Sean Harrison has talked all season about how important it is for the Heritage Academy Patriots to play physical football.
It says something about the Patriots’ progress that Harrison can proclaim his players delivered the most physical week 10 of practice he has been a part of as a coach.
Heritage Academy’s ability to continue to play that brand of football will be crucial at 7 tonight when it plays host to Leake Academy in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 regular-season finale at C.L. Mitchell Field.
A victory would help Heritage Academy (7-2, 2-0 district) clinch its first district title since 2003, when it went 5-1 in Class AA, District 2 en route to a loss to Simpson Academy in the state title game.
Heritage Academy has similar aspirations this season. The Patriots enter tonight’s game seeded fourth in the 16-team Class AAA playoffs, which begin next week. A win tonight likely would give Heritage Academy a chance to play host to two playoff games. That recipe appeals to Harrison, who is in his first year as head coach at the school. But the former head coach at Wayne Academy knows Leake Academy (3-6, 1-1) will present a challenge. Starkville Academy edged Leake Academy 28-27 in double overtime two weeks ago.
“I think it has been focused this week,” Harrison said. “They understand what is at stake, potentially getting to host at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, or it could be we are on the road for the first round of the playoffs. They are excited and eager to embrace that.”
Heritage Academy is coming off a 35-13 loss to Indianola Academy, which is the top-seed in Class AAA. Harrison said that game served as great preparation for the regular-season finale because it showed his players where they need to be if they want to win a state championship. He said the impression from that game carried over to practice this week.
“They didn’t get down. I don’t think the loss carried over to this week,” Harrison said. “I think just the lessons from the loss carried over. I am very proud of that.”
Harrison said the loss reinforced the importance of all of the players and coaches picking each other up. He said the Patriots have picked up him in past games when he didn’t feel he had a strong night calling plays. Against Indianola Academy, Harrison said Heritage Academy struggled.
“They learned from it,” Harrison said. “We did a lot of waiting around to see if somebody else was going to make a play rather than making it themselves. That’s OK. I am glad they learned it in Week 9 of the regular season rather than the playoffs.”
Harrison has talked all season about his team’s maturity and how the team has remained “even keeled” after every game. He hopes that will be the case moving forward as the excitement mounts about a possible district title and a chance to play host to the playoffs.
Heritage Academy lost to Silliman Institute 43-7 last season on the road. The school hasn’t played host to a playoff game dating back to 2003, when it won at North Delta and at Manchester Academy before losing to Simpson Academy 21-14 at Mississippi College in Clinton to cap a 9-5 season.
Leake Academy is coming off a 55-3 victory against Oak Hill Academy. Prior to that game, it lost to Manchester Academy 31-28 in overtime and in double overtime to Starkville Academy. Harrison said Leake Academy is similar to Starkville Academy in that it will be well coached and it won’t make a lot of mistakes.
“I am excited,” Harrison said. “I always try to be even keeled. The kids will react how the coach reacts. (Defensive coordinator) Russ (Whiteside) and I and the rest of the staff are pretty even keeled. I have said the cliche all year, one play at a time. I think the kids, for the most part, have bought into that idea.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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