JACKSON – Callaway High School wasn’t enough competition for Starkville High School Friday night, so the offense and defense decided to challenge each other.
Senior quarterback Montario Montgomery threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another. Senior defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler had five tackles, four sacks and a fumble recovery, while senior defensive back Terrance Grayer had two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
Every time Montgomery or the two defensive players walked off the field, there was encouraging words said to the other unit. But the two Jacket units were trying to outdo each other in a 49-7 Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 victory over the Chargers.
“You have a chance to win when you do that,” first-year Starkville coach Ricky Woods said.
That competition has been evident throughout the season and Woods said they are playing at the highest level than they have all season long.
Montgomery completed 14 of 24 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 45 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to increase the Jacket lead to 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Montgomery threw three of his touchdowns in the first half to give Starkville a 21-7 lead at the intermission. The defensive play in the first half kept Montgomery pushing the offense.
“It boost our confidence a whole lot just knowing what our defense can do,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery found Rontavis Clark for a 12-yard touchdown, Avery Brown for a 26-yard score, and A.J. Brown for an incredible 66-yard touchdown in the first half. A.J. Brown jumped over two defenders to haul in the catch and then he broke a couple of tackles as he rushed about 50 yards into the end zone for only his second touchdown of the season. A.J. Brown had five catches for 118 yards.
Montgomery broke a couple of tackles in the backfield and heaved one down field as he hit Tavian Clark for a 49-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Montgomery was kind of an unknown entering the season and he had some high expectations to live up to with the way Brady Davis, who’s now at Memphis, played last season. It was a competition in his head, but so far he has lived up to those expectations.
“I feel like I’m getting better every day because of the players, the competition and the coaches,” Montgomery said. “We focus on getting better every day, just doing what you’ve got to do and perfecting what you’ve go to do.”
Dantzler, a Louisiana Tech commit, led a stingy Starkville (4-1, 1-0) defense that only allowed 142 total yards and 10 first downs the entire night. He gave credit for his sacks to fellow defensive lineman Kobe Jones, as the two have been working hard to improve their pass rush.
He was in the backfield for most of the night and his fumble recovery set up a 6-yard touchdown by Avery Brown.
The rivalry between the defense and the offense is a friendly one.
“We both think we’re the best and we try to see who the best is every night and every practice,” Dantzler said. “There’s a lot of competition between those guys, but we just try to come out and be the best that we can.”
Avery Brown had 131 rushing yards on 21 carries and four catches for 71 yards.
Grayer intercepted a Tyrese Winford pass and retuned it 59 yards for a touchdown. He had to break and a couple of tackles, but used a juke move to get into the open field.
“The competition is crazy with these guys because we’ve got a lot of good guys,” Grayer said. “If you want to beat the best, you have to play like the best.”
Starkville finished with 486 total yards.
The Jackets return home next Friday night with a matchup against Northwest Rankin and the competition will be even more fierce in front of the home crowd.
“I believe we really have Division I players all over the field,” Dantzler said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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