STARKVILLE — Whatever it takes.
That is how senior Jaquez Akins feels about what he needs to do this season to help the Starkville High School football team in its quest to win another Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State championship.
After starting at quarterback in Starkville’s season opener, Akins started at safety Friday night and made three interceptions, including a return of one for a touchdown, in a 70-0 victory in a Class 6A, Region 2 game.
Akins also returned a punt for a touchdown, which went to show he is more than willing to play wherever he is needed.
“As a senior leader, (playing wherever needed) is the number one thing,” Akins said. “If I need to go play center, I’ll play center, if that’s what it takes for us to win a state championship. I’m all in for my team, and I have to be that leader for them.”
Starkville coach Ricky Woods recognized Akins’ athleticism and said he wants to keep finding ways to maximize those skills. Right now, Woods feels free safety is the best home for Akins.
“We have a Wildcat package for (Akins), so he’ll come in and run the ball for us some,” Woods said. “That way, I can leave him on defense all night. He is more valuable on defense than he is on offense. He may get a few snaps (on offense), but for right now he needs to be our free safety.”
Junior quarterback Ben Owens earned his first career start after playing in a reserve role in prior games. Woods was pleased with the performance of Owens.
“(Owens) had a good game,” Woods said. “He got the ball out of his hands, and that was a positive. We had a good game plan, and I think we are settled at the quarterback spot. We needed that and the (receivers) caught the ball for him, blocked for him, and put a whole package together.”
Owens attributed his success to the preparation he received from Woods and the coaches staff. He feels the latest win will give the Yellow Jackets confidence as they prepare for some of the biggest regular-season games.
Owens said it was important for Starkville to play like it did against Greenville after a disappointing loss to Northwest Rankin on Sept. 30.
“Anytime (a tough loss) happens, it is kind of like an awakening,” Owens said. “We just came back and knew that we were all-business this week. It was time to go to work. It’s getting close to playoff time, so we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do and listen to our coaches.
“We had the best week of practice we’ve had all season, and we were ready. Coach Woods was really good with me in helping me prepare for this defense, and we were just well prepared. I think it’s going to be like this for the rest of the season.”
The victory was Woods’ 250th as a high school coach. In order to add to that total, he said his team needs to continue to play with the intensity and effort they showed against Greenville.
“We needed a win like this,” Woods said. “We played hard and played well. We need to let this carry over. We played with some effort. You have to have effort, no matter who you play. We just need to take this momentum and move forward, and I think we will.”
The victory was the 700th in program history. It pulled Starkville into a four-way tie for second in the region standings.
Next week, Starkville will play at Madison Central (4-3-1, 2-1 6A Region 2). Greenville will play host to Callaway (5-3, 0-3).
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