MACON — Ronnie Sciple found the break he was looking for Friday night.
After sweating through five victories by a combined 22 points, Sciple and the Central Academy football team cruised to a 44-0 victory against Veritas on Friday. Sophomore T.J. Coleman had 273 yards and five touchdowns to help the Vikings push their record to 6-0.
“We got a lot of folks some playing time,” Sciple said. “There was one time I don’t think we had a senior on the field. It helped out.”
That respite ended just as that game ended, though, because Sciple and the Vikings immediately went back to work to prepare for one of the toughest stretches of the season. The first step will come at 7 p.m. Friday when Central Academy plays host to Russell Christian in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Eight-Man District 1 game.
Central Academy and North Sunflower Academy lead the district at 5-0, followed by Russell Christian (5-1, 2-1) and Calhoun Academy (3-3, 3-2) and Delta Academy (3-3, 3-2). The top two teams in the district earn the chance to play host to first-round playoff games.
Considering North Sunflower Academy beat Russell Christian 26-6 on Sept. 16, Friday’s matchup in Macon could go a long way to helping the Vikings secure their third-straight playoff appearance.
Next week, Central Academy will play at North Sunflower Academy.
But Sciple knows nothing is guaranteed. He hopes the drama of this season, which has included three two-point victories and plenty of rallies and holds by his team, has focused his squad for this stretch run.
“They understand that these next two games are huge,” Sciple said. “If we can beat Russell, the next week when we play North Sunflower, the way I figure it, it will be for all of the marbles. … We have to have a big game this week. That is what we have worked all year to get to this point.”
Russell Christian won its first four games before losing to North Sunflower Academy. It rebounded to beat Calvary Christian 56-14 last week.
Central Academy hasn’t played Russell Christian since 2008, when it earned a 52-30 victory. It is looking to extend a winning streak that rivals last season when it went 9-0 to open the season before the first of two losses to Kemper Academy. The second loss came in the MAIS Eight-Man title game in Jackson. Central Academy avenged that loss Sept. 16 with a 28-26 victory.
Sciple knows his team has a long way to go before it even considers playing for a title. But he feels last week’s game gave his team valuable rest and time to heal its assorted bumps and bruises. Now he said it is time to take care of business and get ready for the postseason.
“I don’t think it will be difficult to get the teams up again (after playing a big rival like Kemper Academy),” Sciple said. “This game is more for pride and for where you’re going to be in the playoffs. We want to host playoff games. I think they will be more self-motivated than they have been. They understand this next game is a biggie. We could go from sitting in the cat bird’s seat to peaking in and having to break our way in.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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