In his long high school football coaching career, Chris Jones has not walked into many stadiums as an underdog.
That is why he probably took a depth breath and relished the preseason rankings for his first Starkville High School team this season.
When multiple publications unveiled their short list for Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A state champions, Starkville was nowhere to be found.
Considering Starkville won the 2015 state championship, that was hard to believe.
Considering Starkville is projected to have the most signees in the state over the next couple of years, that was again hard to believe.
As many coaches have told this writer over the years, thoughts on the outside do not matter. As long as you have the talent and the people inside your locker room believe, there is a chance at greatness.
With two weeks left in the regular season, the publications have reversed their field. Other coaches are buying in, too.
Starkville has a great chance be there at the end in Class 6A this season.
No reason for hype
Starkville’s fall from grace a year ago was rather stunning.
Coach Ricky Woods was brought in out of semi-retirement to win state championships. Starkville did just that, as A.J. Brown helped lift the team to the championship in 2015.
Jamie Mitchell’s final squad in 2014 was also on a collision course for a title when it blew a big halftime lead to South Panola in the North State championship game. That would be that team’s only loss.
In 2016, there were a lot of question marks but most on the outside felt like Woods was a savoy enough veteran coach he could navigate the team through choppy waters.
Instead, adversity ate the team up.
By season’s end, Starkville had no other choice than to put its best athlete – Willie Gay – at quarterback in a wildcat formation.
After winning 34 of 35 region games from 2011 to 2015, the 2016 squad finished 4-3. A string of five straight region championships came was followed by a fifth-place finish.
Starkville lost to Madison Central, Northwest Rankin and Clinton on the road in region play. The Yellow Jackets didn’t even make the playoffs.
Jones replaced Woods. Some of the players removed from the team under Woods were brought back.
A new commitment to practice took place. A new desire inside the locker room began to build. Some of the problems from the 2016 team were resolved.
Starkville took the field with a new attitude, a new coach and a new belief. It also took the field with the lowest set of expectations this decade – from the outsiders, that is.
Beginning to win
Inside the program, things were far different. Jones had a state championship pedigree brought over from Kemper County. The thought process here was either the team will compete for a state championship or they will be denied by another great team.
Starkville laid waste to Noxubee County in the season opener. A rivalry win over Oxford took two overtimes. However, everyone knew that was only the second game. This team would be far different by the end of the year.
A 28-3 loss at the hands of West Point followed. It was a turning point moment for this team. A year ago, adversity went from a blip on the radar to wide-spread. This team had to prove it was different.
The following week, Starkville renewed its rivalry with Columbus and won in resounding fashion. Then there was a chance to play a Meridian team, thought by many as a Class 6A favorite. A 40-6 Starkville victory told us differently.
On paper, the region looked a tad bit weaker than the last two seasons. Cam Akers going from Clinton to Florida State University is part of the reason for that.
Still, Starkville does not have to apologize for who it plays. The Yellow Jackets have won five region games by an average margin of 35.4 points per game. The only close call was a 14-6 win over Madison Central.
Starkville has also avenged last season’s loss to Northwest Rankin. Unless Cam gets one extra game at Clinton, that loss will be avenged in the final game of the regular season.
Jones has used two quarterbacks – junior Malik Brown and freshman Luke Altmyer – brilliantly. Led by Rodrigues Clark, the Starkville ground game is now fully healthy. Mississippi State commitment Cameron Gardner leads the receivers; however, sophomore Rufus Harvey has quickly become a star.
On defense, Starkville is quite simply, nasty.
Postseason run
Jones has warned his team about the dangers of playing Warren Central and Clinton. Neither is elite this year; however, both are capable.
However, when Starkville plays to its potential, few teams in Class 6A can match the firepower.
Players can’t look ahead. However, for fans and media members, it’s time to start talking about a Starkville-Tupelo matchup for the North State championship. Each figures to be top-seeded when the playoffs began. Starkville can play some offense. Tupelo can play some defense.
There will be some nice storylines on the way to that game. Perhaps, Starkville will face Woods’ new team, South Panola. A rematch with Madison Central could also pop up on the bracket.
In the end, it’s a collision course. Tupelo and Starkville are clearly the best teams in Class 6A North State this season.
Tupelo would be favored. For Jones and his team, that is just fine, it will be where they want to be.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
