JACKSON — Pillow Academy came in struggling but hoped to make this a statement game against top-ranked Jackson Academy.
Instead, it was a third straight loss, the second consecutive in blowout fashion.
JA scored on its first two possessions and then got three special teams' touchdowns en route to a 49-14 victory here Friday night in the North AAA Division I opener for both teams.
The two-time defending AAA Division I champion Raiders improve to 4-0 with their 11th straight win, while the Mustangs search for answers at 1-3 after being outscored 98-42 in the last two outings.
"That's two weeks in a row that we've gotten off to a slow start against a real good team and found ourselves down by three touchdowns right off the bat. Our guys have to learn to fight through that and keep battling. We, as coaches, are going to do our best this week to change that," PA coach Michael Fair said.
The Raiders converted on a pair of third-and-longs on the opening possession of the contest to put together an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.
"We had a good week of practice, and I really thought we would play harder. We looked good early on defense, but after they got first downs on those two third-down passes, that was about it," Fair said. "Our guys have to be a little more mature."
JA led 14-0 with 5:56 left in the first quarter after a 14-yard TD run by Duncan Maxwell. Less than two minutes later, Blake Weir fielded a PA punt at his own 25-yard line and took it to the house. It was the first of three special teams' TDs by Weir.
Pillow has now given up four returns for touchdowns in the last two games.
"We've got some big problems on special teams. The coaches will look at that and make some personnel changes next week," said Fair, whose team allowed 257 yards on five returns. "We're making the same mistakes, and that is frustrating. But we will work hard, and I am confident we will get them fixed."
After Pillow cut JA's lead to 28-7 late in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by Myers Falls, Weir returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to give the Raiders a 35-7 advantage at the break.
Pillow went three plays and out on the opening possession of the second half, and that's when Weir struck for the third time, returning the punt 60 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 263 all-purpose yards.
"Blake has that big-play ability, and he was able to put it together tonight," said JA coach David Sykes. "It was probably the best single-game performance I've seen since I've been here."
The game was played with a running clock the rest of the way.
The Mustangs got a 1-yard touchdown run from Watson Turnipseed in the fourth quarter.
JA finished with 332 yards, 217 of which came on the ground, while the Mustangs were held to just 65 yards in the second half and finished with 200.
The good news for Pillow: It wasn't penalized and didn't have a turnover.
Senior quarterback Landon Taylor completed 14 of 27 passes for 122 yards and also rushed for 28 yards on six carries.
Gage Long led the Mustangs on the ground with 29 yards on seven carries.
Senior Gaston Lyon led all receivers with five grabs for 53 yards.
This is the first time Pillow has lost three straight since going 1-9 in 2005. The Mustangs will look to turn things around this week when they host Magnolia Heights for a conference game.
n Contact Bill Burrus at bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
