Week 3 preview: Mount de Sales set for showdown with Southwest High School
In 2016, Mount de Sales finished 2-8, a third straight losing season. The Cavaliers missed out on the playoffs in each of those three seasons.
Since then, Mount de Sales is a combined 31-13 and has made the playoffs in four straight seasons.
Head coach Keith Hatcher said this senior class is looking to a cap run like few in the school’s history, working to reach the playoffs for the fourth time. This group is looking to cement itself alongside the previous two classes as some of the best to ever don the Cavaliers jerseys.
“This senior class wants to create their own legacy,” Hatcher said. “We have built a truly championship-caliber program and we hope that success can continue each season now that these guys have built the program into something they are proud of.”
One of those seniors is starting quarterback A’kori Jones, who opened up the season against Jasper County with 170 rushing yards and a touchdown. Jones has turned into one of the best players that Mount de Sales has had in recent memory.
Hatcher said his versatility is the key to his success on the football field. Jones has improved his passing but his ability to make people miss in the open field is what makes him one of the most dynamic players in Middle Georgia.
“He can potentially score at any time. We have to be creative in ways to get him loose,” Hatcher said. “We also know that every defense that we play against is going to key on him. We have got to have some other guys step up for us.”
Mount de Sales is set to take on Southwest on Friday night, a team that comes into the game with an 0-1 record after a 35-0 blowout loss to Howard.
Hatcher said Southwest’s Week 1 loss doesn’t mean anything coming into this game and neither does their win over Jasper County. The Cavaliers are taking it one game at a time and aren’t overlooking any of their opponents.
“I told our guys that score is very deceptive. There were a few bad breaks especially early in the game and Howard is a good football team,” Hatcher said. “Southwest has got some really good athletes. They have got some big time players that can make plays at any point in the game. We aren’t thinking about what they did last week. We are thinking of what they are capable of.”
This will be the first time these two teams have met on the field in the history of their programs. Mount de Sales hasn’t played against a Bibb County public school since a 2017 loss to Howard.
“This is an exciting matchup for Macon. Coach (Joe) Dupree and I are good friends and a lot of our kids know each other,” Hatcher said. “To have one of the Bibb County schools to be competing against one of the private schools right here in Macon is exciting for the community and is something that our kids are excited about being a part of.”
Here’s the rest of the Week 3 games for Middle Georgia high schools. All games begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, unless noted otherwise.
Week 3
- Jones vs Veterans
- Mount de Sales vs Southwest
- Rutland vs Luella
- Stratford vs Westfield
- Tattnall vs Pike County
- John Milledge vs Pinewood Christian
- Houston County vs Coffee
- FPD vs Brookstone
- Bleckley vs South Atlanta
- Baldwin at Ware
- Central at Pacelli
Games of the week
Three Telegraph staffers will make picks each week for the top five matchups around Middle Georgia, and we’ll keep track of how we do.
Reporter Justin Baxley (6-3)
- Mount de Sales over Southwest
- Jones over Veterans
- Crisp over Perry
- Stratford over Westfield
- West Laurens over Dodge County
Senior editor Caleb Slinkard (6-3)
- Mount de Sales over Southwest
- Jones over Veterans
- Perry over Crisp
- Westfield over Stratford
- Dodge over West Laurens
Photojournalist Jason Vorhees (7-2)
- Mount de Sales over Southwest
- Jones over Veterans
- Crisp over Perry
- Stratford over Westfield
- West Laurens over Dodge County
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 4:09 PM.