STARKVILLE — What looked like a potential blowout win turned into a tight affair, but a 42-yard touchdown by senior running back Jordan Mitchell sealed a 42-27 victory over Southaven on Friday night in the MHSAA Class 6A quarterfinals.
“I feel like we made some adjustments, and all in all the staff, players, everybody did a good job,” Starkville coach Chris Jones said. “At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how it looks, just get it done. We’re not looking for style points; we’re looking for victory points.”
Jones spoke highly of the defense, which was responsible for two of the Yellow Jackets’ touchdowns on a fumble return and an interception return.
“I thought they did a great job,” Jones said. “They scored and made some big stops, and like I said at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how you get it done. The kids fought. There were ups and downs, but we had more good than bad, and now we gotta get ready for the next one.”
The Jackets returned the opening kickoff to the 45-yard line but couldn’t get going on offense and punted after a three-and-out. Southaven responded with a long drive but faced fourth-and-8 just outside the red zone.
The Chargers went for it all with a toss to the end zone, and though the receiver couldn’t pull it down he did draw a pass interference flag, getting a first-and-10 at the 14. Dontavious Brevard got in for the score just two plays later, but the PAT was blocked.
The Jackets responded with a drive into Chargers territory, and had a touchdown run called back for holding. Shortly after that, quarterback Trey Petty threw an interception at the 11-yard line, and Southaven’s offense went back to work with momentum on their side.
The Jackets would get the ball back fairly quickly, but Southaven’s defense proved a physically daunting opponent. They consistently met the Jackets at the line of scrimmage and made it difficult to run the ball, and they got plenty of pressure on Petty when he did drop back.
Midway through the second quarter, Starkville faced a fourth-and-inches at midfield and picked up a crucial conversion. Petty then took it himself on a keeper up the middle, 35 yards to the end zone. The point after gave the Jackets a 7-6 advantage halfway through the quarter.
The Chargers, who operated in a run-heavy offense with lots of wildcat and option looks, had to start passing more as the Jackets forced longer third- and fourth-down plays. The result was a pick-six for defensive end Eric Thomas Jr., giving the Jackets a 14-6 lead. The Jackets then turned a turnover on downs into their third touchdown with a minute left in the half and a 21-6 lead.
The Jackets got a scoop and score from Curtis Willis to start the third quarter, then, after Southaven scored on another Brevard run, responded with Mitchell’s 66-yard kickoff return to take a 35-13 lead into the fourth.
The Chargers had one more push in them, closing to within 35-20 and getting the ball back with 7:54 still to play. The Chargers faced a long drive to try and stay in the game, and Ja Kylan Robinzine found Dillon Williams through the air for a 45-yard touchdown to make it a one score game at 35-27.
The Jackets had to respond with Jaquez Harris after Petty left the previous drive with an injury. Mitchell made his job easy with a 42-yard scoring run, and a stop on the next drive iced the game for the Jackets.
It was Jones’ 100th coaching win in high school football, and though the Chargers were able to make a game of it he stressed “survive and advance” when it’s playoff time and said his focus is already on next Friday.
Next Friday brings a return visit by Madison Central, which defeated Oxford 31-21 on Friday night, in a rematch of a Sept. 24 game that the Yellow Jackets rallied to win 35-28.
Starkville 42, Southaven 27
Southaven (9-4) 6 0 7 14 — 27
Starkville (12-1) 0 21 14 7 — 42
First quarter
South — Dontavious Brevard run (kick failed), 8:00
Second quarter
Stark — Trey Petty 35 run (Joshua Eaves kick), 6:27
Stark — Eric Thomas Jr. 25 interception return (Eaves kick), 4:28
Stark — Jordan Mitchell 3 run (Eaves kick), 1:15
Third quarter
Stark — Curtis Willis 5 fumble return (Eaves kick), 11:33
South — Brevard 3 run (Caleb Parnell kick), 2:43
Stark — Mitchell 66 kickoff return (Eaves kick), 2:31
Fourth quarter
South — Dillon Williams 21 pass from Ja Kylan Robinzine (Parnell good), 9:44
South — Williams 45 pass from Robinzine (Parnell kick), 5:06
Stark — Mitchell 42 yard run (kick by Eaves good), 3:32
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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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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Sophomore running back Tyler Nichols (10) looks for room around Southaven's defense.
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