STARKVILLE — The Starkville Academy football team ran into a buzz saw Friday night.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy showed Friday why it nearly beat Mississippi Association of Independent Schools juggernaut Jackson Prep, rolling up more than 500 yards of total offense in a 40-0 win at Starkville Academy.
It looked easy at times. MRA quarterback Clint Shufelt was rarely flushed from the pocket and the Patriots took some unneeded risks at others, converting four fourth downs and scoring two of their first three touchdowns on do-or-die downs.
The few moments the Volunteers had to slow down the Patriots’ offense, which coach Jeff Terrill said outweighed and outmatched his defense, was on those early fourth-down plays.
“I think that really hurt some momentum,” Terrill said. “If we could have gotten a stop early, it really would have boosted our morale. We really thought the kids kept battling, though, when things started to get tough.”
Shufelt ran for a score and threw for two more, going 21 of 38 for 332 yards. Starkville Academy cornerback Hunter Peeples said MRA’s passing game was difficult to defend because the Patriots can make plays after the catch.
“Receivers, when they get the ball, they run hard,” Peeples said. “They were so spread out. It’s just stuff we hadn’t seen a lot of.”
In fact, MRA (5-2) doesn’t normally throw that many passes.
“Just as I was shocked Starkville came out throwing, I’m sure they were surprised by how much we spread it around tonight,” MRA coach Forrest Williams said. “It’s good to see our offensive line continue to get better so we can build another dimension to our offense. That was a struggle early on, to get those guys growing together.”
Starkville Academy struggled on offense, particularly in the first half when it had four first downs but only -4 yards of offense. The Volunteers came out throwing, but quarterback Houston Clark watched his receivers drop several touch passes. He bemoaned his team’s inability to take advantage of matchups against mostly man coverage.
“It was pretty frustrating,” he said. “I know I could throw better balls, and we had a couple of dropped passes. But it happens. It’s just frustrating because we had a chance to move the ball tonight. We just didn’t get it done.”
Starkville Academy (3-4) had just 63 yards. It also lost receiver Kirby Cox to a leg injury and was played without Grant Wolf, who missed the game due to injury.
Despite the struggles, Terrill said the offense is “close” to hitting its stride for the home stretch. Starkville Academy will play French Camp Academy next week.
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