STARKVILLE — Standing in the shotgun flanked by two running backs, Starkville High School junior quarterback Luke Altmyer took a knee.
As the final seconds of Friday’s 24-20 win over South Panola (5-1) ticked off the clock, Altmyer turned toward the sideline.
With the ball in his left hand and a clenched fist in his right, he began a subtle fist pump before slapping hands with head coach Chris Jones.
The Yellow Jackets (4-2) had survived.
“It definitely wasn’t pretty,” Altmyer conceded postgame. “South Panola is going to do big things this year, and we might see them down the road soon, but I’m proud of the way this team fought. These close games are fun; they’re nerve-wracking; excited for these guys.”
In a game that was filled with back-and-forth play, Starkville’s night started from behind.
South Panola leapt out to a 12-0 lead courtesy of a 3-yard touchdown plunge from Mississippi State commit Janari Dean that capped off a 10-play, 82-yard first-quarter drive.
The future Bulldog defensive back then dialed up the trickeration, taking a handoff to the right side of the formation before delivering a strike to Martez Clark for a 61-yard touchdown.
“It was kind of ugly at first,” Jones said. “But at the end of the day it’s football. That’s a really good team, we’ve got a really good team. Everyone is going to have a chance to make plays, but it’s all about staying focused and weathering the storm.”
Seeking a spark with the early deficit in hand, senior receiver Rufus Harvey offered Starkville just that in the Yellow Jackets’ second-quarter turnaround.
First, Harvey caught a 4-yard pass in the back right corner of the end zone from Altmyer, toe-tapping his way to six points.
His second score of the night came under center. Lining up at quarterback, Harvey took a direct snap and scampered into the end zone to put Starkville ahead 14-12 at halftime.
With the wild and wayward nature of Friday’s game persisting into the second half, Starkville junior Tae Lucious took a pop pass from Altmyer 37 yards for a score, putting the Yellow Jackets ahead 21-20 following a 17-yard Dean touchdown run.
Needing a defensive stop, the Starkville front seven came through.
Junior Ahmir Taylor forced a third down fumble from South Panola quarterback Anterrio Draper with just over eight minutes remaining. Scooping up the loose ball, classmate Ronnie Randle took it down to the South Panola 5-yard line.
Seeking a game-clinching touchdown, Starkville junior running back Amariyon Howard coughed up the ball on the goal line just three plays later — turning possession over to South Panola.
Randle quickly flipped the script once more as he promptly secured a third-down interception from Draper, leading to a 37-yard field goal from Peyton Rodgers.
“I got in my drop, turned my head around, and all I saw was the ball,” Randle said. “I just wanted to make a play that time.”
Ty’Verius Nichols closed the victory, securing Starkville’s third interception of the night with 1:40 remaining.
With the win, Starkville extended its home win streak to 33 straight regular-season games — the last loss coming Oct. 30, 2013, to Oxford.
“To me the big picture is the playoffs and the state championship and all that, but you have to take it one week at a time,” Jones said. “But you have to hold that whole vision in mind, and we’re just going to grind it out and let the chips fall where they may.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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