STARKVILLE — Columbus High School first-year football coach Randal Montgomery knew his team would face a tough challenge Friday night against top-ranked Starkville.
Since being hired, Montgomery has looked at the big picture instead of focusing on the ramifications of single games. He has stressed the importance of improvement every week as he looks to build a program with a young nucleus.
While Starkville cruised to a 43-0 victory in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 opener for both teams, Montgomery saw enough positive signs to be pleased.
“The effort was there,” Montgomery said. “We were down 23-0 at half to the No. 1 team in the state, and I think that is a positive in a lot of ways. The scoreboard really didn’t show it, but we got better tonight.”
Columbus dropped its first three games of the season to Noxubee County, New Hope, and West Point. It put everything together last week and played a complete game in a 43-20 victory against Louisville. Despite the losses, Montgomery felt like his squad improved in each phase of the game each week.
While the primary goal was to beat Starkville, Montgomery also wanted to see his squad compete against a team predicted to win the region and to compete for a state championship.
“The kids played really hard against a really good football team,” Montgomery said. “Defensively, we did some good things. We forced a couple of turnovers and changed field position some. We competed and put them in some possession plays.
“Offensively, we could not get anything going. Most people believe that is the best defensive front in the state. We saw a good look at that in person. They really made it difficult on us to get anything going.”
Columbus (1-4, 0-1 region) was held to a season-low 125 yards of offense on 48 plays. The Falcons had a turnover-free stat sheet for the first time this season. Even against Louisville, Columbus continued its early season trend, turning the ball over three times.
Against Starkville, eight of Columbus’ 12 possessions ended with punts. Three more ended on downs and another by taking a knee to end the first half. The Falcons’ deepest penetration was the Yellow Jackets’ 27-yard line.
The sophomore running back duo of Kylin Hill and Kendre Conner rushed for 225 yards against Louisville, but they gained 3 yards on 18 carries Friday night.
“We just have to keep getting better,” Columbus senor safety Alex Lipscomb said. “Our goal is still to make the playoffs, and we have to work hard to achieve that goal. We have seven (region) games and we play some really good teams, so we got to step up and be ready for those challenges.”
Starkville is averaging 43.4 points per game. Still, the Falcons held the Yellow Jackets to their lowest first-half point total of the season. The speed of Raphael Leonard proved too much, as the senior caught five balls for 171 yards, including all three of Brady Davis’ passing touchdowns.
“We lost containment a couple of times,” Montgomery said. “The deep ball hurt us. They have speed. We were a little outmanned. However, the kids can take a lot from this experience and carry it forward.”
Columbus has six region games remaining. The Falcons made the Class 6A playoffs in 2012 but slipped out of the picture with a fifth-place finish a year ago. Columbus knows there is plenty of football left, but it also knows the daunting task of opening with three of the first four region games on the road.
Columbus will play Friday night at Clinton, which improved to 4-1 after a 47-35 win at Madison Central.
“We just have to keep playing some hard, physical defense,” Lipscomb said. “Everybody we play is going to be able to score. We have to keep doing our part to give the offense a chance.”
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