STARKVILLE — Chase Nicholson felt a sense of normalcy return to the Starkville Academy football program last week.
Following back-to-back losses, some left the Volunteers left for dead after they slipped from contending for a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 title to finishing third behind Heritage Academy and Leake Academy.
But Nicholson has preached about learning from mistakes to get better. That mantra served Starkville Academy well last week in a 41-7 victory against Cathedral Unit School.
“There is a big difference when there is a sense of urgency that this could be your last one — that you’re going to make sure you sell out, you leave everything out there,” Nicholson said. “I think the guys’ mentality of OK, the past two weeks, that has been bad, we could have done better, it would have been nice if we would have won those, but this could be it. That shows you they’re not ready for it to end because they came out and played with the intensity and the emotion that they did.”
No. 6 seed Starkville Academy (9-2) will try to build on that momentum when it plays host to No. 14 Adams County Christian Academy at 7 p.m. Friday in the second round of the MAIS Class AAA playoffs at J.E. Logan Field.
The winner will advance to take on the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Heritage Academy and No. 7 Leake Academy. Heritage Academy would play host to the game if it wins.
Nicholson was proud of his players for playing to the level they’re capable of against Cathedral.
“We never gave them a chance to breathe,” Nicholson said. “They couldn’t catch their breath. That’s what we want out of our guys week in and week out. It is going to get harder every week, but when you play like that you have a chance to consume somebody.”
Nicholson said the Volunteers have to maintain that sense of urgency. He said he isn’t worried about trying to play that way again because his team has been focused about re-starting the clock each week.
This week, Starkville Academy will have to do that against a familiar opponent. ACCS (3-7) was forced to forfeit its first seven games due to an ineligible player. The Rebels, who haven’t lost on the field this season, likely would have been one of the top-five seeds that are awarded to the district champions, but the forfeits dropped them in the power points rankings. Last week, ACCS beat Bowling Green (La.) Academy 30-19 in Franklinton, Louisiana.
Last season, ACCS beat Heritage Academy 42-12 in the second round of the playoffs and then lost to eventual state champion Starkville Academy 31-0 in the third round in Starkville.
In 2016, ACCS beat Starkville Academy 35-7 in the second round. It went on to lose to Indianola Academy 42-7 in the state title game.
Nicholson said none of the history matters because both teams are different. They also are going to use different strategies to win Friday. Thoughts about next week also won’t matter if the Volunteers don’t show up and play their best game to stay alive.
“The push is to remember who you’re playing for,” Nicholson said. “It is not for last year. It’s not about what you’re playing for. It’s about the person next to you and knowing that at any moment it could end, so you give everything you’ve got. If you do that, we will see where it takes us next week.”
Nicholson praised the progression of junior quarterback Garrett Lewis. He said he has talked to Lewis about not having to shoulder all of the responsibility and that he has to be a leader. Nicholson said Lewis continues to relax and to figure out how to handle and to show his emotions on the field.
“He had a bad night against Heritage. It was his first loss as a starter. There are so many things you can look at,” Nicholson said. “It almost lifted a burden off him because nobody wants to lose, but he put too much on his shoulders and didn’t know what to do with it.”
Nicholson convinced Lewis it was the responsibility of the head coach to worry about everything and that he had to listen to him and lead his team. He said Lewis did that last week, which helped them develop a “synched” relationship.
Nicholson said it will be important for Lewis and the rest of the Volunteers to continue to learn from their mistakes and to bounce back as quickly as possible because time is even more of a precious commodity at this time of the year.
“Through two losses, he has continued to show leadership,” Nicholson said. “It is the little things, like it is OK to have fun and to smile and you can still play well and play focused with a smile on your face. He is becoming more and emotional, and that’s a good thing because his guys need to see he is having fun and playing with emotion. Focus comes with that.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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