After a 56-17 win over the Jarrell Cougars, the Tigers look to beat Little River-Academy in their final district game.
“They’re pretty balanced,” said Jeff Miller, Rockdale High School head football coach and athletic director. “Academy’s gone to a different offense to what they’ve done in the past.
“They still like to throw the ball around, but they’ll soften you up then hurt you with their running game. We won’t have to necessarily be safe, but we won’t be able to take our chances with a team like that,” he said.
The Bumblebees are coming off an open week and beat the Jarrell Cougars, 38-13 in October.
Against the Cougars, Academy was led by quarterback Jerry Cephus, who threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns. The Bumblebees running game was led by Jerry Cephus and Johnnie Rouse. Together, they ran for 131 of Academy’s 163 rushing yards.
Like the Tigers, the Bumblebees are 3-2 in district 19-3A DI play.
The winner finishes third in district and the loser places fourth.
“Regardless of who you play in the first round of that other district, the team is going to be very good,” Miller said. “It’s more important that we go into the playoffs on a roll.
“We don’t want to limp into the playoffs. We want to go in full strength, with as much confidence as we can possibly have,” he said.
Academy – On Friday night, many Rockdalians might see a familiar face on the other side of the field.
Long before he became offensive coordinator at Little River-Academy High School, Jared Hunt was a Tiger.
“My entire family is from Little River-Academy,” Hunt said. “But I went to Rockdale schools all the way through my sophomore year of high school.
“It was a good little community to grow up in, and I played many sports during my years as a kid in Rockdale. Coach (Barton) Gibbs was actually one of my coaches in junior high. My family is still close with the Bassler’s. I was at the Hall of Honor banquet to see Briana and Brooks get inducted on Friday since we had an open week.”
After leaving Rockdale, Hunt graduated from Little River-Academy High School and Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology. Following his studies, he began his coaching career and spent nine years at the high school level.
In June of 2017, Hunt was hired by SMU head coach Chad Morris to be the recruiting coordinator at the school. Six months later, Morris was hired to be the head coach at University of Arkansas and wanted to bring Hunt with him.
Hunt said that he always want to work at the college level, and was was on his way to Fayetteville from Dallas in the moving truck when fate intervened.
He received a call from his wife, Krystan, telling him her sister, Lindsey Mae Case passed away. From that moment, he said that he needed to be back home with the family in Academy.
“It was a hard thing to do, but it’s always felt like the right thing,” Hunt said.
“My life has slowed down significantly, and I have a lot more free time. I know many coaches talk about how busy they are during football season, but as a recruiter, I was working year-around to find prospective student-athletes. I feel like I’m where I need to be.”
Kickoff is on Friday, 7:30 p.m. at John Glover Stadium in Academy.
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