Understandably, Starkville Academy and Heritage Academy have differing ideas on who has the best shot at handing the top-ranked Patriots their first loss of the season when the Volunteers host Friday’s rivalry matchup.
“If we play our game, I feel like we’ll come out on top,” Starkville Academy quarterback Randall Futral said. With all the pressure on the No. 1 team in the MAIS, Futral said he thinks his Vols have a good shot at an upset at home.
But 29 miles away, inside the Patriots’ field house, the mood couldn’t be more different.
Senior lineman Ethan Bumgarner expects the Pats to improve on last year’s 21-7 road win against the Vols. Senior tackle Eli Acker said Wednesday that “the only team that can beat us is us.”
With an offense Starkville Academy coach Chase Nicholson called “prolific” and a strong defense to boot, Heritage Academy (9-0) certainly has the talent to control Friday’s road matchup, but the Vols believe they can pull the upset in a crucial late-season district game.
“This late in the game, everybody can win or lose it,” Nicholson said. “We’re in a great position right now to play a game like this.”
Starkville Academy (6-2) rebounded from a loss to No. 5 Pillow Academy by blowing out Bayou Academy 44-0 on the road last week, but the Vols will need dial up even more offense to outscore a Heritage team that averages over 35 points per game.
Futral, whose running ability complicates things for the Pats’ defense, will lead the Vols’ offensive effort.
“He’s actually a better runner than you expect,” Heritage Academy coach Sean Harrison said of the sophomore signal caller. “He’s popped off some big runs this year and has extended a lot of plays scrambling.”
Running back CJ Jackson should also figure heavily into the Pats’ plans on defense.
“He’s gotten a lot better since last year,” Acker said. “He’s running really hard.”
But while Futral and Jackson present a challenge, the weapons Heritage Academy possesses will be a headache for Nicholson’s team.
Senior quarterback Carter Putt, given good protection, routinely finds receiving threats Jared Long and Banks Hyde, and KJ Smith has been running over everyone to give the Pats’ offense two excellent dimensions.
“With their offense being so prolific, our guys know it’s a tall task in front of them,” Nicholson said. “We have to answer the call.”
Thanks to the pressure a 9-0 record puts on the Patriots, the home team might be able to do just that.
“If we had lost two games at the beginning of the season like last year, we wouldn’t have anything to lose,” Bumgarner said. “But since we’re undefeated now, we definitely have that pressure.”
For Bumgarner, how the Patriots respond — or choose not to respond — to the rivalry surroundings and the hype that’s followed them will be a major determining factor.
“I think it might start off slow, but I think if we don’t get caught up in that, we’ll have a good night,” he said.
Staying out of the fray isn’t usually too difficult for the Patriots, who have battled several tough environments so far. But it won’t be as easy to remain neutral Friday.
“Other schools, it’s not so hard, but when you’re playing your rival, it definitely is,” Acker said.
The Volunteers, too, are hoping they can keep out of any rivalry distractions and home in on an upset win.
“We just try to stay focused, stay together, don’t let anything distract us, lean on each other if we need to,” Futral said.
But as much as the Pats and Vols say they want to stay above the rivalry, they enjoy the pressure and the familiarity it brings. Even the coaches can’t wait.
“It’s the most fun rivalry game that I’ve coached in because you get two teams that kind of play out of their minds and play better than what they’ve shown all year,” Harrison said. “It’s a lot of fun to coach in.”
Harrison’s counterpart said it simply: The feud between Starkville Academy and Heritage Academy is exactly why rivalries exist.
“It’s just a great rivalry,” Nicholson said. “It’s what it’s all about.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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