Familiarity breeds distrust.
Playing multiple games in a season against a common opponent also leads coaches to try to guess which adjustments their rival will make for a second, third, or even fourth matchup.
That’s the predicament Sean Harrison finds himself in this week as the No. 2 seed Heritage Academy football team finalizes preparations for its game against No. 7 Leake Academy at 7 p.m. Friday in the second round of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA playoffs at C.L. Mitchell Field.
But Harrison has said all season that he has a mature group, so he doesn’t believe his players will look past a district rival the Patriots defeated in the regular season.
“They understand the first game meant nothing,” Harrison said. “I stood up Monday and said, ‘We beat them last time. That is the last time we’re going to talk about last time,’ and we haven’t talked about last time since then.
“It is a new week. Leake is playing as good as anybody in the state right now, so it is like you’re playing a new team, and we’re going to have to come out and play well to win it.”
The winner will advance to take on the winner of the game between No. 6 seed Starkville Academy and No. 14 Adams County Christian School. Heritage Academy would play host to the game if it wins.
Heritage Academy beat Leake Academy 41-20 on Sept. 28 in Madden the District 2 opener for both schools. The Patriots won their last three regular-season games to clinch the district title. Last week, Heritage Academy beat Lee (Miss.) Academy 41-6 in the first round.
Leake Academy (9-2) closed its regular season with three-straight victories, including a last-second 29-20 victory against Starkville Academy. The Rebels kicked a field goal in the waning seconds and then recovered a fumble in the end zone on the final sequence. The victory helped them to finish second in the district, but they still were a lower seed than the Volunteers.
Last week, Leake Academy routed No. 10 St. Aloysius 48-7. Senior running back Sam Wilder had 31 carries for 215 yards and six touchdowns in the win. For the season, Wilder, a 5-foot-7, 167-pounder has rushed for 1,983 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Wilder had 18 carries for 122 yards in the first matchup against Heritage Academy. Harrison said the Patriots know what to expect against the Rebels but they still will have to stay focused and try to contain Wilder.
“What is consistent in every film you watch is how hard they play,” Harrison said. “That has continued. … Their game plan is to get it to Sam Wilder, and get it to him early and often. We’re going to have to do a great job on defense tackling him and against the run game.”
While Wilder might be the Rebels’ biggest weapon, Harrison likes the fact the Patriots have multiple weapons in the running and passing attacks. Junior Kelvin “K.J.” Smith has emerged as a tough back to bring down. Junior quarterback Carter Putt has thrown for more than 2,000 yards thanks to a wealth of weapons that includes senior Moak Griffin, senior Lex Rogers, junior Noel Fisher, and junior Jared Long. Harrison said having six multiple players who can “take it to the house” on any play makes his offense hard to handle.
Harrison also praised an offensive line of Ethan Bumgarner, Chapman Cooper, Clay Walters, Parker Ray, and Eli Acker (Fox Walters rotates in two tight end set) and the work of offensive line coach Tobias Smith. Harrison said Smith has helped a line that was inexperienced last season develop into a force in 2018.
“The offense has gotten so good it is like when we get a gain of 4 (yards) it is a disappointment,” Harrison said. “That’s just a testament to them and to their work ethic. Tobias has done such a good job with that offensive line. They’re a completely different animal than they have been the past two years.”
Heritage Academy will have senior J.R. Lott and junior Banks Hyde available Friday. Both players missed the first meeting against Leake Academy. He said Acker, who missed some of the game against the Rebels, should be able to go the whole game.
Still, coaches love to analyze and crunch numbers and watch game film over and over, which is why Harrison is trying to cover all his bases and to make sure the Patriots are ready for anything and everything.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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