Mike Brown/Dispatch file photo
For a quarterback to be successful, he needs to read where his receivers and the opposing defensive backs will be on every play.
Starkville Academy senior Luke McKenzie, the Volunteers’ starting quarterback this fall, should have no problem understanding what it’s like to play those positions. As a wide receiver and safety last year, McKenzie led his team with 24 catches, 481 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, and on defense he pulled down five interceptions, returning them for a combined 114 yards.
“He just did so many good things for us,” head coach Chase Nicholson said. “He got all the reps in practice and did a great job with it, understands it, and he’s fit right into this role like he’s supposed to. I know he’s excited to be back under center. He wants that responsibility, he craves that responsibility.”
McKenzie played quarterback as a sophomore and remained the emergency backup last year, but with Briggs Bennett behind center, Starkville Academy utilized McKenzie’s talent in other ways. Bennett completed 54 percent of his passes as a senior last year for 1,305 yards and 15 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
The Volunteers won their first five games in 2023 and finished 8-2 in the regular season, earning a first-round bye in the MAIS Class 5A playoffs. After defeating Leake Academy in the quarterfinals, SA fell flat at home in a 26-7 semifinal loss to Simpson Academy.
“I learned a lot from Briggs the past two years I’ve been under him,” McKenzie said. “It’s been a lot of fun learning from Coach Nicholson also and previous coaches we’ve had.”
Thankfully for McKenzie, SA returns a 1,000-yard rusher to lighten the quarterback’s load. Luke Johnson ran for 1,183 yards as a junior, averaging nine yards per carry, and found the end zone 11 times.
Every other ball carrier the Volunteers used last year has graduated, so opposing defenses will be keying on Johnson, but the senior believes he is up to the challenge, especially behind an offensive line returning three starters. Last year, SA only returned one starting offensive lineman.
“I’ve been excited about my senior year for a while,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of good guys, a lot of younger guys coming up who are going to step in. Our O-line seems pretty stout right now, which is a huge help to me. Our O-line coach is doing great things with them.”
The Volunteers lose their top two tacklers from a year ago, Beckett Lesley and Camp Overstreet, but juniors Brody Burkley and Blake Little are ready to anchor the SA defense this fall. Burkley averaged 12 tackles per game as a sophomore linebacker and had seven tackles for loss and five sacks.
McKenzie will still play safety, while junior Draper Williams and senior Chandler Wax are back to lead the way on the defensive line.
“There’s just a lot of guys back who last year were getting experience for the first time,” Nicholson said. “They’ve got a whole year under their belt going into their junior years or senior years. We’re going to fly around and play great defense. That’s what we’re going to do.”
After opening their season Friday night at Lamar, the Volunteers host Chambers Academy from Alabama on Aug. 23 before a playoff rematch with Leake Academy, this time on the road, on Aug. 30. SA then hosts Carroll Academy and Bayou Academy to open September, the latter of which is the district opener.
A tough road test at Hartfield Academy awaits on Sept. 20, and then the Vols resume district play at Pillow Academy. Home games against Jackson Academy and Magnolia Heights, sandwiched around a trip to rival Heritage Academy, round out the regular season.
“If (last year’s playoff loss) doesn’t hurt, if it doesn’t motivate them, if they’re not still thinking about that, something’s wrong with them,” Nicholson said. “That did hurt. It hurt all of us, and we haven’t slept right since. I believe it’s going to do nothing but motivate us as we move forward.”
ROSTER
2 Barret Peaster Jr. TE/DL
3 Jack Johnson So. TE/DL
4 Miller Shy Jr. RB/LB
5 Sam Wall So. QB/DB
6 Luke McKenzie Sr. QB/DB
7 Brantley Berkery So. RB/DB
8 Owen Couvillion Jr. WR/DB
9 Nathan Miller Jr. K
10 Nate Fratesi So. WR/DB
11 Graham Hancock So. RB/LB
12 Paxton Overstreet So. SB/LB
13 Brody Burkley Jr. RB/LB
14 Brayden Frazier Sr. WR/DB
15 Jackson Riekhof Sr. WR/DB
16 Joseph Portera So. WR/DB
17 Toland Wilkes Sr. WR/DB
18 Blake Little Jr. WR/DB
19 Hayden Navicky Sr. WR/DB
20 Tanner McKee Sr. WR/DB
21 Bristo Santucci Jr. WR/DB
22 Luke Johnson Sr. RB/LB
23 Landry Parker Jr. RB/LB
24 Brennan Templeton So. RB/LB
25 Conner Bastow Sr. WR/DB
30 Chandler Wax Sr. OL/DL
31 Ezra Shoemaker So. WR/DL
32 Kade Waltmon Sr. SB/LB
33 Paxton Maddox So. SB/LB
44 Justin Crittenden Sr. WR/LB
47 Holden Walters So. TE/DL
48 Diwas Brown Jr. SB/DL
50 John Scott Lesley Jr. OL/DL
52 Kaleb Prather Sr. OL/DL
54 Preston Lewis So. OL/DL
57 Beau Cox So. OL/DL
58 Casey Capshaw Jr. OL/DL
61 Jax Burrell Jr. OL/DL
64 Jude Gray Jr. OL/DL
65 Parker Toney So. OL/DL
70 Garret Ingram So. OL/DL
72 Harrison Ragon Sr. OL/DL
75 Will Hosford So. OL/DL
80 Karson Hughes So. WR/DB
81 Walt Anthony So. WR/DB
88 Jake Newman Jr. OL/DL
97 Draper Williams Jr. OL/DL
2024 SCHEDULE
8/16 @ Lamar 7:00pm
8/23 vs Chambers Academy 7:00pm
8/30 vs Leake Academy 7:00pm
9/6 vs Carroll Academy 7:00pm
9/13 vs Bayou Academy 7:00pm
9/20 @ Hartfield Academy 7:00pm
9/27 @ Pillow Academy 7:00pm
10/11 vs Jackson Academy 7:00 pm
10/18 @ Heritage Academy 7:00pm
10/25 vs Magnolia Heights 7:00pm
2023 RESULTS
Aug. 11: W, 17-14 (OT) Lamar
Aug. 18: W, 39-20 at Escambia Academy
Aug. 25: W, 30-3 Leake Academy
Sept. 1: W, 35-8 at Carroll Academy
Sept. 8: W, 27-6 at Bayou Academy
Sept. 15: L, 54-21 Hartfield Academy
Sept. 22: W, 28-0 Pillow Academy
Oct. 6: L, 29-7 at Jackson Academy
Oct. 13: W, 42-0 Heritage Academy
Oct. 20: W, 12-10 at Magnolia Heights
PLAYOFFS
1st Round BYE
2nd Round Nov. 3: W, 41-31 Leake Academy
3rd Round Nov. 10: L, 26-7 Simpson Academy
COACHING STAFF
Chase Nicholson – head coach
Bubba Davis – assistant coach
Stephen Edwards – assistant coach
Tate Fischer – assistant coach
Kory Stephens – assistant coach
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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 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
