The Patriots traveled to Natchez, Mississippi to take on the Adams County Christian School Rebels last Friday. The Rebels traveled to Flowood last year and returned home tattered and torn after the Patriots ran away with a convincing victory. This year, ACCS showcased a very similar, run-oriented offense. However, with the addition of a few new skill players to ACCS’ squad, the Patriots had to combat a much more athletic team. Nevertheless, Prep left Natchez with a 42-8 win.

The first quarter opened with unproductive drives from both teams. Although the bad weather that was expected blew past, the Patriots had difficulty securing the center to quarterback snap the entire game. This common thread reared itself in Prep’s opening drive, with quarterback Riley Maddox having to face several long third downs as a result. But, the Patriots quickly caught their stride on defense after safety Jeffery Ince picked off a long Rebel passing attempt. Ince had two interceptions on the game. The first quarter’s scoring came from Matt Jones’ two goal-line touchdown runs.

The Patriot offense stalled a bit in the second and third quarters. These two periods were characterized by the Patriots’ rugged running defense and a number of quarterback switches on the offensive side. The defense held up extremely well against ACCS’ heavy-running scheme, with linebackers Braedon Mabry, William Deas, and Seth Cook constantly filling rushing lanes. Their efforts ensured that the Rebels did not score until the early fourth quarter with a long pass and its subsequent two-point conversion. Offensively, the Patriots rotated between Riley Maddox, Will Gibbs, and Paxton Thompson. Prep put an obvious emphasis on getting the passing game moving with all three quarterbacks. However, these efforts did not fully translate into results, as ACCS finished with more passing yards because of several long completions.

A summary of Prep’s scoring shows several common themes. The first theme is that Matt Jones is a very good running back. Jones finished with three touchdown runs during the contest and flashed several good moves when stretching outside runs. The second theme is that Chris Peale is a great addition to the team. The senior transfer played the majority of the game at fullback, clearing paths for Jones and scoring a touchdown of his own with a tough run through the middle of the defense. Peale also returned a fumble for a touchdown on defense, bouncing off of several defenders on his way to the endzone. The third and final theme is that Coach Black still has tricks up his sleeve. In the third quarter, Jeffery Ince took an option pitch from Riley Maddox and surprised the defense by lobbing a pass to Thaxton Berch. The pitch pass was an interesting addition to the offensive gameplan.

You can catch the Patriots in action this Friday against Lamar School at Patriot Field. Make sure to support Prep as they continue to trek through what looks to be a challenging remaining schedule.