The Kirk Academy Raiders open play Friday in the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class AAA playoffs against longtime rival Winona Christian. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Raider Field in Grenada.
It will be the second contest between the two schools this season. The Raiders won a 40-0 decision over the Stars in Grenada back on Aug. 25. First-year KA head coach Colin Boone expects a different WCS team this time around.
“We expect to see a different Winona team this time than we saw earlier this season,” Boone said. “They are a very talented team that is well-coached and we know they will be ready to play.”
Winona Christian (7-5) is coming off a 29-20 opening round playoff win over Marshall Academy in Winona last week. The Stars have a couple of familiar names on the coaching staff. Former Kirk Academy head coach Ken Chandler leads the Stars, while longtime Grenada High School head coach Ashley Kuhn is the offensive coordinator.
“Coach Chandler is an outstanding coach and having Coach Kuhn on his staff only strengthens them,” Boone added. “They bring a wealth of experience to that team.”
The Stars are led offensively by junior quarterback Brannon Hill, who is 95-of-180 for 1,261 yards and 14 touchdowns, to go with six interceptions. As a runner, Hill has 89 rushes for 506 yards and six touchdowns.
Sophomore Will Irwin leads the team with 151 rushes for 863 yards and four touchdowns. Braxton Leach, a junior, leads the team with 42 receptions for 576 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Reese Johnson has the most touchdowns with seven to go with 34 receptions for 507 yards.
Sophomore Holland Self leads the Stars defensively with 101 total tackles on the season.
Kirk comes into the contest with a 10-0 record – the first unbeaten regular season since 2000 – and had a first-round bye last week. The Raiders have used a balanced running and passing attack led by senior quarterback Carter Hathcock. Through 10 games, he is 81-of-125 for 1,318 yards 14 touchdowns and just one interception. As a runner, Hathcock has carried the ball 73 times for 385 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Gunner Vance has 39 carries for 290 yards and three touchdowns.
The top rusher on the team is junior Noah Jackson with 79 carries for 663 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jackson has 13 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns, while defensively he has scored twice on interceptions.
Senior Logan Pratt has the most receptions on the team with 27 for 468 yards and five touchdowns. The Southern Miss baseball commit has tossed a pair of touchdown pass and totaled 107 yards of passing.
The winner of the game faces the winner of the Carroll Academy-Riverfield, La., game Nov. 17. A Kirk win would allow them to host the contest.
