STARKVILLE — Starkville High School’s first quarter Friday couldn’t have been more efficient from an offensive standpoint.
The Yellow Jackets scored touchdowns on all four of their drives in the quarter, racing out to a 27-0 lead against Germantown during their homecoming game in Starkville.
Unfortunately for Starkville, the offense didn’t find pay dirt again, stalling for the final three quarters. But the defense was stout, shutting down the Mavericks for the unit’s second shutout of the season en route to a 27-0 victory.
“We’re still not satisfied,” Starkville coach Chris Jones said. “We have to have more of a killer instinct.”
After the Starkville (5-2) defense forced a three and out on the contest’s opening series, senior wideout Joshua Aka hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Luke Altmyer to give his team a 6-0 lead (the PAT was blocked).
It was the start of a big night for Aka, who hauled in four passes for 90 yards with two touchdowns. At halftime, Aka was named Starkville’s homecoming king.
“It’s amazing; I feel like I killed two birds with one stone,” Aka said of his newfound royalty. “Switching back and forth was a great feeling, it really was.
“It’s one heck of a feeling knowing that all that hard work and preparation is starting to pay off. It’s really a blessing, and I can’t thank God enough.”
Following another Germantown (3-3) punt, Altmyer threw a bullet to senior Rufus Harvey, who hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass. Harvey finished the night with 10 catches for 137 yards with one receiving touchdown.
“They were super aggressive on defense, and I really thought we could take advantage of that with misdirection and screen type of stuff,” Jones said. “We also have a lot of guys that are good in space.”
Starkville forced its first of three turnovers on the next series after Ty’verius Nichols recovered a fumble, and the offense made the Mavericks pay. In an unconventional play, Harvey showed off his arm by hooking up with Jatavious Lucious on a 12-yard scoring pass to put the Yellow Jackets up three possessions.
Jones’ offense had been gashing Germantown with screens all night, but none was more effective than Aka’s 65-yard touchdown catch on the next offensive series. In addition to metaphorically breaking the cornerback’s ankles, Aka ran about 62 yards after the catch.
“I saw the corner come down really hard, and I knew as long as I made him miss, I’m gone,” the senior wideout said.
Altmyer finished with 313 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 30 passing, while his team outgained Germantown 451-188.
Jamori Evans led the team defensively with two interceptions and four tackles, while Key Lawrence racked up seven tackles and a sack. Justice Robinson had seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Starkville is back in action at 7 p.m. Friday in a road matchup against Greenville.
“Defense did great,” Jones said. “Offensively, we missed a lot of shots. I’m not sure if it was because of the wind or what, but we have to get better. The good news is there’s a lot of football left to get better.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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