STARKVILLE — It’s not a coincidence that Starkville High School quarterback Gabe Myles plays his best football in the postseason.
In the two Class 5A playoff openers at Yellowjackets Stadium Myles has started in the past two seasons, he is 20-for-26 for 382 yards and seven touchdowns. In both games, Myles has resurrected whatever good feeling his offense needs. This year, he hopes to lead the Yellow Jackets to another trip to Jackson for the state championship game.
“It just goes back to what we did in practice every day because it was up tempo and allowed us to work on the plenty of things we had to get right to be the kind of football we have to be right now,” Myles said.
Last year, Myles had five touchdown passes against Hernando High. On Friday, he delivered an equally impressive performance in a 45-7 victory against Saltillo High. He was 8 of 12 with a season-high 166 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a 45-yard score.
For his efforts, Myles is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“When he’s throwing the football with accuracy like he did Friday night, we just become very, very difficult to defend,” Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell said. “What people don’t realize that haven’t seen us is he’s throwing on the move and is accurate with the ball while doing so. It’s fun to watch.”
Fun might be the key word to describe Myles’ attitude the past month. All of the pressure built up after he earned several 2011 player
of the year honors and gave a verbal commitment to play football for Mississippi State University.
“I think he felt a ton of pressure that is bigger than life, and it’s pressure he put on himself to try and live up to all that,” Mitchell said. “What’s happened now is he has finally got back to being comfortable with himself and playing the way he knows he can play.”
In the practices leading up to the game against Saltillo, Starkville’s coaching staff simplified the pre-snap checks for Myles and allowed him to make more plays in a improvisational way against an aggressive defense.
“Being a senior, you’re expected to be that leader, and sometimes that means knowing when there’s a time during the game to say to your
teammates, ‘OK, let’s go win this thing right now,’ ” Myles said. “I think I have a feel for winning times after working with my coaches, and that has led to our success.”
Myles has 1,471 yards and 19 touchdowns this season despite missing a couple of games with a severely sprained ankle.
While Myles is excited to take his talents to the next level just down the road, Memorial Stadium in Jackson is Myles’ primary focus, especially after losing to Picayune 38-21 last season in the Class 5A championship game.
“I wouldn’t say we’re looking ahead because we’re going to see some solid teams the next couple of weeks, but we know we’re two games from Jackson,” Myles said. “I feel like getting a chance at that game again would be so special for all of us as a team.”
Myles also has a chance to help his senior class to be remembered as a group that played an integral role in reviving SHS football. It had been 10 years before the Yellow Jackets last won a region title when they broke that streak in 2011. It had been eight years since a double-digit win total, and four years since they’d last won a playoff game.
“They’ve won 21 games in two years, and I don’t think there’s too many programs that can match those numbers with a chance to win a few more,” Mitchell said. “Then you add in the possibility of being one of the few elite teams to go back to back to Jackson. That’s special. They’ve already left their mark as a senior group, but now (they) get an opportunity to put a big, giant explanation point on the end of that sentence.”
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