Patriots make history with title number six

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Clinton, MS — GIVE ‘EM SIX! November 17, 2017, ended up being a day that the Jackson Prep Patriots will remember for a long time. Their 38-3 win over the Parklane Pioneers Friday not only gave them another championship win, but it also gave the Patriots their sixth straight state title. Prep’s stretch also set a state of Mississippi record for the most championships in a row, passing South Panola’s championship stint that went from 2003-2007.

The game had a very slow start offensively. After the first, the Patriots led 7-0, and both teams were having a hard time getting their offenses on track. However, the game did not stay this way for long. The Patriots then put together three scoring drives, and they were able to stretch their lead out to 25 points by halftime(28-3). The game didn’t get any closer from there. Prep added another 10 points to their lead in the second half, and the rest was history. Prep was led once again by their star running back Jerrion Ealy who tallied 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Ealy, however, didn’t bring home this championship alone, he had help from seniors (QB) Chance Lovertich and (WR) Jake Maloney who wanted to have their last game in a Patriot uniform be a memorable one. Lovertich went 5 – 11 for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and Maloney was responsible for the majority of those stats, seeing as he had three receptions for 102 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Prep’s offense may have had an impressive outing Friday, but it was the team’s defense that was responsible for bringing home their sixth-straight title. The Patriots defense was undoubtedly the game’s MVP, as they held an almost always explosive Pioneer offense scoreless in three of the four quarters. This was the fourth time all season that they had held an opposing team to three points or less all game, and the eighth time that they had held their opposition to less than 10 points through all four quarters. This defense was led by upperclassmen Hayden Hill, Cooper Carroll, and Wilson Mink. All three of which had dominant performances at their respective positions in this game. Mink, had an especially impressive performance, as he had six total tackles, one of which for a loss, and a forced fumble. The Patriots held the Pioneers dynamic rushing duo of Jay Smith and Trent Coleman to a combined 75 yards all game. Also, neither back had a rush of over 10 yards. This is a notable stat for Prep since the two backs had combined for over 3000 yards on the year heading into the game.

Most teams, even championship teams, go through adversity during games throughout the season, but Jackson Prep is not “most teams”. The Patriots finished the year 13-0, they outscored their opponents by a combined 582 – 126, and they didn’t have a game all year decided by less than two scores. Prep also featured a quarterback, in Chance Lovertich, that passed for almost 2300 yards, a four-star running back, in Jerrion Ealy, who has made himself a household name around Flowood, and they had a receiving core that finished the season averaging more than 182 yards per game. Then finally they had a defense that finished the season with 22 sacks, 41 pass breakups, and 20 interceptions. Though you may find dominant stats like these within other teams, you will not find many other special all-around groups like the one that coach Ricky Black had this 2017 season. They will definitely be a squad that people will be talking about for a while.