Starkville Academy starts district play vs. Winston Academy

STARKVILLE — The hallway is a who’s who of Starkville Academy football.

Of all the pictures that dot the walls leading to the team’s locker room, Chase Nicholson has a perfect view of the best one. The Starkville Academy coach merely has to sit at his desk and look straight ahead through his doorway to see a bunch of Volunteers charging forward in anticipation of another game.

Putt leads Heritage Academy to come-from-behind victory

Carter Putt doesn’t need ice when his arm is feeling good.

As a pitcher with the Heritage Academy baseball team, Putt said he didn’t use ice for his shoulder or his elbow following his outings.

Putt followed a similar approach Friday after a career night in his fifth start as the varsity quarterback of the school’s football team.

Defense helps Hamilton edge West Lowndes

HAMILTON — Toby Young made a beeline for the fence.

The Hamilton High School senior had just worked his way through the post-game handshake line and didn’t want to waste another second, so he sprinted toward his team’s sideline. When he spotted the poles with the blue flags, Young picked the one he wanted and set out on another sprint.

Heritage Academy faces new lessons this week

The learning opportunities continue for the Heritage Academy football team.

Selfless mentality continues to drive Volunteers

STARKVILLE — Chase Nicholson believes the Starkville Academy football team might have made history last week.

The Volunteers didn’t set a school record for points or have a player set a single-game mark for most yards or tackles. That didn’t diminish the significance of a 34-24 victory against East Webster in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS)-Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) matchup.

Noxubee County still searching for balance

Tyrone Shorter sees the improvement.

It might sound like coach speak, but the Noxubee County High School coach feels his team played better Saturday in a 35-20 loss to Meridian than it did a week before in a 21-18 victory against Shannon.

Branch’s message focuses on making right choices

Choices isn’t just another word to Adrian Branch.

To convey the impact of that word, Branch uses more colorful ones — like sashaying and profilin’ — and eye-catching objects — like his $10,000 1987 NBA championship ring from his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers — to hold the attention of the students assembled in the Columbus High School gymnasium.

Green Wave shouldering title burdens

WEST POINT — Nate Montgomery and Rasson Carr first felt the bull’s eye in middle school.

As part of West Point’s eighth-grade team that won the Big 6 title, neither player remembered if the weight of that bull’s eye carried any extra pressure or responsibility. But Montgomery and Carr remember wanting to win another championship in the ninth grade, which they did, to set the stage for their move to the varsity team.

Middleton, Bryan team up for player of week honors

WEST POINT — There’s no way to gauge the impact of a crunching hit on defense.

Missed opportunities plague Heritage Academy against Lamar School

Sean Harrison walked out to the hash mark and put his arm around his Carter Putt.

Instead of ranting and raving, the Heritage Academy football coach wanted to talk to his sophomore quarterback so he could understand what he saw on the interception in the second quarter in the red zone.

Starkville Academy looks to bounce back vs. East Webster

STARKVILLE — Chase Nicholson had something reinforced Friday he likely already knew: The Starkville Academy football team isn’t going to quit.

Coaches still like to see their players back up their confidence in them, albeit Nicholson would have preferred to have had it happen in a victory.

Shorter searching for consistency from Tigers

Consistency can be an elusive ingredient in the first few weeks of a season.

When your program has won four state championships in the last nine seasons, the early season struggles can be particularly troublesome. Those difficulties are magnified when your team regularly faces a murderer’s row of some of the state’s top teams prior to district play.

New Hope will try to overcome mounting injuries

Kris Pickle understands the grind of a high school football season leads to injuries.

But the New Hope High School coach didn’t imagine his team would be hit by some many bumps, bruises, and setbacks three weeks into the 2017 campaign.

Lamar School will test Heritage Academy

Everybody wants to be in Sean Harrison’s position after three weeks.

At 3-0, the Heritage Academy football coach likes what he has seen from his football team. While the Patriots have posted a shutout and scored more than 40 points in two of their victories, the school’s second-year head coach sees plenty of room for growth that he hopes will help fuel a deep run in the playoffs.

Leadership will be focal point for MSU women

STARKVILLE — It is less than a month before the official start of practice, but Blair Schaefer already is taking to a bigger leadership role.

At 12:57 p.m., Schaefer and her coach, Vic Schaefer, walked into the media room at Humphrey Coliseum three minutes early for a scheduled gathering.

West Point offensive line drives ground attack

WEST POINT — Years from now, historians will look back for reasons to explain the dominance of the West Point High School football team’s rushing attack.

Hard work in the weight room and on technique in the offseason always be trademarks of a program that has used a bruising ground game to win eight state titles.

Long, Putt learn lessons from previous week

It’s hard to miss Jared Long.

At 6-foot-3, the Heritage Academy sophomore wide receiver usually has a height advantage against nearly every defender he faces.

Carter Putt is learning how to locate Long in his first season as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. Sometimes, though, defenses don’t always oblige. Last week, Manchester Academy used a strong rush to pressure Putt and flush him from the pocket. As a result, Putt had little time to set his body to throw and often was scrambling to avoid a sack.

Summer training adds to Mauldin’s confidence

STARKVILLE — Carly Mauldin had second thoughts.

A decision to return home to Laurel meant she would have to miss four days of training with Aaron Byrd and the Women’s Premier Soccer League’s Motor City FC.

Thomas, former Lady Feds set to go at The W

Savannah Thomas knew her sneakers were “ratty.”

But Thomas didn’t have an alternative after donating the sneakers she used to play volleyball at Caledonia High School. After two years away from the sport, Thomas was forced to use her size eight, gray Nikes with “soles that were coming off.”

Noxubee County will try to build momentum after first win

MACON — There’s nothing like an old-fashioned defensive gem to help make everyone feel good again.

While the Noxubee County High School football program has taken immense pride in having explosive offenses in the last 20 years, dominating defenses have helped the Tigers win four Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State championships in the last nine years.