STARKVILLE — Copiah Academy was running out of time and running out of chances, needing to convert on fourth down for the third time in the final minute of the game. With 20 seconds left, the quarterback dropped back to pass, and was immediately pursued by a familiar face.
Vols senior John Scott Lesley had broken through and gotten around the quarterback, sealing a 10-7 playoff win for Starkville Academy in the only appropriate way.
“It felt great,” Lesley said of the final play. “It finally allowed us to show people what we’re really capable of. Getting the point across that we’re not just a Cinderella story, we’re here to win. We were really fast and physical, we flew to the ball, and I think it allowed us to make big plays when we needed to and not have as much pressure on the offense.”
The Vols, now 7-4 on the season, had a point to prove on Friday night, and did just that with their defense. Apart from a 40-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, Copiah Academy got nowhere near the end zone.
Running back Tre Ellis, also a linebacker with an offer from Ole Miss, got the only score of the night and became the focus of the Vols’ defense afterward. He rarely found an open hole again, and the Colonels were constantly forced into passing downs behind the sticks.
“I don’t think we had to adjust too much from the first to the second half,” Vols head coach Chase Nicholson said. “We did a pretty good job with the run. We didn’t fit that long run the one time, and he’s a good back, and that’s a good football team. If you don’t fit it right, they’ll make you pay for it, but from then on, he had a tough time because we were doing a great job with it, doing it the right way.”
“We had to chop down (Ellis), he was their guy,” senior defensive back Bristo Santucci said. “They couldn’t really do much else, running or passing it with anyone else but him. We focused on him and got it done.”
The job was hard-earned on the other side of the ball as well. The Colonels gave up little themselves defensively, forcing Vols quarterback Jack Northcutt out of the pocket on most dropbacks.
Nothing was harder earned than the Vols’ lone touchdown drive, starting at their own 1-yard line and taking a series of third- and fourth-down conversions to keep the chances alive. Northcutt even sat out the end of the drive after taking a hard hit, but backup quarterback Sam Wall found senior Owen Couvillion in the back of the end zone to put the Vols on top.
“Went 99 yards, and Lawson (Mullins) had that nice run to give us some room to breathe,” Nicholson said, reflecting on the drive. “Jackson Knight had the good catch and run, and then we just go do what we do. Did a great job finding a way to get in the end zone… It’s what you want from a championship team, and we’re a championship team. We believe that.”
The win means that the Vols will play Parklane Academy on the road next Friday. The Pioneers beat the Vols 37-0 in McComb earlier this season, but the group making the trip has a newfound belief. The senior class in particular is motivated to play together for as long as possible, and they hope it takes them to the championship game.
“I would do anything just to play another week with these guys,” Santucci said. “We got it done tonight, and that’s all that matters. It means a ton to us.”
“One more week to be together as a family,” Lesley added. “We’ll fight our butts off this coming week, and we can get another week in the state championship. I can’t wait for it.”
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