WEST POINT — For the record, Jaden Craven doesn’t look fat.
Unlike other “hogs” who play in the trenches up front, Craven’s jersey fits well and covers his stomach. His pants complete a uniform that suits the fireplug of a guard, who is listed at 5-foot-9, 220 pounds, very well.
But Craven also doesn’t look at the word “fat” as an insult. Like many offensive and defensive linemen, the Oak Hill Academy sophomore takes pride in his girth and his ability to stay strong at the point of attack.
After Oak Hill Academy’s 55-0 victory against Columbus Christian Academy on Friday night, Craven can feel good about something else, a feat that nearly all of his peers never get to accomplish.
Even though he wound up on his back in the end zone, Craven received the ultimate prize when Joanah Caskey’s fumble fell into his arms for a touchdown — the first of his varsity career — in the second quarter to help put an exclamation mark on the Raiders’ fifth-straight victory.
“I never, never, never would have thought of that, ever,” Craven said. “I guess it is just being in the right place at the right time.
“I was very happy because it is not too often fat boys get to score a touchdown.”
Craven said he was just doing his job on “43 Power,” which means he was pulling, wrapping, and kicking like he is taught to do. He said he turned around and kicked his player and saw about three players on him. Craven said two players hit Caskey from behind and jarred the ball loose.
“I was standing there in the end zone and caught the ball,” Craven said.
You will have to excuse Craven for his momentary memory lapse. When told he wasn’t standing, he sheepishly admitted he was down in the end zone. The positioning actually worked better for Craven because the ball popped loose and floated down to him like it was in slow motion.
“The first thing I thought was catch it,” Craven said. “That is what we’re taught to do. I just thought it was back-yard football and somebody was playing catch with me.”
Craven said he always has been a “fat boy” who plays with his hand in the dirt and relishes blocking for all of the “skinnies.” He smiled and said he felt he made “all of the fat boys proud” by scoring his first touchdown.
As much fun as Craven and his teammates had in the win, the tone turned serious after the game when assistant coach/defensive coordinator Carl Middleton told the Raiders they can be part of a championship football team if they will continue to get better.
A slow start that included three personal fouls and two fumbles on their first three plays served as a reminder Oak Hill Academy has work to do. Still, the non-district victory moved Oak Hill Academy to 5-1 and set up a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AA, District 2 game against Central Holmes Christian on Friday in West Point. At 2-0 in the district, Oak Hill Academy controls its destiny. A victory Friday and a victory by Marshall Academy, which also is 2-0 in the district, would set up a winner-take-all matchup Oct. 20 in Holly Springs.
Craven said it is going to take “a lot more work” for the Raiders to become a championship team. He said the team needs to take things “a lot more seriously.” Part of the slow start might have been attributed to Friday night being Homecoming and having a packed crowd on hand for the game. Still, Craven understands the Raiders need to have better focus if they want to realize their goals.
The championship goals stem from the installation of a new culture in the program in the summer and in the preseason. Craven, whose father, Chris, is the head football coach, said things have clicked with this year’s group after a 2016 season in which very little worked.
“I talked with my dad after the season and we agreed something needed to change,” Craven said. “I don’t want him to ever go through that as a coach again. Going 2-8, nobody likes that. We said we were going to put in more work, have more discipline, lift harder — everything a championship team needs to do, we just did it. Coming out here changing the culture, it looks like things are working out in our favor.”
Craven said it was “mental” last season because the 2016 Oak Hill Academy had plenty of talent. He credits the senior leadership, especially John Carver Middleton, who he referred to as the “heart and soul” of the team, for leading the way.
Caskey, a sophomore, agreed and said the Raiders have the “heart” to be a championship team.
“We never stop fighting. We never give up,” Caskey said. “We always go 100 percent every play. That is one thing that will get us to a state title.”
Caskey also said the death of teammate Thomas Lee Bales in August has brought everyone closer together. Bales’ No. 9 is painted in red, which is one of the school’s color’s in front of the team’s sideline. It serves as reminder that Bales is still with them and for the Raiders to play for each other.
“We had to be there for each other almost like brothers and it formed a brotherhood,” Caskey said. “We have great chemistry. We think as one and we play as one.
“We are not being selfish anymore. We are playing as a whole. We are not individual players. We are one team.”
Coach Craven said he was proud of Jaden for paying attention and catching the fumble. He said he was prouder of the fact that the Raiders took another step toward a winning season and a district title. To realize those goals, Craven knows he Raiders have to clean up some things and stay focused.
“We still had a few mental mistakes,” Craven said. “We have to get better at mental execution and make sure we don’t get penalties and block the right guy. They give so much effort and they play so hard and they play together as a family that the potential is there. We believe in that and we believe in them. You can believe what you want to, but it is about what you do. If we’re going to be district champions and make a run in the playoffs, we’re going to have to get better at offensive execution.”
On nights like Friday, a well-positioned “fat boy” in the end zone can be the perfect play to cap an evening, even if the head coach says he isn’t going to add plays like it to the playbook.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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