Starkville volleyball team beats Columbus

The Starkville High School volleyball team beat Columbus High 3-0 and cruised to a quick win in its Legue 3, Region 2 opener Tuesday.

The set scores were 25-16, 25-3, 25-13.

Starkville (19-7, 1-0 region) beat Columbus ( 3-9, 0-2), setting up a Thursday home match with Tupelo for the region lead.

Starkville junior setter Wheeler Richardson recorded 20 assists, six aces, six digs and two kills to lead the Lady Jackets, whose only points conceded in the second set came from errors.

MSU QB combo still a go

STARKVILLE — Through two games, Mississippi State’s offense has had performances at opposite ends of the football spectrum. 

In Mississippi State’s 49-7 season-opening win against Memphis, backup quarterback Tyler Russell threw for four touchdowns and the team eclipsed 500 yards of total offense. 

But in a 17-14 loss to Auburn this past Thursday, Mississippi State was held to less than 250 yards of offense and left stewing about unforced mistakes in a game it believed it should have won. 

MSU working to eliminate mistakes

STARKVILLE — There’s consensus within Mississippi State’s football team that wins will come when plays are made.

The team derives confidence from knowing a key catch or sack will be the final step to winning big-time games. The coaches’ concerns about players not being in position to make plays has decreased through the team’s first two games, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said Monday.

Noxubee makes game-lasting statement on first four plays

MACON — The Noxubee County High School football team made a game-lasting statement against Greenville Weston on its first four plays Friday night en route to a 38-6 win. 

Of the Tigers’ first four plays, three came in different phases and provided the injury-stricken team instant momentum. Noxubee County quarterback Deangelo Ballard connected with Terrence Barron on a 65-yard touchdown pass for the opening score. Rodrigues Brown then delivered a vicious hit and forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The Tigers capitalized on the recovered fumble on Greenville Weston’s first offensive possession, which led to a 13-0 Noxubee County lead just two minutes into the game.

Alexander joins Starkville Academy soccer staff

STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy soccer coach Robert Gardner believes he’s found the perfect assistant coach for the Volunteers’ upcoming season. 

Gardner is currently in the middle of the Lady Vols’ soccer season, but wasted no time in hiring former Caledonia High School and East Mississippi Community College standout Louis Alexander to his coaching staff. 

Gardner, whose lauded the contributions of current Lady Volunteers assistant and former Mississippi State player Katelyn Graben, was keen to hire a boys’ assistant who brought collegiate experience to the training ground. 

Dropped opportunity for MSU

STARKVILLE — Auburn overcame its own missed chances and a resilient Mississippi State defense to escape with a 17-14 win Thursday night. 

The anticipated shootout between two of the Southeastern Conference’s highlight offenses from the opening week of the season never materialized as both offenses were held to less than 350 yards. 

Mississippi State’s passing game accounted for just 129 of the team’s 246 yards as quarterbacks Chris Relf and Tyler Russell looked nothing like they did a week ago against Memphis, when they combined to throw five touchdown passes. 

State offense takes step back in defeat

STARKVILLE — After lighting up the scoreboard against a woeful Memphis defense this past Saturday, much was expected in Act 2 of Mississippi State’s burgeoning passing game.

But on Thursday, the curtain came down on the aerial attack as soon as it took off when Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf had his first pass dropped by wideout Chad Bumphis.

Relf was off-targed on throws to several receivers, but wasn’t aided by five drops, the final going through the hands of Leon Berry on the second-to-last play of the game in a 17-14 loss to Auburn.

Starkville Academy soccer team comes up short in bid for title

STARKVILLE — When a team lives on the edge long enough, a fall is imminent.

Starkville Academy’s soccer team was reminded Thursday what can happen to a team that lives nearly 60 minutes in its own half.

The Lady Vols clung to a 1-0 lead for nearly the entire second half against Pillow Academy before conceding an 78th minute equalizer and a pair of extra-time goals in a 3-1 loss. 

