The Starkville Academy football team’s resurgence on offense will be tested at 7 p.m. Friday when it puts its two-game win streak on the line against undefeated Jackson Prep in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, District 2 game at J.E. Logan Field in Starkville.
Elsewhere in the area Friday night, West Oktibbeha County High School will travel to Weir and East Oktibbeha County High will travel to West Lowndes for a pair of Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A, Region 3 matchups. Those games will start at 7:30 p.m.
Jackson Prep (5-0, 1-0) at Starkville Academy (3-2, 1-0)
After a pair of disheartening losses, Starkville Academy has bounced back with back-to-back shutout victories against Leake Academy and Hillcrest Christian. The Volunteers have scored 12 touchdowns in those victories.
“The kids can go out and we can execute,” Starkville Academy offensive coordinator Chase Nicholson said. “That’s what it boils down to. I always tell them to keep it on schedule, which means 3 yards every time we snap the ball. If we ever get off schedule, we don’t score. They see how important the schedule is to keep moving forward.”
Starkville Academy opened district play last Friday with a 42-0 home victory against Hillcrest Christian. Zach Slaughter ran for two touchdowns. Michael Miller, Colby Runnels, and Campbell Dobbs also added rushing scores, as Starkville Academy had 192 rushing yards.
Quarterback Drew Pellum was 4-for-4 for 108 yards, including a 19-yard scoring strike to Hunter Bolin. A fourth-quarter fumble was Starkville Academy’s only giveaway in the past eight quarters.
“We are a running team,” Nicholson said. “We have to effectively run for the ball for our passes to work effectively. My philosophy has been to throw the ball when I want to, not when I have to. The biggest thing is to go out and run the ball effectively and keep their offense off the field, the same thing we want to do week in, week out.”
Jackson Prep defeated Pearl High 9-0 last Thursday 9-0 in a regionally televised public vs. private school matchup. It also has posted back-to-back shutouts, including a 55-0 win against Copiah Academy in its first district game.
“We just have to get in their heads, that on any Friday, any team can win or lose,” Runnels said. “We have to execute, not commit turnovers, and do our job. We have to have the mind-set we can hang with them.”
Jackson Prep won last season’s meeting 23-0.
“It is a typical Prep team,” Nicholson said. “We know what to expect. It’s just a matter of going out and doing what we need to do to win.”
West Oktibbeha (3-1, 1-0) at Weir (1-4, 0-2)
West Oktibbeha coach Adam Lowrey liked what he saw from his team last Friday night in a 52-21 region win against Nanih Waiya.
“Even though Nanih Waiya is rebuilding, they are still a traditional power,” Lowrey said. “That was a really great way to start region play. My goal was to hold them to one score. Two would have been acceptable. They got a third one there late in the game. But really that is not worth complaining about.”
Most fans of Class 1A football are familiar with West Oktibbeha’s high-octane offense. The Timberwolves know that improved defense will be the key if they want to play for a state championship.
“We had to improve on defense,” West Oktibbeha senior running back/defensive back Tiberias Lampkin. “We have a great passing attack. On defense, we feel like if we can stop the other team some, we know we are going to put up points.
The Timberwolves are averaging 46 points per game. Lowrey said the commitment on defense was critical for the team to build on last season’s playoff appearance.
“We simply had to become physical defensively,” Lowrey said. “Are we there yet? No. Are we getting better each week? Absolutely. This group of seniors made a concerted effort to work extra and do all of the things they needed to do for this to be a special season.”
Lampkin ran for 250 yards and scored six touchdowns against Nanih Waiya. A strong running game can do nothing but help senior quarterback Von Smith and the passing game. Smith has thrown for 666 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
“We wanted to have more balance this year, that was our main goal on offense,” Lowrey said. “If you key on stopping the pass, we had to be able to do something else. Our quarterback and our receivers are really good. Now, the running game is coming along. The offensive line has really stepped it up this year.
“That has been the big reason why we have become more balanced.”
Weir has lost four straight after a season-opening win against George. The Lions have dropped region games to Noxapater and Pelahatchie, and has been shut out three times.
West Oktibbeha won last season’s meeting 38-8.
East Oktibbeha (2-3, 1-1) at West Lowndes (2-2, 1-0)
The Titans also will look for their second region win when they zip down U.S. Highway 82 East to take on the Panthers.
After opening region play with a loss at Sebastopol, East Oktibbeha bounced back with a 33-24 home win against Ethel.
“It was our first home game of the year, so the kids were really motivated,” East Oktibbeha coach Randy Brooks said. “There were some things we could have done better. For the most part, we played well. We took a step in the right direction with a young team.”
Quarterback Justin Williams rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Williams also hit Juwan Roberts for a passing touchdown, while Dion Clanton had a fumble return for score.
“We turned the ball over twice early and were fortunate we were down more than 6-0,” Brooks said. “We finished with five turnovers, and we have to get better there. I thought the defense played well considering how much we had to call on them.”
West Lowndes was open last week. It opened region play with a 27-14 win at Ethel.
“Last season was a tight defensive struggle,” Brooks said. “We expect more of the same. When you play those kinds of games, you have to limit your mistakes. We need to not make mistakes and capitalize on theirs.”
East Oktibbeha won last season’s meeting 6-0.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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