STARKVILLE — Getting into the playoffs has become the norm for the Starkville High School football team.
When Ricky Woods took over the program in the summer, another playoff run was in the works. On Friday, he and his team clinched a playoff berth with a 28-10 victory against Madison Central in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 game on Homecoming at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
“You’re always proud to make the playoffs,” said Woods, whose team clinched its fifth-straight playoff berth. “It takes a little pressure off of you.”
Woods won four state titles at South Panola High from 2003-06. He also claimed state titles at Ackerman High in 1997 and 2001.
The Yellow Jackets (7-1, 4-0) won the Class 5A State championship under former coach Jamie Mitchell in 2012. Starkville lost to eventual state champion South Panola last season in the Class 6A North Half State championship game.
Starkville senior quarterback Montario Montgomery said the team is shooting for more in 2015.
“Starkville doesn’t normally get in the playoffs. We try to win it all,” Montgomery said. “We’re trying to win the whole thing.”
Starkville’s chances of securing the region’s No. 1 seed will be decided in the final three weeks of the regular season. It will go to Jackson Murrah next Friday night and travel to Vicksburg to take on Warren Central.
The division champion more than likely will be decided in the final week of the season when Clinton visits Starkville. The Yellow Jackets beat the Arrows 56-46 last season on the road to claim the division title.
“We’ve been working hard trying to stay focused in practice,” Starkville linebacker Abdural Lee said. “It gets hot some times during the day and it makes you get off task sometimes, but we’re real focused. We’ve got to stay mentally ready because you never know what can happen.”
After a season-opening season loss to Noxubee County (26-20) in double overtime in Macon, the Yellow Jackets have rattled off seven-straight wins. Many might say Starkville has hit its stride, but there is still room for improvement, especially on offense.
“We’ve got to do better on offense,” Woods said. “I think we can and I still believe in them. It’s just small things we’re not doing that makes big plays.”
It wasn’t easy for the Yellow Jackets to ensure a playoff spot, especially in the first half. The Jaguars (4-5, 1-3) matched the Yellow Jackets’ defensive intensity and trailed 7-3 at halftime. The Yellow Jackets had -2 yards in the first quarter.
Starkville adjusted during the break and scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away.
“It fired me up,” wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “(Coach Woods) got on us pretty bad. We had to come out and make plays.”
Brown caught two touchdown passes from Montgomery. The first was a 20-yard strike on the first possession of the half that made it 14-3. The second was a 16-yard score that made it 28-3 with 1 minute, 50 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Starkville’s defense did the rest, allowing only 254 yards of offense (65 rushing, 189 passing). It recorded four sacks for a loss of 18 yards.
Linebacker Willie Gay intercepted a Jack Walker pass and returned it 56 yards to the 1-yard line. Montgomery punched it in for the second touchdown in the third quarter.
Montgomery called Woods’ halftime speech unforgettable.
“Him just calling the right plays at the right time. That’s all we needed,” Montgomery said. “We finally got some things clicking.”
Starkville’s touchdown in the first half was a recovered fumble by Brown in the end zone after Montgomery fumbled just short of the end zone.
Michael Kroeze kicked a 25-yard field goal in the first half for the Jaguars. Gabe Short’s 1-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter accounted for the final margin.
Starkville had 232 yards of total offense. Montgomery threw for 214 yards, while Brown had seven catches for 125 yards. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 18 yards.
Starkville will play Murrah at 7 p.m. Friday night at Newell Field in Jackson.
“You want to win them all. You want to win everything,” Woods 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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