Kirk Academy’s varsity football team is peaking at the right time – postseason play.
Entering the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools’ Class AAAA state playoffs two weeks ago, the Raiders (7-5) were sitting at .500 after competing in all but one regular-season contest. In fact, four of the team’s five losses, including two Region 1 showdowns, were decided by less than a touchdown – 4.75 points to be exact.
Since beginning its “Road to Jackson,” the Grenada County private school has reeled off two hard-fought victories over powerhouse football programs. In Round 1, the Raiders slipped past Marshall Academy 7-6 in a defensive battle in cold and rainy conditions. KA needed overtime to knock off its latest victim as the Raiders defeated the Brookhaven Cougars 45-38. Both wins were on the road.
The Raiders will take to the road again this Friday as they take on another powerful opponent in Adams County Christian High School in Natchez. The Rebels (8-2) won District 3 earning a first-round bye and defeated Riverfield Academy (4-8) out of Rayville, La., 41-7, last Friday night at home.
Second-year Kirk head coach Mike Beagle was speechless immediately following the Brookhaven victory as he fell to his knees in a mixture of joy and relief.
“We were pretty fast starting off and were rolling offensively,” he said at midfield as he fought back tears. “It was a tight game. I haven’t seen this in my whole coaching tenure. All of that work that we put in – particularly the seniors a year ago when I got here – they finally believe in the process and they got rewarded tonight. The two teams that played here tonight, I can’t say enough about both of them. Both teams are phenomenal. I’m glad that we’re on the winning side, but neither team needed to lose that game.”
Against Brookhaven, Kirk jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when senior quarterback Colbert Hathcock and senior tailback A.J. Wren converted on a shovel pass at the 44-yard-line that went the distance for the score. Sophomore placekicker Gunner Vance’s kick split the uprights giving the visitors the lead with 8 minutes left in the first quarter.
Brookhaven answered back with a score of its own two and half minutes later when Corey Case kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 7-3. The Cougars’ defense held tough on KA’s ensuing drive and later scored on senior quarterback Tyler Fortenberry’s 42-yard dash into the end zone. Case’s PAT gave the home team its first lead of the game, 10-7, with 2:06 left in the first, which they held into the second quarter.
The second quarter proved to be all Kirk Academy as the Raiders outscored the Cougars 21-6 to head into the locker room at halftime leading 28-16. Hathcock and senior receiver Richard Flautt connected for the first of three KA touchdowns on an 18-yard pass. Wren scored just before the half on a 6-yard run, which was followed up 16 seconds later when Hathcock hit senior receiver Montgomery Ferguson in stride for a 55-yard touchdown. The score was made possible by a successful onside kick following Wren’s score, which was recovered by Vance, who also converted on all three extra-point kicks, with 1:24 left in the first half.
Brookhaven managed a score in the final 38 seconds of the half when Fortenberry scampered in from 20 yards out. Case’s PAT was blocked by senior defensive lineman Trey Cashaw.
Second Half Battle
The Cougars kept the Raiders out of the end zone in the third quarter, scoring the lone touchdown when Fortenberry hooked up with his brother, Trevor, on a 65-yard touchdown. Case’s extra point made it 28-23 heading into the fourth quarter.
Brookhaven regained the lead with 8:14 remaining in the game when Fortenberry bulled his way into the end zone from 3 yards out. He connected once again with his brother – this time for the two-point conversion – to give the Cougars a slim 31-28 margin.
Wren gave the Raiders the lead once again, scoring on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone with 4:34 left in the game. Vance’s kick split the uprights, making the score 35-31. However, on the ensuing drive, the Cougars quickly marched down the field and scored on a Fortenberry 20-yard run. Case’s PAT gave Brookhaven a three-point advantage, 38-35.
Kirk Academy didn’t fold following the score and drove the ball down the field converting key third downs to get to within field goal range on fourth down. The Raiders opted to tie the game with 52 seconds remaining and Vance nailed a 24-yarder to make the score 38-38.
Brookhaven put together several big plays to give Case a chance to win the game with a field goal. However, following a hard hit delivered by Wren that left him on the ground for several minutes, Fortenberry had to spike the ball to stop the clock to allow Case the chance to re-enter the game. His 47-yard attempt sailed wide right with 2 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
Prior to halftime, Beagle huddled his team up along the sideline and delivered a message.
“Let’s make sure that every ounce that you’ve got left in your body, that you leave it here,” he recalled. “And remember how much work we put into it to get here. Let’s go finish it.”
The Raiders lost the toss and took to offense first in overtime. They scored on their second play from scrimmage when Wren crossed the plane untouched from the 2-yard-line for the score. Vance’s kick made it 45-38 in Kirk’s favor.
Brookhaven had trouble with Kirk’s defense on its offensive series in overtime, forcing a fourth-down try. Following a defensive pass interference play in the back of the end zone, a false start and a declined holding call on what proved to be the final play that bounced out of a receiver’s hands, the Raiders escaped with another playoff win.
“Defensively, they just bowed up down there,” Beagle said of the Raiders’ overtime stand. “It was awesome.”
By the Numbers
The Raiders’ offense ran 76 plays for 609 yards – 325 passing and 284 rushing – for its best offensive production of the season. Hathcock finished the game 20 of 30 through the air for 325 yards and three touchdowns, while Wren led Kirk’s ground game with 212 yards and three touchdowns on 25 attempts.
Senior receivers Chris Bradford, Wren and Ferguson were Hathcock’s favorite receivers as they each hauled in four catches. Bradford finished with 101 yards, while Wren and Ferguson mirrored each other with 88 yards and one touchdown apiece. Flautt caught two passes for 25 yards and a score, while senior receiver Jack Boone also had four key receptions for 19 yards.
Hathcock was KA’s second-leading rusher with 38 yards on nine attempts, while sophomore tailback Theron Hubbard finished the game with 11 carries for 34 yards.
Defensively, senior Walker Staten and Wren led the charge with seven tackles each. Senior Peyton Mitchell finished the night with five tackles and teamed up with Staten for a sack. Junior defensive end Lane Goss chipped in with 3.5 tackles, while Cashaw added 3.
Adams County Christian now stands in the way of the Raiders’ trip to Jackson for the state title. Beagle said that once again the game will be a dogfight.
“They are very athletic at certain positions, they like to run the football – they have got a couple of backs they interchange up that are really good – so we’ll have to get us a little bit of rest and probably get an ice bath for most of our guys that were playing tonight and regroup, flush this out and get locked in,” Beagle said. “A semifinal game, that’s huge for our program.”
Beagle added that the Raiders’ fan support has been a game changer all season, especially during the playoffs.
“I told our team before the game, ‘Don’t be distracted. There will be a lot of people here,’” Beagle concluded. “Keep your focus inside the rectangle – the painted line – and when our crowd gets going, feed off of them and feed off of each other, and that’s what they did.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday in Natchez.
