academy wasted no time in the third quarter, as Walker scored from 5 yards on the opening drive to make it 30-7.
Hartfield responded with Auburn commit Bralan Womack’s 37-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 30-14 with 6:45 left in the third.
The Raiders answered immediately. Kingston Mays raced 43 yards for a touchdown with 2:04 remaining in the third to push the lead to 37-14.
Walker added a 9-yard touchdown run and Beasley scored from 12 yards in the fourth quarter to complete the 50-14 final.
“We started off slow, but we had so many emotions going into this game. We settled down and got after them after that,” Duggan said. “We are really good upfront. We have some talented kids on both offensive and defensive lines and we challenged them to be physical and they accepted the challenge. I didn’t realize it had been that long since JA last won a championship, but we did a great job of executing the run game tonight and we have really good players, so it’s great to finally win it.”
Beasley led the Raiders with 15 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Walker passed for 108 yards and rushed for 70 yards with three scores.
“The run game was very effective and we just wore them down in the second half. Offensive line did a great job blocking all night,” Beasley said. “This feels great. Coming to a new school, a new atmosphere, I just love it over here and the coaches do a great job getting us prepared and getting the best out of us every day in practice. We will build off this and get ready for next year.”
Womack rushed for 59 yards to pace Hartfield, the two-time defending state champion. The Hawks finished the season 6-6.
