STARKVILLE — For the last four seasons, the West Point football team has been nearly unbeatable. Seeking a Mississippi High School Activities Association record 12th state championship, the Green Wave expect that to continue this season.
“The goals are still the same,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said in August. “We have the same goal; this year is just a little tougher (because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Meanwhile, Starkville has been one of the very few Mississippi high schools who have taken down the proverbial Goliath in recent years.
In the Class 5A Green Wave’s run of four straight consecutive titles, the Class 6A Yellow Jackets have split four matchups with West Point over that span, with the home team winning every contest. West Point won last year’s matchup 41-35 on its home field and earned a victory in 2017, while Starkville picked up wins over the eventual state champions in 2018 and 2016.
At 7 p.m. Friday, the two high school powerhouses will clash again, this time in Starkville.
“I think this is a really big game, both for the community and for the kids,” Starkville coach Chris Jones said. “It’s one of those games you look forward to every year. Our guys are definitely excited, but I just hope we can stay composed because the energy level will be up a little more than normal because it’s a rivalry game and the first game of the season.”
While West Point prefers to lean on its running game before attempting to catch opponents napping with a pass play, Starkville never hesitates to spread out defenses with an offense built for a vertical attack led by quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer, a Florida State commit, threw for 3,093 yards and 37 touchdowns with just five interceptions in 2019.
“I expect him to do well; he’s done well his entire career at Starkville,” Jones said. “He’s improved each and every year. He’s going to be a distributor to the guys around him and get the ball to the playmakers.”
Former Yellow Jackets standout wide receiver Rufus Harvey has graduated and is enrolled at Mississippi State, and the team will surely miss the 16 receiving touchdowns and 1,066 receiving yards he added a year ago. But Jones is optimistic about his current receiving corps. Jones mentioned senior Sam Hunt as a potential receiver to step into a big role this year, among others.
“They’ve done a good job (establishing chemistry with Altmyer),” Jones said. “Getting used to a new group of guys does take some work, but so far they’ve been doing pretty good.”
Jones said Starkville will still throw a ton in 2020, but will run more than in previous years, giving senior running back Amariyon Howard an opportunity to further showcase his talents. Howard, a Mississippi State commit, averaged six yards a carry and delivered 833 rushing yards and six touchdowns last year for the Yellow Jackets.
“He’s going to have a lot of opportunities this year,” Jones said. “He’ll be a lot more involved in the running game, and it’s just his time to step up and show what we can do.”
Ronnie Randle (80 tackles, 12 for a loss) and Keyshawn Lawrence (92 tackles, 13 for a loss) will lead Starkville defensively. Both will be tasked with shutting down a West Point offense that is determined to run the ball down its opponents throat regardless of who it faces.
“Any time you play West Point, it’s going to be a physical football game,” Jones said.
For the first time in four years, one of the biggest architects of West Point’s four-peat, Brandon Harris, won’t suit up at running back or quarterback this season. Nevertheless, Chambless and the Green Wave expect to reload. Senior Corbin Kelley is expected to earn the start at quarterback for West Point, as Kelley backed up Harris in 2019 and saw limited playing time, throwing for 271 yards and a touchdown in eight games.
“He’s taking the reins now and has run with it,” Chambless said of Kelley.
Defensively, Jaquarius Thomas will anchor a West Point defense after recording 80 tackles and six sacks last season.
“As long as we stay sound and play fundamental technique football, we’ll be fine,” Chambless said. “We need to make the right reads, run downhill and make tackles and just do the little things it takes to win football games.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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