Jackson Academy football beats Hartfield Academy to win MAIS 4A-DI title

CLINTON — Jackson Academy coach David Duggan admitted that the cold got to him for a moment.

The second-year coach was drenched with water, his glasses all fogged up and ice surrounding him near midfield.

It was the result of his players grabbing a Gatorade jug and dousing him following the Raiders' 50-14 win against two-time defending champion Hartfield Academy in the MAIS 4A Division I title game.

"This feels pretty good," Duggan said Nov. 22 at Robinson-Hale Stadium. "I'm just so happy for Jackson Academy. This football team has worked so hard. The environment through our school this fall has just been off the charts. I can't say enough about everybody that's involved with this program."

This is the Raiders' first state championship since 2011, something Duggan did not know until this week.

"We didn't even think about it, honestly," he said. "We were talking about how do you compete for a championship? How do you build a championship program? It's about the little (things) . . . You can't make mistakes and can't turn the ball over."

Senior defensive lineman Dereon Albert said it begins with Duggan and the mindset he instills in the Raiders (11-1), who outscored their two playoff opponents 85-14.

"It feels so good to be a part of this squad to win it all in decades," said Albert, a Tennessee commit. "It's just a culture here. We came together, we sat down and we wanted to win this."

Junior running back Aaric Beasley, who transferred from Clinton, missed seeing Duggan get the celebratory shower, but smiled widely when he heard about it, and hoped someone caught it on video. He credits the success of the season to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

"We go out of our practice schedule time to go meet and go over plays," said Beasley, who had 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns. "I think that helps out a lot. Other people can do so much, but we go outside the box to make sure we get the extras so we can be as great as possible."

Beasley said he had to shake off an early error, a fumble on the Raiders' opening drive that led to the first touchdown for Hartfield Academy (6-6).

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"We're really player-led, and I think that's a key role in everything," he said. "Especially with me fumbling the first play and everyone coming to pick me up. That really motivated me, and I came out and scored."

Jackson Academy quarterback Josef Walker added 178 total yards and three touchdowns.

Albert lauds the job Duggan has done with the program after he was Jackson Academy's defensive coordinator when Albert was with the team during his first two years in high school.

"That coach right there changed me not as a player, but as a person and as a man," Albert said. "He taught me so much over the years."

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Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson Academy football wins MAIS 4A-DI championship, 1st since 2011