STARKVILLE — Homecoming welcomed the Starkville Academy football team nicely with a 34-26 win against the Copiah Academy Colonels.
Ryan Mann’s 10-yard run on fourth-and-2 late in the game sealed the victory.
The Volunteers were at the Colonels’ 30-yard line when Mann told coach Jeff Terrill he wanted the ball.
“Get behind Angus (Catchot) and I was going to get that first down,” said Mann, who had 147 yards on 29 carries for his fourth 100-yard game of the season. “They weren’t going to stop me.”
The Volunteers (6-1, 2-1 district) clinched their first winning season since 2005 when they advanced to the state championship. Terrill knew going in the game would put his team in good position for a playoff spot.”
“There was so much at stake for both teams,” a soaking wet Terrill said. “The winner really locks in a playoff spot. For our seniors, the way we have been trying to build this program, it gave us a winning
season with six wins.”
The Volunteers set the tone when they forced a fumble on the first play of scrimmage deep in Copiah Academy territory. Ryan McKell recovered the ball at the 13. Four rushing plays later, Mann scored to give the Volunteers the lead for good.
“I knew if we were going to win tonight it would be on my shoulders,”
Mann said. “I had to step up and carry the ball, and I knew my linemen
up front were going to block for me and they did. They did their job and I did mine, and we came out on top.”
The Volunteers’ game plan was to stop Kelton Smith, who rushed for 67 yards in the first half but had only 10 in the second half. But he found another way to hurt the Volunteers when he returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.
“I think we did a great job,” Terrill said of stopping Smith. “It was not a smart coaching move for me to allow him to catch that and run that kickoff back; I will take that one. Probably should have squibbed that ball, but we were struggling to kick the ball, trying to put it where we were, but I guess it made the game interesting and our guys responded.”
Drew Pellum may not have been the MVP, but he stole the show, running for a touchdown and throwing for one. He picked up his first touchdown when he found Hunter Bolin in the corner of the end zone on third down.
“We were down in the end zone and we needed a big play,” Pellum
said. “It was third and long and I told coach we needed to run that
play; pretty much just had to get the touchdown.”
Pellum began to run more in the second half after the defense zeroed in on Mann. He saw his holes and made some big plays in the second half to secure a victory.
“They were trying to play us both and pretty much Mann was running the ball hard and finally they started squeezing and I got some pulls,” Pellum said.
Pellum rushed for a 23-yard touchdown in the second half. He had 13 carries for 12 yards and was 4 of 5 for 80 yards passing.
Colby Runnels also got in on the scoring, rushing for a 23-yard score in the first half.
Starkville Academy will be back at home Friday night when it will play host to Park Lane Academy at 7 p.m.
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