STARKVILLE — A lot of coaches won’t show the film of a loss to their team in preparation for a rematch with that team.
Starkville High School football coach Jamie Mitchell doesn’t operate under that philosophy.
“We showed it to them Monday afternoon,” Mitchell said. “We want them to see the mistakes, but, more importantly, we want them to see how close they were to winning.”
Everyone in Starkville knew when the Yellow Jackets moved from Class 6A to Class 5A that the road to a state championship game in Jackson would go through two-time defending champion West Point High.
Add in the intense local rivalry between the programs and what fans will see at 7 tonight at Starkville High is a contest Mitchell calls the “local championship.”
Tonight’s Class 5A North State semifinal is the first playoff matchup between schools that have won 11 state championships.
“Let’s face it, there’s no better game going on this weekend in the state of Mississippi, so there’s no telling how many people will be there,” Mitchell said. “This is the game Starkville people have been waiting on. They’ve been waiting on a game that matters. Well, trust me. This one matters a whole lot.”
On Sept. 9, Starkville struggled in the third quarter and had a couple turnovers in a 33-12 loss.
In their region, Starkville (10-2) ran off seven straight wins thanks to greater offensive efficiency and improved defensive play at the line of scrimmage en route to a Region 2 title
“We know we’re a lot better and we know West Point will do what they do better than they executed in September,” Mitchell said. “The cool part of this game is we know West Point about as well as we know our stuff. I can’t point out enough how good this football game will be.”
Starkville also will rely on the improved play of Gabe Myles. The junior quarterback went 12 of 14 for 216 yards and five touchdowns last week in a 42-28 victory against Hernando. After the game, Myles said confidently he wanted to see West Point (8-4) because Starkville is still hurting from the loss more than two months ago.
“What’s the old saying?,” Myles said. “You can’t claim to be the best unless you’ve beaten who people consider the best. We think they are, but it doesn’t matter if go through the year without beating them.”
Myles has 1,733 passing yards and another 620 rushing, which makes him accountable for nearly 58 percent of Starkville High’s production.
“He’s done a great job of (Making) a quick decision to get the ball out of his hands,” Mitchell said. “We have the athletes for good things to happen afterwards.”
West Point will attempt to load up the line of scrimmage and run the ball with tailback Tez Lane and quarterback DeQuinten Spraggins.
“It’s not going to be for the weak of heart in between the tackles. That’s for sure,” Mitchell said. “What I love about this game is you’ll know early and often who is in command physically.”
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