By james art 
Madison Academy two-way starter AJ Rice has been selected to play for host Alabama in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic on Dec. 14. He was selected to play as a defender.
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MADISON – The 38th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game will feature Madison Academy’s AJ Rice. The linebacker/two-way starter for the Mustangs was selected as the quarterback for the Alabama team that will face a similar team from Mississippi in the game scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile beginning at noon.
“It’s a great honor to be among the elite players from Alabama and Mississippi, but I also know this selection is special because of all the good athletes who were not selected,” Rice said. “I believe I was selected because I work hard and study film a lot. As a defender, I know what is happening in the opposing attack. I’m what we call a downhill player who likes to hit opposing runners.”
So far this season, the Class 4A, Region 8 Mustangs are 4-4 overall with a 4-2 mark in region play. Rice has recorded 98 tackles, including two for loss. On offense, he rushed the ball four times for 67 yards and one touchdown and had four passes caught for 101 yards and one score. Heading into the final weeks of the season and the possible playoffs, Rice said he is confident the team can bounce back from past struggles, as the Mustangs lost their first two games of the schedule and four of their first six games.
Alabama’s 41-man roster looks solid in all facets of the game. With Rice in the mix, they’ll have a super-talented athlete who plans to sign a scholarship with Mississippi State in December. He has a 3.4 GPA and wants to study kinesiology with the goal of working in physical therapy. He was born in Crawford, Miss., a small town in Lowndes County with a population of about 1,000. His family moved to this area in 2020.
Rice is known for his speed and power. He has posted a 4.56-second 40 and a Madison Academy team-best time of 17.94 in the 5-10 fly-fly sprint.
He is 6-foot-3 and weighs 240 pounds. In the weight room, Rice is among the top in the strength categories. At 600 pounds, he tops the team in the deadlift, and he is second among his teammates in both the bench (315 pounds) and squat (545 pounds).
Rice was a 2023 first-team Class 3A all-state selection as a linebacker and is on pace to receive a similar honor this season in Class 4A. He underwent two surgeries during his time at Madison Academy. He underwent surgery on his left knee three years ago and earlier in 2024 faced another surgery in February for a torn right labrum. Rice added, “I’ve been through months of rehab to get ready for this season and I’m looking forward to getting back to the playoffs because my personal goal is just to win.”