From potential playoff ban to No. 1: How Hartfield football became top team in MAIS
It's a moment Hartfield Academy football coach Craig Bowman will never forget.
On a Thursday morning in August, a week before Hartfield's first game, Bowman had to deliver dire news to his team — a possible MAIS playoff ban for its 2023 season.
"You don't know how kids are going to react, these are 14 to 18 year olds," Bowman said. "It's another testament to this football team's character and maturity. They were upset, they were hurt, they were confused. But the decision was made right there that we were going to battle."
The playoff ban stemmed from an accusation sent to the MAIS. Officials at Hartfield Academy would not comment on who made the accusation. St. Joseph Catholic in Madison filed a recruiting complaint regarding a November 2022 at a basketball game according to a WAPT report.
Hartfield immediately sent an appeal, which was successful on Aug. 28. after the MAIS found no conclusive evidence to support the claim. Hartfield received a warning and placed on probation along with a fine for "allowing the appearance of improper recruiting to exist, the TV station reported.
"Our coaches, players, spirit teams and the entire school community are excited to be playing this Friday in the semifinals of the 6A football playoffs," Hartfield's Head of Schools David Horner said in a statement to the Clarion-Ledger. "The team has worked extremely hard this season and we look forward to an amazing atmosphere and game Friday night here at Hartfield.
"I'm proud of how our team and community have responded and grown through this season and all that's come with it. I'm grateful that the leadership of the MAIS cares about promoting and protecting all the schools in our association. The MAIS provides a great structure and organization for the independent schools in our state and region and we are proud to be a part of it."
For four weeks, Hartfield Academy's football team was in fear of the unknown. Not knowing if they would have a chance to compete in the MAIS 6A playoffs for its season.
Despite the appeal early in the season, Bowman stated that no change was made in terms of mentality and no shift in dedication and passion for the Hartfield program by its players and coaches. The main goal, at the time, was an undefeated season. Now, that narrative has changed to a MAIS Class 6A state title.
"It's a playoff mentality in a way," Bowman said. "We didn't know how this was going to get done, but we did know that we set several goals at the beginning of the season, one of them being undefeated. Win or lose the appeal, we wanted to have an undefeated regular season. We knew we were playing 12 games and how hard that would be and how challenging that would be physically, mentally and emotionally."
Hartfield produced its best season in program history, a 12-0 record which resulted in the No. 1 seed in MAIS. The program hosts Jackson Academy at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.
When Hartfield's playoff hopes appeared shattered, Bowman said his team triggered an opposite reaction. During the four weeks of unknown, practices were at an all-time high, bonds grew tighter and the goal of an undefeated season began.
"It actually galvanized us and brought us closer together," Bowman said. "It kind of actually kind of made it a lot closer, a lot quicker."
Bowman said that after four years as head coach, his team is starting to buy into this planned-out kismet from when he picked up Hartfield's playbook in 2020. Bowman said the team "bought into a new vision" as soon as he took over.
"Then the 2021 team bought into the same vision and kind of took it to the next level," he said. "Last year's group did the same thing and then this year's group has really taken it to a whole new highs."
Since then, Hartfield has accumulated a season of an undefeated record, outscored opponents 542-177 and produced standout players on both sides of the ball as senior running back Reed Jesiolowski, who leads all of MAIS in rushing yards.
"It means a lot for us to be 12-0 for the first time in school history, but that’s not our (end) goal," Jesiolowski said.
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When Hartfield heard about the possible playoff ban, Jesiolowski said that initial player reactions were disappointed, but any decision was out of their hands. During those four weeks, he and his team knew they had to stick to Hartfield's original goal of having a successful regular season no matter the outcome.
"It was tough, but we realized it was out of our control," Jesiolowski said. "At the end of the day, we just had to play ball and hope for the best, and we got it, and we’re really happy."
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hartfield football overcame MAIS playoff ban to being best team