Newton, Auburn escape Starkville with win

STARKVILLE — Auburn overcame its own missed chances and a resilient Mississippi State defense to escape Starkville with a 17-14 win Thursday night.

The anticipated shootout between two of the league’s highlight offenses from Week 1 never materialized, as both offenses were held under 350 yards.

Auburn v MSU preview

Auburn visits Mississippi State looking to replicate the same offensive performance from their Week 1 blowout of Arkansas State. The Bulldogs’ offense was just as efficient and explosive in their opening-day 49-7 win over Memphis.

Here’s some quick keys for MSU winning tonight’s game.

Rested West Point will take on Starkville

Timing has worked out in West Point High School’s football team the past two seasons.

The Green Wave used an early bye week last season to help refocus after a surprising loss to Shannon. This year’s bye week has been about recovery.

MSU has task of containing Newton

STARKVILLE — Cameron Newton gouged Arkansas State with runs and passes in an impressive debut as Auburn’s starting quarterback.

The former Dan Mullen pupil and Tim Tebow understudy at Florida had five total touchdowns and 357 combined yards in his first start as an FBS quarterback.

Mississippi State’s defense isn’t naïve enough to think it’ll shut down the Auburn quarterback or the dynamic skilled players around him in Thursday night’s game at Scott Field.

Russell shows he has stuff

STARKVILLE — Tyler Russell’s advent into college football was a reprieve for his lackluster play in Mississippi State’s spring game.

Heavens adds to MSU’s depth

STARKVILLE — Brandon Heavens is no longer a secret.

The sophomore wide receiver, who played sparingly last season, broke out Saturday with a five catch, 112-yard performance in the Mississippi State football team’s 49-7 victory against Memphis.

MSU routs Memphis in opener

STARKVILLE — Efficient through the air and on the ground, Mississippi State ran riot Saturday in its season-opening 49-7 win over the University of Memphis.

The Bulldogs racked up 569 yards of total offense, and redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Russell tossed four touchdown passess in his MSU debut.

MSU gets thorough performance

STARKVILLE — With a short-week of preparation for Thursday’s matchup with Auburn, Mississippi State needed to have a thorough performance against Memphis.

The Bulldogs got it on both sides of the ball Saturday, but it was their defensive pressure in first-year coordinator Manny Diaz’s system that helped add to the point total and lay the groundwork for Gus Malzahn and Auburn’s dynamic offense.

MSU, Memphis have similar QB situations

When the Mississippi State and University of Memphis football teams square off Saturday, they’ll do so with similar situations at quarterback.

Memphis will debut first-year starter and sophomore Cannon Smith, whom first-year head coach Larry Porter hopes will play well enough to help the Tigers avoid having to use a multi-quarterback carousel like they did last season.

MSU has a slight advantage, as junior Chris Relf scored seven touchdowns and finished second on the team in rushing last season.

Starkville Academy coaches adjust from college to preps

Sometimes, the desire to teach the basics trumps the rush of coaching at a higher level.

Known as “moving down the ladder,” coaches who leave the college game to work with high school athletes often rediscover the joy of developing a player from scratch. They’re taken back to a time when they were slightly older than their pupils, teaching the game while still in their own coaching infancy.

Good start leads Starkville volleyball team to win

STARKVILLE — Starkville High School’s volleyball team had one hiccup in its 3-1 win against Caledonia in Thursday’s rematch — an all too familiar one.

After cruising to a commanding 2-0 lead, the Lady Jackets stumbled in a third-set loss that nixed a straight-sets win, but more importantly drew critical analysis from their head coach.

Starkville coach Lauren Love was happy to see her team extend its home unbeaten streak to five games, but bemoaned a lapse in focus and poor court organization in the third set. Starkville nearly lost the first set after Caledonia (10-7) went on a 9-0 tear to tie the set at 20

Starkville wants to avoid shootout against Meridian

STARKVILLE — Through two weeks, the Starkville High School football team’s defense has been dominant.

Now comes a championship-caliber test against No. 2-ranked Meridian.