Patriots Eye 3-Peat

MADISON – A couple of weeks ago, in a span of less than 18 hours, Herbert Davis was interviewed by three local television stations. He also made guest appearances on three local radio shows, along with fielding a call from a high school reporter from the statewide newspaper.

Those who know Davis well know he’d much rather be on the field coaching his team, breaking down film or drawing up offensive plays on the nearest whiteboard than dealing with the media – especially with the first game of the season just around the corner. Not that he’s complaining, mind you.

“It has been a little hectic at times, but that’s a good thing,” said Davis earlier this week. “It means good things are happening here.”

Indeed. Attention accompanies success - something Davis, and his program, have enjoyed a lot of lately. The Patriots have won back-to-back MAIS State championships, and are favored by most pundits to win a third straight this year. Entering Friday night’s season-opener against Greenville Christian at Patriot Field, MRA has won 36 of its last 39 games, 31 of its last 32 against MAIS competition. Davis’ squad has won 22 straight home games and owns a 19-game winning streak, including a 41-14 victory over Jackson Academy last December in the Class 6A State Championship game that capped a perfect 12-0 season.

Not only has Davis, a tireless and relentless worker, built MRA into the preeminent football program in the Mississippi private school ranks – supplanting Jackson Prep – the Patriots have also ascended to the level of not only being able to compete but win on a state and national scale, as well. A win over three-time Texas state champion Trinity Christian and a 51-17 victory at defending Class 4A state champion Corinth a year ago prove that.

Those wins, in part, led to Oakland High (TN.) and Pulaski Academy (AR.) being added to this year’s schedule. MRA is set to host reigning TSSAA Class 6A state champion Oakland in Week 3, followed by a trip to Little Rock to face a Pulaski program that has won nine state championships in Arkansas since 2003, including six of the last eight. The Oakland game on Aug. 28 will be televised on ESPN2 as part of the GEICO High School Football Showcase. Only 14 programs across the nation were chosen. MRA was one of them.

“That says a lot about our program,” said Davis, who is 73-19 in seven seasons at MRA. “When I came here I had a vision we would be where we are now, but it sure has taken an incredible amount of hard work. To be honest, it took longer than I thought it would. We’ve been blessed, though. We’ve got great support from our school, our administration, our parents, our fans . . . and our players have bought in.

“It has been a process,” continued Davis. “We’ve got the program in a really good spot, but we aren’t satisfied. We want to continue growing our program, and get better. That’s why we scheduled the teams we did this year. I think you have to step it up. You’re not going to get any better playing Little Johnny.”

MRA’s coaches and players like to use the catch phrase the standard is the standard. No question, the standard has been set as it relates to MRA football. And it’s high. Each year is different, each team is different, however. Can the Patriots, now the hunted instead of the hunter, stay hungry, focused, humble and disciplined enough to stay at that championship level?

“That’s something we’re struggling a lot with right now,” Davis said. “We’ve got a new team, a young team, and we are trying to get them to understand that. We’ve talked to them a lot about keeping that focus and staying away from all the hype. We’re trying to make them understand that we’ve still got to put in the work. We’ve still got to do all the little things right in practice, so that we can continue to play well on Friday nights. We’re kind of battling that right now. It’s a combination of us being a really young team and our new leaders needing to step it up more.”

MRA was hit hard by graduation, especially on defense as only three starters return on that side of the ball. Six starters return from an offense that averaged nearly 40 points per game a year ago, but starting quarterback Zach Beasley, championship game MVP Rayf Vinson, and 300-pound plus offensive linemen Harper Blake, J.P. Wilke and George Drake aren’t among that number. Defensively, sacks leader Jude Aldridge and third-leading tackler Hayes Puckett have departed, among others from a unit which allowed only 10 points per game.

Vinson, who also started on defense, is a preferred walk-on at Ole Miss. He totaled nearly 1,000 total yards to go along with a team-high 21 touchdowns last season, including 197 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the title game. Puckett is a preferred walk-on at Southern Miss. Beasley, who threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 28 touchdowns against only four interceptions, is now at Northwest Community College. And all three of the departed offensive linemen received JUCO offers.

Last year’s seniors were 36-4 over the past three seasons and played a prominent role in the program’s first undefeated season since 1992. MRA won by an average margin of four touchdowns a game a year ago. Most of the Patriots’ games were essentially over by halftime.

“Obviously, we lost of ton of guys, guys who helped us win a lot of football games, especially when you talk about what we lost on the offensive line, the defensive line and with our safeties. Some of those guys had really big years for us last year. Those are the biggest areas of concern for me.”

That’s the bad news. The good news is the cupboard isn’t bare, far from it. Stone Blanton, ranked as the No. 6 inside linebacker in his class in the country by ESPN, returns to anchor the defense. Meanwhile, Davis Dalton, last year’s leading receiver (41 catches, 877 yards, 14 TDs) highlights the offensive returnees. He’s committed to Southern Miss. Blanton, an Under Armour All-American All-Star Game and Dandy Dozen selection, tallied over 100 tackles last season. A Mississippi State baseball commit, he’s narrowed his college choices to South Carolina, Texas A&M and Mississippi State after receiving numerous high Division 1 offers. Tylor Latham, last year’s leading rusher (89 carries, 889 yards, 7 TDs), also returns. A two-way player who has moved from cornerback to safety, Latham holds offers from Air Force and Samford.

“We expect big things from all three of those guys,” Davis said. “Stone is really physical and fast. Davis has some of the best ball skills I’ve seen. And Tylor is a playmaker.”

John White, a transfer from Winona Christian, highlights the newcomers. A sophomore who already has offers from Southern Miss and Liberty, White is slated to start at quarterback where he will engineer Davis’ fast-paced, up-tempo offense.

“I think he’s got the ability to be the best quarterback we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Davis said. “He started the past two years at Winona so even though he’s new to us he’s got a lot of experience under his belt. And he has come in here and worked his butt off. He’s one of the hardest workers we have. He gives maximum effort on every play. Whatever he does, he does full speed. He’s athletic . . . he can run . . . and he’s tough. He’s a competitor. And he’s capable of making all the throws. He’s really accurate on the underneath stuff. He reminds me of my son Hayden (former MRA QB) in a lot of ways, but he’s more accurate.”

Newcomers Quincy Phillips and D.J. Gainwell are also expected to play prominent roles. Phillips, a freshman running back, is already drawing comparisons to former Jackson Prep star and current Ole Miss running back Jerrion Ealy when Ealy was the same age. Meanwhile, Gainwell, a sophomore, is a talented two-way player who will play the running back and safety positions.

“Those are two good ones,” Davis said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do once we start playing games. They’ve both been impressive this summer, along with John.”