Defensive dominance continues for Starkville Academy

STARKVILLE — Chase Nicholson will take any win.

As an offensive coach, though, he would prefer the Starkville Academy football team to score a few times to avoid sweating out 3-0 or 7-0 victories.

Noxubee County looks to right ship in final non-region game

MACON — Tyrone Shorter has been in this situation.

DeCrane sees growth in game for ranked MSU soccer team

STARKVILLE — Rhylee DeCrane sees an all-around improvement when she assesses her performance through 10 games.

Players of Week: Crawford, Cork help West Lowndes start region win streak

Ki’kwon Cork says the first glance usually is his. Whether he is lined up on the left or the right, the West Lowndes High School senior wide receiver has the confidence to know all he has to do is look at sophomore quarterback Melvin Crawford and it’s on.

MSU women’s soccer earns first national ranking in advance of Florida match Friday

STARKVILLE — Two weeks ago, Tom Anagnost didn’t have a care in the world other than his team’s next match.

MSU women’s basketball team set to open practice Thursday

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s countdown to the 2018-19 season started in August.

Kelly sees signs of growth at Caledonia

CALEDONIA — Michael Kelly loves the fight and the effort he has seen from his Caledonia High School football team.

New Hope’s Tackett sees progress despite winless start

Wade Tackett has seen the progress in four months.

But Tackett has been coaching long enough to know an 0-5 start to a season casts a gloomy shadow over the rosiest assessment of any coach.

Caledonia shows it’s learning to win

The countdown officially started with 59 seconds remaining.

MSU women have confidence after beating No. 13 South Carolina

STARKVILLE — You can hear the confidence in Zakirah McGillivary’s voice.

McGillivary’s goal in OT lifts MSU past No. 13 South Carolina

STARKVILLE — Signature victories require signature goals to have life.

Kelly, Tackett have Caledonia, New Hope going in right directions

Give Michael Kelly and Wade Tackett time.

Starkville Academy looks to take first step to stay undefeated

STARKVILLE — Chase Nicholson doesn’t believe the Starkville Academy football team is undefeated.

MSU has something to prove against No. 13 South Carolina

STARKVILLE — MaKayla Waldner knows there is plenty of more work to be done.

McDonald, Moore play key roles in VCA’s comeback victory

Chris McDonald could have sworn he was going to get tackled.

Brandon Moore thought so, too, as he watched his Victory Christian Academy teammate apparently run into a group of Tabernacle tacklers.

Heritage Academy drops second straight with home loss to Pillow

Jared Long bent at the waist to whisper into the ear hole of Moak Griffin, who was seated inches shy of the goal line.

West Point hopes to erase complacency

WEST POINT

Ezekiel Head has been playing on the offensive line “all his life.”

Oak Hill Academy moves forward without key senior

WEST POINT — Chris Craven knows how to play the numbers game.

The Oak Hill Academy football coach remembers a time when the Raiders played with 11 high schoolers and three middle schoolers just in case.

Brooks, Tigers look to keep their heads up

MACON — Chaokang Brooks feels the time for the Noxubee County High School football team to hang its head is over.

With three games remaining for the start of region play, Brooks realizes the Tigers are running out of time to fix the ups and the downs that have plagued them through the first four games.

Heritage Academy looks to rebound from first loss

The reaction could prove to be more important than the lesson.