At Parklane’s 2024 football banquet, head coach Ron Rushing made a bold statement.
While thanking the many people that helped put the event together, he remarked that the process would be even smoother when the program celebrated another state title at the same venue next year.
Some people laughed and jokingly rolled their eyes at such an ambitious claim, as the banquet was just weeks removed from the conclusion of the previous campaign and the team was set to lose a handful of key veterans.
Fast forward just under a year later, and Rushing’s bold proclamation appears to be anything but at this point. The Pioneers largely cruised to a 9-1 regular-season record this fall thanks to their balance on both sides of the ball, and the lone defeat came at the hands of powerhouse MRA.
And in the semifinals of the MAIS 4A D-II bracket last Friday, Parklane shut out Starkville Academy for the second time this season as it cruised to a 26-0 win and punched its ticket to yet another championship bout.
But to make their coach’s promise come true with another state title, the Pioneers will have to finally heed what he’s been preaching all season long.
“We’ve said it all year: We just have to put four quarters together and play disciplined,” Rushing explained.
It sounds simple enough, but despite their strong season, the Pioneers have struggled to play a complete 48-minute game.
Whether it was early offensive struggles in games against Cathedral and Starkville Academy or brief defensive breakdowns against MRA, this team still hasn’t played to its full potential.
But that’s perfectly fine, because every program wants to be peaking in the postseason, and Parklane played to its championship standard during the second half of last week’s win.
While Rushing called his offense conservatively throughout the first 24 minutes, the Pioneer defense was suffocating on the other end. After the unit allowed MRA, Simpson and Silliman to become the second, third and fourth teams to reach double-digits against it, Parklane’s defense rebounded by pitching its fifth shutout of the season.
“They really just flat out got after it,” Rushing said. “We’re back to playing defense like we were.”
And there really isn’t just a single strength to highlight on the defense.
The defensive line room, spearheaded by the likes of explosive EDGE Telvin Jefferson, bruising nose guard Paw Forrest and the monstrous Wick Lindsey, has made a habit out of meeting in the backfield.
“It’s [the D-line] really something special, because we all have so much chemistry and are friends with each other,” Lindsey said of the unit. “We’ve put in so much work and have trust because of it.”
And while that group causes havoc up front, linebackers Jay Alldredge, Jace Jones and Nick Young form a battle-tested unit that similarly makes plenty of plays in the backfield. For Alldredge & Co., they’re just doing their job as intended.
“We needed to pick our guys on offense up and have their backs,” Alldredge said after last Friday’s win. “Because they’ve had our backs before too.”
The defense held firm before the Parklane offense found its rhythm in the second half, but getting out a faster start this time around will be pivotal for the unit. Heritage can take better advantage of the early miscues the Pioneers committed last week, and Rushing intends to open up the playbook plenty more this week.
And as his son points out, the head coach will likely opt to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers far more than he did last Friday.
“We have to get the ball out to Davis [Carruth], Dooley [Copeland] and Brennan [Ellison],” tight end Kyle Rushing said. “Nobody can tackle or guard them. So one of the keys to the game is to let those three do their thing.”
Having already won two games in these playoffs, Heritage Academy will look to jump on the Pioneers early in hopes of pulling off a title-game upset.
The Patriots (10-2) are enjoying their best campaign since 2022 and have been a consistent team throughout the year.
Dominant victories over Winston and Wayne Academies defined the beginning of Heritage’s season before it pulled out hard-fought wins over Kemper County and Copiah Academy.
The team then suffered its first defeat in the form of a three-point loss at Magnolia Heights, but outside of a 49-21 result against Hartfield Academy, the Patriots largely cruised to wins down the stretch.
The first round of the 4A D-II playoffs saw Heritage secure a 35-7 win over Oak Forest, and it then avenged that aforementioned loss to Magnolia Heights by upsetting Chiefs with a 22-18 road victory.
In comparing the common opponents between these teams, the Pioneers managed to take down OFA by a score of 35-12 in their meeting, while the Patriots beat Starkville Academy 34-14 back in late October.
When it comes to names to know, Heritage fields a 3-star cornerback in Xzavier Webber, a 5-foot-11 prospect who holds offers from Army, Navy and Air Force. The matchup of Carruth vs. Webber will be one to watch all night long and will likely play a large factor in the final result of this one.
The only other time these schools met on the gridiron was in the 1994 state-championship game, which saw Parklane claim the last title it won prior to its 2024 run.
With everything on the line, the Pioneers and Patriots will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday from Jackson Academy.
“We just gotta hit the film room this week and come out every day trying to get better,” Lindsey said of the team’s mindset leading up to the game.
