LOUISVILLE — The Starkville Academy football team’s tune-up for East Rankin couldn’t have went smoother.
Starkville Academy rushed for 378 yards and cruised to a 55-12 win at Winston Academy on Friday night.
The win keeps Starkville Academy (8-1, 3-1 Class AAA South Division 2) tied with East Rankin for the division lead. The two teams will meet at J. E. Logan Field next week with home-field advantage on the line.
Starkville Academy quarterback Drew Pellum scored five total touchdowns, including a 61-yard run. He ran for 144 yards on 15 carries and was 2 of 2 for 45 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
The Volunteers took a 34-12 lead into halftime and led 55-12 at the end of the third.
Volunteers fullback Ryan Mann ran for 115 yards on nine carries and scored a touchdown.
Receivers Hunter Bolin and Ryan McKell each had a touchdown catch.
Winston Academy (4-4, 1-2 AA) had 176 yards of offense.
n Victory Christian 58, North River Christian 14: At Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
Anthony Sharp ran for three touchdowns and threw for three more Friday night to help the Eagles (5-1) win their Christian Football Association game.
Sharp threw touchdown passes of 5 and 45 yards to Roy Bolden. Bolden also kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Kaleb Holliness caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Sharp, who had touchdown runs of 38, 39, and 13 yards.
Paul Blair had a 9-yard touchdown run, and Jay Pace had a 14-yard touchdown run.
Sharp was 3 of 6 for 87 yards with one interception. He led the Eagles with 114 rushing yards. Holliness had 100 rushing yards. Bolden had two catches for 50 yards.
Blair had 12 tackles and two sacks to lead the defense. Nick Hairston had 11 tackles and one sack.
Victory Christian will play host to Tuscaloosa Christian at 7:30 p.m. Friday night for Homecoming.
n Franklin Academy 24, Central Academy 12: At Winnsboro, La., Cole Newman and Drew Pearson had touchdowns, but the Vikings (7-2) lost their non-district game.
Newman scored on a 4-yard run in the first half, but Franklin Academy led 8-6 at halftime. It then tacked on two more touchdowns and two-point conversions in the third quarter to build a 24-6 lead.
Pearson scored on a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter.
T.J. Coleman had 14 carries for 61 yards. Preason had six carries for 59 yards, Newman had 14 carries for 43 yards.
Newman was 2 of 3 for 12 yards. Coleman was 1 of 3 for 6 yards. Pearson had one catch for 10 yards, Newman had one catch for 6 yards, and Ryan Forrester had one catch for 2 yards.
Pearson had 11 tackles, Redmon Butler had eight, and Newman and Will Thomas each had seven.
Central Academy will play host to Calvary Christian at 7 p.m. Friday.
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