MADDEN — The Starkville Academy football team rolled up 396 rushing yards Friday night and cruised to a 42-14 win against Leake Academy.
The Volunteers (4-0) got a season-high 185 rushing yards on 19 carries from fullback Ryan Mann, who led all scorers with four touchdowns.
Starkville Academy quarterback Drew Pellum had 118 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Leake Academy was held to 65 yards rushing.
The Volunteers took a 21-0 lead before Leake Academy struck with a touchdown pass to get within 14.
Leake Academy had 175 passing yards.
Starkville Academy will open Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA play next week at Hillcrest Christian.
n Madison-Ridgeland 24, Heritage 14: At Madison, Brandon Bell scored on runs of 78 and 16 yards in the third quarter, but the Patriots (2-2) couldn”t hold on to the lead against the third-ranked team in MAIS Class AAA.
“I thought we played pretty good defensively, especially in the first half to be down only 10,” Heritage Academy coach Brad Butler said. “But turnovers hurt us a little bit. We got going offensively a little bit, but the defense was worn down at that point.”
Heritage Academy trailed 10-0 at halftime but moved Bell from tailback to quarterback in the second half. Butler said the move enabled the Patriots to get wide receiver Cade Lott involved in the offense. The Patriots then rallied to overcome three fumbles and one interception in the first half.
But MRA took the lead for good in the fourth quarter and used a strong running game to wear Heritage Academy down.
“I thought we got a little worn down late, especially trying to stop the run,” Butler said. “We made contact in the backfield and had a hard time finishing plays. I felt like we came out flat. It worried me. We have to get better with our mental approach on gameday.”
n Central Academy 22, Marvell Academy (Ark.) 20: At Macon: The Vikings improved to 4-0 with a Homecoming victory that wasn”t as dramatic as their previous three wins, but it still proved to be closer than expected.
Trailing 20-14 in the third quarter, Cole Newman, who had been on the sidelines with an injured ankle, returned to the game to find Britt Reynolds on a 26-yard pass. Cody Brown then caught a tackle eligible conversion pass to account for the final margin.
Newman also hit Will Thomas on a 26-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and Reynolds on a 25-yard pass in the second quarter.
Drew Pearson (team-high 18 tackles, 60 rushing yards) also missed time Friday with an ankle injury.
Newman was 9 of 14 for 153 yards and three touchdowns and an interception. Reynolds had five catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns, while T.J. Coleman rushed for 54 yards. He also had nine tackles.
Redmon Butler had 10 tackles.
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