JACKSON &045; Things have sure gotten hairy for Heidelberg Academy head coach Tom Lewis with his son, Brooks, starting at quarterback.

He tries to treat all the players &045; his son included &045; the same, and that’s where the problem comes in.

He has to keep reminding himself he has just one son on the team.

&uot;I try to treat all my players like I would my own,&uot; Lewis said on Monday at the MPSA State Championship media day. &uot;I think over the years the kids understand I care deeply about them. We try to be like a family. I’ve tried to treat him just like anybody else.&uot;

That’s been just fine for Brooks, who starts at quarterback for the Rebels and was part of the team’s state championship victory last year over Prentiss Christian.

Brooks has been part of the school’s football program almost his entire life, serving as team manager before he got to high school.

It’s a life Tom Lewis and his wife of 26 years, Tammy, know quite well.

&uot;I looked up to all the older players,&uot; Brooks said of his days before playing, &uot;They were like role models. I enjoyed watching them play, being around dad and watching him coach. It’s been a fun ride. He’s still the same guy. He’s a good coach, and I really think he’s helped our football team a lot. The players respond well to him. All of our coaching staff is good.&uot;

It’s been the same this year for the Rebels as last year when they took a 27-0 win over Prentiss Christian for the state title last year with Brooks Lewis at quarterback. The Rebels will try to repeat as champs against Trinity Episcopal Thursday in the Class A championship game and win their third state title in four years.

Eight starters are back from last year as the Rebels try to win another crown.

&uot;It’s not only been a fantastic year for us, but it’s been a special one with my son,&uot; Tom Lewis said. &uot;He’s had a hard life growing up, and ever since he was a little bitty fellow he’s been following us around. But we’re all winners. No matter what happens Thursday and Friday, we’ll all be winners in the eyes of the Lord. I’m really looking forward to it and know it’ll be a great game.&uot;

This season, however, it’s been sort of different for the Rebels after getting out of the gate slow with losses to Columbia and Lamar to open the season. Both of those opponents were bigger schools, and after they’ve won 11 straight, including last week’s 34-20 win over Briarfield for the North State championship.

&uot;It’s been our goal,&uot; Tom Lewis said. &uot;We said the toughest thing to do was get here. Our guys have really worked hard. It’s been a team thing all year long, and we’ve battled through some injuries and some adversity. We played two pretty good football teams (early) &045; one is playing for the championship now &045; and we really felt like those two games made us better.&uot;

The Rebels lost both games by a combined score of 41-7, and after that they had a pretty significant turnaround. Of the 11 games they’ve won since, only three teams have scored more than one touchdown.

The team has also posted four shutouts &045; Central Academy, Kemper, Sylva-Bay and Oak Hill.

&uot;We really came together after the first two losses,&uot; Brooks Lewis said. &uot;They really helped us to get better. Our coaches always said if you play good competition, you’ll benefit from it. We had a few injuries but not too many. Everybody said the toughest thing is to repeat, and it has been a tough road. We’ll see if we can do what they say is tough to do.&uot;