Cam Akers received his honorary jersey for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this week, and then went out Friday night and showed why he’s considered one of the top players in the nation.
Behind seven total touchdowns from Akers, Clinton (Miss.) pulled away with a dominating second half and defeated visiting Northwest Rankin 56-48 in a Region 2-6A game.
Akers scored the first defensive touchdown of his career when he returned an interception 76 yards to give Clinton a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.
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That was basically the only thing different about Akers’ performance in this game than any other this season.
In other words, yes, he again dominated.
Akers completed 13 of 17 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 155 yards and three more scores on 13 carries.
“We asked our leaders this week to step up for us,” coach Judd Boswell said. “He is our leader and he played like it tonight in a big way for us.”
A strong candidate to be the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Offensive Player of the Year, Akers is the No. 1 rated player in Mississippi and the state’s only five-star football prospect. Akers is also rated as the No. 8 overall 2017 player in the country by the 247Sports Composite.
Contributing: USA TODAY High School Sports
Clinton’s Cam Akers looks to avoid Northwest Rankin’s Harrison Tharpe (44) in the second quarter (Photo: Clarion-Ledger)