STARKVILLE — If you ask Starkville Academy first-year head football coach Chase Nicholson to define his offensive philosophy, he won’t hesitate to tell you he believes in running the football.
That’s exactly what Starkville Academy did Friday night in a 28-8 victory against West Lowndes at J.E. Logan Field.
The Volunteers racked up 248 yards on 44 carries, led by senior running back/defensive back Grant Wolfe, who had 110 yards on 17 carries.
Wolfe was quick to credit his team’s success in the running game to the offensive line by saying, “The linemen made the running game what it was during the second half.”
The first half started off slow for both sides as defenses held strong early. Starkville Academy kicker Sam Cox broke the scoreless tie late in the first quarter with a 22-yard field goal.
Following the field goal, the Panthers drove to the Volunteers’ 8-yard line. However, West Lowndes was whistled for holding before Drew Jackson ended the drive with an interception, which was one of two thrown by quarterback Temario Evans.
Starkville Academy drove to the West
Lowndes 43 but was forced to punt. Punt returner Eddie Pippins fielded the punt, but slipped at West Lowndes’ 1. The following play resulted in a safety that gave the Volunteers a 5-0 lead.
“The safety was a big momentum-shifter,” Nicholson said. “West Lowndes didn’t necessarily take momentum from us, but it gave us more momentum (moving forward).”
After a West Lowndes free kick, Starkville Academy drove to the West Lowndes 4 and cashed in a 4-yard run by senior quarterback Houston Clark. Cox’s kick was blocked.
West Lowndes (0-2) drove to the Starkville Academy 38, but it turned the ball over on downs.
Starkville Academy (2-0) quickly drove down the field and scored again on a 28-yard pass from Clark (8 of 13, 149 yards) to senior Colt Chrestman. Cox’s kick made it 18-0.
“We knew (West Lowndes) was going to be fast and we were going to have to pound them up the middle,” Clark said in reference to the passing game. “Once we couldn’t do that, we started spreading them out and it seemed to work.”
With 47 seconds remaining in the half, the Panthers scored on an 11-yard run by Evans (15 carries, 69 yards). Evans connected with receiver Marcus Farmer on the conversion pass to make it 18-8 at halftime.
The Panthers received the second-half kickoff and drove to the Volunteers’ 40. An interception by Chrestman halted the drive and placed the Volunteers near midfield.
Starkville Academy took advantage of the short field and relied on Wolfe, Clark, and senior running back Drake Gordman. Gordman (four carries, 55 yards) capped the drive with a 37-yard touchdown run. Cox’s kick made it 25-8.
After the Panthers turned the ball over on downs, the Volunteers once again showed the strength of their ground game by calling 10 consecutive running plays. Wolfe, Clark, and Gordman helped drive the ball to the Panthers 13 and led to a 30-yard field goal by Cox.
Starkville Academy allowed only 170 yards of offense, recovered a fumble, and intercepted two passes.
“We had to work together and play well in the gaps (on defense),” Starkville Academy senior linebacker Noah Heflin said. “We started off slow and came out in the second half like we wanted to play with heart. If you play with heart, it is an amazing thing and fun to watch. Football is an emotional game, and it showed tonight with us starting off slow in the first half then coming out in the second half working to get better.”
“(Coach Nicholson) said after the game this is not just a win on our record, but a win for us moving forward to where we want to be as a program.”
Nicholson gave credit to West Lowndes, saying, “They got after it and are a well-coached team. They improved over the last week, and did some things we weren’t ready for. It was a hard-fought battle. The scoreboard does not show how well West Lowndes really played.”
When asked how his team will use the game to improve, West Lowndes coach Anthony King said, “We played better this week. If we keep plugging away, we will get a lot better as the year goes on.”
Starkville Academy will face Class AAAA foe Magnolia Heights next week in Senatobia. The Volunteers won last season 27-7 at home.
West Lowndes will play host to McAdams next week.
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