STARKVILLE — Just days after the death of his mother, Starkville High School football coach Jamie Mitchell will be on the sidelines for his team’s region opener at 7:30 tonight at Lanier High.
Mitchell’s mother, Rose, died earlier this week after a long battle with cancer, and Mitchell has been away from his team to be with his family in Pontotoc.
“In my 23 years as a high school, my mom maybe missed five games I’ve coached, and the one thing I know is she would be bad unhappy with me if I wasn’t at that game in Lanier,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know what my coaching capacity will be Friday night, but I know I will be there for my players.”
Last year, Mitchell spent a lot of time driving to Memphis, Tenn., to visit his mother in the hospital while his team was in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A playoffs.
“I said something to my staff during the week of the Madison Central game that I couldn’t have been more thankful she had a full year when doctors said she may not make it through the night,” Mitchell said. “My mom was the finest Christian lady I’ve ever met, and I’m going to miss her terribly. I know there’s no more pain and no more suffering for her anymore.”
Mitchell had given the day-to-day responsibility for the defense to defensive coordinator Brooks Oakley. He said he would meet with his staff this morning to set a plan of action for Lanier (0-4).
“Having your head coach out of practice is not an ideal situation, but this is where I trust my staff to get the job done,” Mitchell said.
Lanier might be the perfect opponent for Starkville to try to piece together a plan to face. The Bulldogs are on a 15-game losing streak and haven’t won a game since 2010. Lanier has been within two touchdowns of its opponent in only three of its past 15 losses.
Before family issues kept him away from the program, Mitchell was determined to patch up a defense that West Point gutted up the middle consistently with a power running game between the tackles.
“Our priority in the three days we did practice during the bye week is the interior on both sides of the ball,” Mitchell said. “We have not run the ball up the middle very well and haven’t stopped teams from running through that ‘A’ gap on defense.”
The availability of senior linebacker David Fair could impact the defense. Fair played two weeks ago on an injured knee and hasn’t practiced beyond walk-through sessions since suffering the injury. He has 22 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery, including two safeties.
On offense, Starkville likely will be without several key players, including tailback Preston Baker (ankle) and Jimmy Saulsberry (knee). Both players could return sooner than expected.
Last year, Starkville defeated Lanier 52-13 in its region opener. The victory started a 10-game winning streak that led to a Class 5A state championship game appearance.
“It is 100 percent correct we’re telling our kids the first four games don’t have any impact on what we can accomplish this season,” Mitchell said. “We still have a district title to defend, and we still have a goal of getting to Jackson that begins Friday.”
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