ONE MORE STOP

PREP 34 · HARTFIELD 27
Your Jackson Prep Patriots are the 2026 MAIS Class 4A, Division I state champions, the program’s first title since 2022.

It came down to the last snap. Trailing by a touchdown, Hartfield had fourth-and-goal from the Prep 10 with six seconds left. Sophomore defensive back Hayes Grenfell, who entered the game on the final drive, broke up the pass in the end zone to seal it, per the Clarion Ledger.

Prep scored 14 points in the first half, and the game went back and forth all night, per WLBT. Herrin Goodman scored twice early; Hartfield answered both times through the air. Then the Prep backfield took over: Wade Smith and Herrin Goodman combined for 57 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on the final drive, with less than two minutes left.

Wade Smith: 22 carries, 148 yards, 3 TD
Herrin Goodman: 12 carries, 192 yards, 2 TD · 294 all-purpose yards
Sources: Clarion Ledger, Mississippi Scoreboard. Official stats pending.

“I feel great. I’m really happy for these guys. … They worked really hard. I’m really proud of them.” — Coach Doug Goodwin, to the Clarion Ledger

JAI SCORECARD

✅ Winner right. JAI nailed Prep’s 34 points exactly; Hartfield scored 7 more than the pick, so the margin was 7 points tighter than predicted. For the season, JAI picked the winner in all 8 games it called (Weeks 6–13) and missed the spread by 10.6 points on average.

THE 2026 SEASON

12–1 · State champions · 546 points scored, 229 allowed (42.0 / 17.6 per game) · eight straight wins to finish.

PHOTOS & NEWS

Trophy photos, WLBT highlights, and postgame interviews with Coach Goodwin and Brogen McCluskey are in the gallery. The news page collects the championship recaps, videos and posts.

• Clarion Ledger: How Jackson Prep football’s defense sealed championship in the final seconds
• WLBT: The End Zone, Week 13 Game of the Week
• WLBT End Zone highlights (Nathan Lee on X)
• Mississippi Scoreboard: photos by Brad Bridges
• @JacksonPrep_FB: STATE CHAMPIONS!

THANK YOU

To the coaches: thank you for the work you put in, from summer mornings to the final whistle in Clinton. To the players: you earned every bit of this. To the dads, moms, boosters and volunteers who fed the team, ran the lunches, cooked the dinners, hosted tailgates, delivered meals and filled the stands all season: this title belongs to you too.

This is the last football email of 2026. It has been a privilege to send these every week. Congratulations, champions!

JayB

JP Football Dads · Please forward to family not on the list.

All 2026 weeks, stats, and clips: gallery · in the news · Keith Head stats