STARKVILLE — What a difference a month makes.
Just five weeks removed from starting the season 1-2, the Starkville High School football team marches into Friday’s contest against No. 1 Madison Central riding a five-game win streak, and the locker room has enjoyed a refreshed outlook on the season.
“We’ve kind of found ourselves as a team,” junior quarterback Luke Altmyer said. “All phases are hitting on every single aspect.”
The Yellow Jackets’ start to the year represented a historic trend — though not in a good way. A Sept. 6 loss to West Point marked the first time since 2013 that Starkville lost two of its first three games. An ongoing quarterback conundrum between incumbent starter Luke Altmyer and backup NyJal Johnson further complicated things.
“We knew that we could get beat by anybody this season just because of the schedule we have on top of all the new faces,” Starkville coach Chris Jones said. “But we didn’t make any excuses; we accepted the challenge, and we knew at the end of the day this was going to make us better in the long run.”
In the time since falling by six points against the Green Wave, the Yellow Jackets have outscored their past four opponents 157-46, while the retooled defense has shown signs of improvement.
Offensively, Altmyer has regained the form that earned him scholarship offers from Mississippi State, LSU and others. In wins over South Panola, Germantown and Greenville, he’s averaging 224 yards and 2.5 touchdowns per game while completing 66.2 percent of his passes.
On the defensive side of things, the Yellow Jackets entered the year having to replace eight starters. Of those in new roles, junior linebacker Ronnie Randle has earned high praise from coaches and teammates alike.
Through seven games, Randle has totaled 37 tackles — six for a loss — compared to his eight total tackles all of last season.
“I know I’m getting there,” Randle said. “But I haven’t reached my full potential yet. I’m just playing.”
With Randle’s recent uptick, things have sured up throughout the Starkville defense. Over the past month, the Yellow Jackets are allowing just 11.5 points per game and boast two shutouts to boot.
“We’re almost there,” senior defensive tackle Jaylan Ware said. “We’re like 85 percent of the way there.”
“A lot of the kids were good in junior high, ninth grade and some 10th graders,” Jones added. “But it’s a different story when you’re playing a junior high game or a ninth grade game or a junior varsity game versus a game on Friday nights. It’s a lot faster, the atmosphere is a little bit different — so it’s just a matter of getting those guys actual, live game reps. And I feel like the more they play, the better they have gotten.”
This isn’t to say a handful of losses sounded any major alarms within the Starkville locker room. In defeats at Brandon and West Point, the Yellow Jackets fell by a total of 12 points.
That said, this week’s matchup against Madison Central marks perhaps Starkville’s stiffest test to date. The Jaguars sit at 7-0 and No. 1 in the Associated Press Class 6A rankings.
Last season the Yellow Jackets eked out a 21-17 victory that was decided when a final heave from Jaguars quarterback and TCU commit Jimmy Holiday fell to the turf as the clock struck zero.
With that close game in mind, Jones is expecting another tight contest Friday night.
“We’re prepared to play four quarters or even five or six quarters or however long it takes, because we know it’s going to be a good game,” Jones said. “Every play will matter; every possession will matter.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.