CANTON — The Starkville High School football team wasn’t going to allow a road upset to happen Friday night.
Jaquez Horsley and Preston Baker combined to rush for 219 yards to help Starkville dominate Canton 42-0 in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A, Region 2 game.
The victory was the 11th straight in the region for the Yellow Jackets (5-3, 4-0 region).
With Ridgeland’s victory against Callaway on Friday night, Starkville is the only undefeated team in Region 2. It controls its destiny in its quest for back-to-back region titles. The latest victory clinched a second consecutive playoff appearance.
“That would be fantastic,” Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell said before the Callaway game was over. “Any other help somebody wants to give us, we’ll be nothing but appreciative.”
Starkville’s Gabe Myles used his right arm to overcome Canton’s team speed. The senior quarterback, who was a preseason All-State selection and The Dispatch’s 2011 Player of the Year, found junior wide receiver Princeton Jones in one-on-one coverage down the field for a 23-yard touchdown strike on the game’s first drive.
“He’s only at like 80-90 percent healthy, and he’d never tell anybody that,” Baker said. “When and if he ever gets to 100 percent, he’ll remind everybody why he’s the best quarterback in the state, and why Mississippi State wants him so bad.”
Starkville’s game plan the rest of the night was to run away from the impressive defensive end duo of Kenontra Anderson and Charles Elam.
“It was very obvious they weren’t going to let us get outside with the speed sweep, and I thought our coaches did an excellent job to recognize that and make an adjustment,” Mitchell said.
After Starkville’s defense forced another three-and-out, Baker fielded the punt like a ground ball and returned it more than 60 yards. Unfortunately, a clipping penalty brought he play back and negated what could have been a 14-0 lead.
Myles then led the no-huddle offense on a time-consuming drive of mostly draws and runs up the middle. Starkville then faked a 22-yard field goal, but a pass from Jones to Devonte Davis was stopped at the goal line.
A third straight three-and-out for the Yellow Jackets resulted in a touchdown, as Horsley took the football 32 yards to make it 14-0. Horsley, who Mitchell calls “one of the fastest players on the
team,” used a spin move that faked out two defensive backs and left him with only green grass in front of him.
“I didn’t even know the spin move was coming until it was over. It was like my body did it without thinking about it,” Horsley said. “I feel like again the offensive line made it, so all I had to do with beat my guy in the second level. The defensive line never touched me.”
Canton (3-5, 1-3) provided the first turnover of the game after it was were forced to take to the air with injured offensive lineman Daronte Bouldin on the sidelines with an injury ankle. Bouldin, a 315-pound University of Mississippi verbal commitment, was getting his ankle taped when quarterback Fred Smith fumbled on a sack to give the Yellow Jackets a short field.
The Yellow Jackets, who haven’t allowed a defensive touchdown in region play, yielded only 70 yards. Canton had only seven first downs. Starkville, which forced three turnovers on the night, had a 257-22 advantage in total yards (189-3 rushing) at halftime.
“That’s the been the constant for us this year throughout the injuries,” Mitchell said. “Defensively, we just keep bringing it every night. You have to get efforts like that if you’re going win at this level.”
Horsley scored again on a 14-yard touchdown scamper to give Starkville a 21-0 advantage. Horsley and Preston Baker combined for 176 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the first half.
“I thought Baker was outstanding and Horsley is just a great change of pace with him,” Mitchell said. “It’s just great to have those guys we can count on with our offense for a change.”
Baker made it 28-0 before halftime on a 6-yard touchdown run, as the Yellow Jackets gained 84 yards in a little more than two minutes before halftime. The senior tailback carried a pair of defenders with him to the end zone for his 10th touchdown.
On the first possession of the second half, Starkville went with sophomore backup quarterback Caleb Wilson and the second-team offense. Wilson, who started in a victory at Tupelo, had a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kentrell Spencer in the third quarter.
Wilson, the son of Mississippi State University defensive coordinator Chris Wilson, was 1 of 2 with the touchdown.
Starkville will look to defend its region winning streak next week at home in a Homecoming matchup against Yazoo City.
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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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
