VICKSBURG — When Maleke Bell makes a tackle, he brings everything he has.
Starkville High School’s 6-foot-2, 260-pound senior defensive lineman pursues ball carriers with reckless abandonment. He doesn’t care who it is, where it is, or when it is. He’s trying to make a big play and change the momentum of the game.
Bell accomplished his goal Friday night, forcing a fumble that Nelson Jordan recovered early in the fourth quarter to stop a Warren Central drive. The turnover propelled Starkville to a 28-10 victory in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 game at Viking Stadium.
Bell’s first forced fumble of the season helped Starkville (9-1, 6-0 region) clinch one of the region’s top two seeds and earn the right to play at home in the first round of the playoffs in two weeks.
“When I run to the ball, I make good plays. I try to make them fumble,” Bell said.
Leading 21-0, Starkville High’s defense spent most of the third quarter on the field. The Vikings (8-2, 5-1) opened the half with a long drive that ended with Darius Knight’s 1-yard touchdown with 6 minutes, 55 seconds to play in the quarter.
Starkville quarterback Montario Montgomery threw an interception on the next series that allowed Warren Central to take over in Starkville territory. But Warren Central had to settle for a 30-yard Nick Wright field goal that made it 21-10.
After Starkville went three and out, Warren Central marched to the Starkville 5-yard line.
“We just told them on the sideline we needed a stop,” Starkville defensive coordinator Brooks Oakley said. “We were out there a lot in the third quarter. We kept getting penalties, some of them our fault, and we got put in a bad situation.”
That’s when Bell stepped up.
Bell lunged at quarterback Jesse Wilson and knocked the football loose. Jordan pounced on it to give the Yellow Jackets possession at the Vikings’ 15 with a little more than 10 minutes remaining.
Bell said he read the offensive line and knew where the play was going. He saw an opening and went for Wilson.
“I kind of figured by the way I grabbed him, but I went to the sideline and players explained how it came out,” Bell said. “I grabbed his arm that had the ball in his hands, and when I slung him to the right, the ball came out when he had it with one hand.”
The Yellow Jackets used a 12 play, 85-yard drive to put the Vikings away. Avery Brown capped the march with a 15-yard touchdown with a little less than five minutes left.
Bell assumed when he walked off the field after the forced fumble that the turnover was going to be enough for the Yellow Jackets to win. The touchdown removed all doubt.
“It was exciting because we made a big play,” Bell said. “There was nothing better than that play. I’ve never made that play before in my life.”
Bell’s play helped Starkville regain the momentum after a first half in which it held Warren Central to 123 yards.
“He knows what time it is,” Starkville first-year head coach Ricky Woods said of Bell, who had five tackles (2.5 for loss).
Along with being tired, the Yellow Jackets’ defense was without linebacker Abdural Lee, who left the game in the first half and didn’t return. Linebacker Willie Gay also battled an injury and clearly wasn’t himself, but he played many of the snaps.
Without Lee and with Gay at less than 100 percent, Starkville had to make changes on defense that worked out thanks in part to Bell.
“Coach (Oakley) did a great job alternating his plan,” Woods said. “You have to adjust during the game. Coach Oakley did a great job of adjusting and getting it right.”
Oakley wasn’t surprised Bell stepped up or forced the fumble.
“He’s been focused and he’s playing hard,” Oakley said. “He’s just doing the things he’s done for the last two years.”
Strong safety Jaquez Wilson led Starkville with 10 tackles, including one for loss. He moved to linebacker after Lee’s injury. Linebackers Jeremy Skinner and Jacob Williams had seven and six tackles, respectively. Safety Terrance Grayer recorded his fifth interception before halftime.
Brown led the Yellow Jackets with 125 rushing yards. Montgomery threw for 153 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Rontavis Clark for a 15-yard touchdown, Parker Lemm for a 15-yard touchdown, and A.J. Brown for a 27-yard touchdown, all in the first half. Starkville had 299 yards of offense to Warren Central’s 195.
After a season-opening loss to Noxubee County in double overtime in Macon, Starkville has won nine games in a row. It will have a chance to stretch that streak to 10 next week when it plays host to Clinton, That game will determine the Region 2 champion.
Starkville still could win the division if it loses, but it would depend on how Warren Central fares at Callaway.
Either way, Bell made sure Starkville would have a shot at the title.
“At any given time don’t give up,” Bell said. “I don’t care if they are on the 1-yard line. They’ve still got to have four plays to get a touchdown.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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