The Raiders hosted Starkville Academy on Senior Night at The Brickyard with rain falling nearly the entire game. The conditions led to some sloppy play by both teams. The Raiders were looking to win their third straight game and beat the Vols for the 14th time in 15 meetings. The Raiders used defense to rule the game and had four different ball carriers run for 170 yards in a hard fought 23-7 victory over the Volunteers.

For the second straight game the opposing side got on the board first as Starkville Academy marched the ball down the field with a 10 play - 80 yard drive that took 5:17 off the clock. Randall Futral found Dylan Starke in the end zone as Starke caught a tipped ball by the JA defense from 20 yards away. JA had a punt and two interceptions on their first three drives of the game before they finally found the end zone as Marcus Harris scored his 17th touchdown of the season on a 19 yard run. Those would be the only two scores of the first half as the two teams combined for four punts, 3 interceptions and two turnovers on downs.

The Volunteers found the conditions getting the best of them as a snap on special teams was bobbled and JA was able to tackle the punter at the 10 yard line. Two plays later Parker Ryan scored one of his two touchdowns on the night giving JA a lead they would not reinquish. After a third interception by the Vols defense in the end zone a mental mistake cost them two more points as they started the drive from their own 1 yard line. Two plays later JT Thigpen stopped CJ Jackson in his tracks in the end zone for the first safety of the season for the JA D. After a Tae Stewart 33 yard run, the Raiders finished off the scoring with Ryan?s second score of the night from 2 yards out.

JA will finish the regular season next Friday night as they take on Parklane Academy in McComb, with the kickoff at 7pm.

Offensive Stats:
Marcus Harris - 12 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD
Tae Stewart - 2 carries, 34 yards
Parker Ryan - 17 carry, 24 yards, 2 TDs

Defensive Stats:
Caleb Hernandez - 13 Tackles, 7 Solo, 3 TFL
JT Thigpen - 10 Tackles, 4 Solo, 1 TFL
Brendan Gibson - 9 Tackles, 7 Solo, 0.5 TFL
Walker Barnes - 7 Tackles
Ja'Ree Myers - 2 Solo Tackles, 2 Interceptions

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