Patriots, Jets to face each other at Alabama A&M for Madison Bowl

MADISON – The annual football cross-city rivalry between Bob Jones and James Clemens will be held Friday, but at a different venue. To accommodate a larger crowd and still maintain social distancing guidelines, the Madison Bowl will be held at Alabama A&M University’s Louis Crews Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

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Both teams opened their 2020 season last week. Bob Jones shutout Buckhorn 20-0 at Madison City Stadium on Thursday. James Clemens shutout Athens, 22-0, on a road trip on Saturday.

The inaugural season for first-year head coach Kelvis White will also be a return to a winning effort for the Class 7A Patriots. Last year they lost to the Jets in the rivalry game and suffered their first losing season (4-6) since 2006.

“The experience level is overall very good as we have a senior heavy group and lots of exceptional talent returning for us,” said White. “This season is a little different for all of us as I’m getting settled into the program, we have lots of new coaches on our staff and we have 90-plus kids within our program and all are eager to play.”

The Jets find themselves in a rebuilding situation, but performed well last week against Athens. James Clemens has just four returning starters along with the smallest senior class of players in school history.

“There’s no doubt we can rebuild with the players we have,” said Wade Waldrop, head coach of the Jets.

James Clemens was 7-0 in Region 4, 9-3 overall losing to Hoover in overtime 20-23 during a second round playoff game last year. They scored a team record 476 points and a team record margin of victory with a 63-0 shellacking of Grissom. The Jets finished among the top four teams in Alabama.

“Our expectations have not changed, but we must establish the culture we need to be successful and looking to the older players to help the younger players come along on a good pace,” said Waldrop, in his eighth season as head coach of the Jets. “If we can build on that we should be a good team.”