Off to its first 5-0 start since 2018, Starkville Academy faces its stiffest test yet Friday.

Hartfield Academy, which has likewise won its first five games, will visit for a battle of unbeatens. The Volunteers needed overtime to defeat Lamar in their season opener but have not been seriously challenged since then, winning each of their last four games by at least 19 points.

That is likely to change against the Hawks, who are averaging nearly 45 points per game and shut out their first two opponents.

“We’ve got to keep our mistakes to a minimum,” Starkville Academy head coach Chase Nicholson said. “Mistakes happen throughout ball games, but obviously they’re going to be a very talented, well-coached team, and the mistakes on their end are going to be very few, so we have to match that. And if they do make a mistake, we’ve got to capitalize on it.”

Volunteers quarterback Briggs Bennett has been effective with both his arm and legs. The senior has completed 30 of 52 passes for 402 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception while adding 139 rushing yards on 23 carries. Junior Luke McKenzie is his top target, with 156 receiving yards and three scores on just nine catches.

“We were gutted again this year, and they’ve come back with a personality and an aggressiveness we’ve never seen,” Nicholson. “It’s not about any individual; it’s about how each individual contributes to the team effort. They want to have impressive stats, but at the end of the day they want to make sure it’s for the team.”

In the backfield, junior Luke Johnson has torched defenses for 485 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 10.3 yards per rush. Defensively, senior outside linebacker Beckett Lesley has a team-high 68 tackles, and senior defensive end Jackson Easton leads Starkville Academy with three sacks. McKenzie has also showcased big-play capability on defense with three interceptions.

“We’ve been a physical football team,” Nicholson said. “They love to play. From day one, different guys celebrate each other and make sure they’re getting reps. It’s been absolutely amazing.”

Hartfield Academy also has some eye-popping individual numbers. Quarterback Cayman Tapper has thrown for 584 yards through five games with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions, and running back Reed Jesiolowski has been every bit as good as Johnson with 541 yards on 53 carries and 10 touchdowns. Kenzy West is the Hawks’ top receiver with nine catches for 261 yards and four scores.

These teams have not played each other since a first-round playoff game in 2016, when Starkville Academy picked up a 20-13 victory at home.

“It’s going to boil down to execution in all phases of the game,” Nicholson said. “I don’t believe either team is coming in here intimidated by the other one.”