STARKVILLE — Willie Gay Jr. didn’t brag.

The Starkville High School football linebacker didn’t take to Twitter or other social media sites to tell others about his most recent performance. In fact, Gay didn’t think much about it.

After moving to quarterback Monday, Gay rushed for 319 yards rushing on 40 carries and scored five touchdowns in a 35-28 victory against No. 2 Warren Central on Friday night in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 2 game.

For his performance, Gay is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.

“I don’t know why, but it doesn’t really feel like I did much,” Gay said. “The way people make it seem like I broke a record or something. I’m not sure if I did or not. If I did, that’s good. But I feel like I still haven’t done enough yet, and we’ve still got a long way to go in the season, and we have to win this Friday to make the playoffs.”

Gay became the first Yellow Jacket to rush for 300 or more yards since Carl Fair accomplished the feat against Louisville on Sept. 15, 1995.

Starkville coach Ricky Woods said he will stick with Gay at quarterback at 7 p.m. Friday when Starkville (7-3, 4-2 region) takes on No. 4 Clinton (9-1, 5-1) in a must-win game. If the Yellow Jackets win, they earn the No. 2 seed in Region 2. If Starkville loses, the reigning MHSAA Class 6A State champions must have Murrah beat Northwest Rankin to earn the No. 4 seed.

Three days removed from the performance, Woods was still mystified by what he saw.

“That’s probably one of the best nights I’ve ever seen anybody have,” Woods said. “It was just a great night. We wanted to run the ball, a lot of kids blocked for him, and everybody played hard. They gave some good holes, and he did a great job of hitting the holes and running. He’s the guy you have to give the ball to to score points.”

Woods practiced Gay at quarterback last year, but he didn’t need him at the position with Montario Montgomery and wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has moved on to Ole Miss, leading the way.

Gay, who played quarterback some in the eighth grade, said he learned of the move when he arrived at practice Monday.

“I was nervous. I was real nervous all through the week and Friday before the game,” Gay said. “I had my first snap and went about 15 yards, and that’s when everything clicked.”

Woods said Gay had a good attitude about the change of position and said he wanted to do it.

Gay is a four-star prospect and the third best player in the state of Mississippi, according to 247Sports Composite. Gay committed to Ole Miss in the summer, but decommitted last week.

Gay also had three tackles in limited defensive action. Starkville defensive coordinator Chuck Friend didn’t want to lose Gay, but he understood. He said Gay playing quarterback kept the defense off the field because he was able to move the chains offensively.

He wasn’t surprised with what he saw.

“I said from the day I got here, he’s the best I’ve ever coached because he can play quarterback, he could play wide receiver, he could play running back, and he could play every single one of those defensive positions if we wanted him to,” Friend said. “You wouldn’t do it, but he could play offensive line. He would be a good offensive lineman because he’s tough. He’s tough and he’s aggressive. That’s why he could play offensive line. You don’t see that makeup in many football players.”

Starkville senior defensive lineman Nelson Jordan also was impressed with Gay’s ability to run up and down the field against one of the state’s top teams.

“It was just crazy,” Jordan said. “Everybody on the sideline was turnt. There wasn’t a dull moment in that game. Every time he ran, he got more than 10 yards. It was exciting.

“I knew he had it in him. It just finally came out.”

Gay said he isn’t thinking about duplicating his effort this week in a head-to-head battle against Clinton’s Cam Akers. Instead, he said he will continue to keep his head down and work hard at practice.

“I’ve just got to stay humble and keep playing hard and try to do more this Friday,” Gay said. “I’m just humbled about the situation. I’m not bragging. I feel like I could do more.”

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.