STARKVILLE — Tonorris Brookins and Malik Brown stood on top of a bench talking and laughing with teammates.
On the other side, Rufus Harvey did the same while Dreke Clark sat on an exercise bike. Cameron Gardner was in between them with a smile on his face and a golden football tucked in his left arm.
The golden football is Starkville High’s new trophy that is awarded to the most recent player to score a touchdown. Its presence provided motivation on a night in that featured plenty of smiles on the Starkville bench.
After winning last week without scoring a touchdown, Starkville got back on track Friday night with a 35-7 victory against Horn Lake in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A playoffs.
Starkville (12-2) will play host to Madison Central (11-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class 6A North State title game. Madison Central advanced with a 28-26 victory against Warren Central in Vicksburg. The winner of the North State title game will play for the Class 6A State title game at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
“Overdue, man,” Starkville coach Chris Jones said. “It’s a matter of time. When we do (get something going offensively), it’s going to be big, and this was big.”
Starkville kicked off its playoff run with a 6-0 victory against Southaven. The Yellow Jackets were unable to score a touchdown despite seven trips to the red zone.
Against Horn Lake, Starkville had 503 yards and averaged 8 yards per play. A four-touchdown second-half surge helped the Yellow Jackets recapture some of the high-scoring ways that fueled them early in the season.
Senior wide receiver Cameron Hines helped provide a spark.
The first of his five catches was a screen pass he took 64 yards for a touchdown. Hines, who had 161 yards receiving, had an 80-yard touchdown early in the second quarter called back on a penalty, but his 60-yard score early in the fourth quarter effectively put the game out of reach.
“When he gets in space, I always feel comfortable when he has the ball because I feel like he’s always going to get something positive, whether it’s 5 yards of 50 yards,” Jones said.
With the score tied at 7, wide receiver Cameron Gardner extended his arms out of bounds to catch a pass from Brown on the edge of the end zone. Gardner’s second touchdown came on a pass in the seam from backup quarterback Luke Altmyer he took 48 yards for a score. Gardner finished with four catches for 87 yards.
All involved credited the offensive line for the success.
“Communication. That’s all we’ve been stressing all week,” Hines said. “The line was our biggest part. We love our linemen to death, and we always tell them if we communicate, we can score.”
Jones credited an adjustment in the team’s run-blocking scheme for helping it rush for 226 yards (5.4 yards per carry). K.J. Lawrence had 11 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown. Clark led the team with 141 yards on 17 carries.
“I think it does a lot for their confidence,” Jones said. “Football is a lot about confidence. Anything you do is a lot about confidence.
“I’m blessed to have a group of guys that can fight through adversity when things aren’t going good.”
Hines told coaches before the game he was going to be the first one to get his hands on the golden football by scoring on the first play. He clutched the ball tight to his chest as he strolled around the field after the game.
“It’s big motivation, big inspiration,” he said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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