Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Kirk Academy Raiders celebrate Homecoming Friday night at Raider Field against winless Columbus Christian Academy. For first-year head football coach Colin Boone, this week has been all about keeping his players focused on getting their game as sharp as they can heading into the postseason.
“As you head down the stretch of the season, you want to be playing your best football,” he said. “We have some areas that we need to continue to improve on as we head into the postseason. We all know that this is a district game and we know that it is important. It’s a game that we need to come out and play with a high level of intensity in, and make sure that we are executing sharply and playing hard from the start.”
Friday’s contest has added meaning. A win by the Raiders would clinch the regular season Class AAA, District 1 championship and strengthen their seeding for the Class AAA playoffs. Currently, Kirk is battling Greenville Christian and Greenville St. Joseph for seeding. As of this week’s numbers posted by the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, Kirk had the top power point average of 27.125 followed by Greenville Christian School at 26.833. Canton is third at 26.667 points and Greenville St. Joseph has a point average of 26.177.
“We try to tell our players to worry about the next game on the schedule,” Boone said. “You don’t need to focus on who you are going to play in the playoffs, but the closer you get, you can’t help but look to see who you might play down the road in the postseason. Each win you can get heading into the playoffs gives you the opportunity to set yourself in a better position for a run once the playoffs start.”
Columbus Christian has struggled through this season with numbers – a season after playing 8-man football last season. The Rams had to forfeit a home game with Carroll Academy and finished last week’s 60-0 loss at North Delta with 13 players.
One of the biggest focuses for Boone’s club has been penalties. The yellow flags have plagued the Raiders for most of the season.
“It’s an area that we address almost on a daily basis,” he concluded. “We’ve gotten away with lot of our penalties against teams that we are better than. You just can’t do that when you get into the playoffs.”
Kirk brings an 8-0 record into the contest, which is the best start since the 2000 campaign when the Raiders went 10-0 in the regular season en route to 11 straight wins before losing in the playoffs and finishing 11-1 under Coach Mack Norwood.
Offensively, junior Noah Jackson has been responsible for 17 touchdowns. He has 560 yards rushing on 69 carries and 12 touchdowns. As a receiver, he has 12 catches for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Jackson has also returned an interception for a touchdown.
Senior quarterback Carter Hathcock is 64-of-99 for 1,090 yards and 11 touchdowns with one interception. As a runner, Hathcock has 63 carries for 330 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Logan Pratt is the top receiver with 20 catches for 342 yards and four touchdowns.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Homecoming festivities are set to begin at 6:15 p.m.
