Starkville Academy football coach Jeff Terrill prefers to play a challenging season opener.
Starkville Academy will do that at 7:30 p.m. Friday when it travels to Ridgeland to take on St. Andrew’s High School.
Terrill’s has opened each of his three seasons as coach at Starkville Academy against a public school.
“I think it is a great way to open the season,” Terrill said. “I like to see our kids open up with a challenge. After working so hard during the offseason, it is good to get on the field and play a quality opponent. I look forward to seeing how this team comes together.”
Starkville Academy lost season openers to Ackerman in 2009 and 2010. The first of two meetings against St. Andrew’s took place last season, with Starkville Academy posting a 38-3 triumph at home.
“We are very excited about getting the season started,” Starkville Academy senior running back/safety Zach Slaughter said. “We want to prove Starkville Academy is back among the elite teams in the state. We want to prove to people last season was not just a one-year thing.
“The guys on this team have worked really hard during the offseason. We want to prove we can have another great team.”
A year ago, Starkville Academy posted its first winning season and earned its first playoff berth since 2005. The Volunteers won 10 games before falling to Greenville Washington in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, Division II state championship game.
“Our motto has been ‘accept the challenge’,” Terrill said. “We want the kids to play with a swagger. While each season is different and nothing you did last year carries over, there will still be pride and resolve. We have challenged this group to prove the program has staying power. We want to be a team that is always there in the end.”
Senior quarterback Drew Pellum returns to anchor an offense with depth and experience in the backfield. The offensive line will see some new faces; however, Terrill said that group has made tremendous strides in the offseason.
Defensively, the Volunteers allowed one touchdown or less in seven victories last season.
“Last season served as great motivation for this season,” Starkville Academy senior wide receiver/cornerback Hunter Bolin said. “Even though we lost some great players off that team, we have some great players coming back. Our job is to close the gap and show we can compete with some of the best teams in the state.”
St. Andrew’s, a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A member, finished 4-7 a year ago.
East Oktibbeha at Leake County
East Oktibbeha County High School coach Randy Brooks wants a similar start but a better ending to the 2012 season.
A year ago, the Titans started 5-1 before losing their final five games. The road to redemption begins Friday when East Oktibbeha travels to Leake County for the season opener. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Carthage.
“Once adversity set in, we had a difficult time getting things corrected,” said Brooks, who is his third season. “Sometimes when things do not go your way you have to have leadership to get things back on track. Last year’s team did not have a strong enough commitment to hang tough when things started getting away.”
The Titans won four their first five games by 11 or more points. Inside Class 1A, Region 3 play, East Oktibbeha established itself as a playoff contender with three straight region wins. The Titans’ fall was quick and hard as playoff hopes faded with one-sided losses to Nanih Waiya and Weir to end the year.
This season, Brooks will look to a host of youngsters to help the program get back on track. Junior quarterback Justin Wilson will be asked to lead a team that lost 13 seniors from last season. Sophomore running back Destin Covington will anchor the backfield.
While East Oktibbeha will be younger, Brooks feels the seeds for a stronger program are there. A record number of players took part in the offseason weight program.
“We have lots of speed on this team,” Brooks said. “We also have an attitude and a commitment. If you work together as one, it can carry you a long way. I am looking forward to watching some of these younger kids grow up this season.”
Leake County, a Class 2A opponent, finished 2-9 last season. East Oktibbeha won 34-6 last season when the teams met in the season opener in Crawford.
S.V. Marshall at West Oktibbeha
While East Oktibbeha hopes to forget about last season’s finish, West Oktibbeha County High School is trying to build on its 2011 finish.
The Timberwolves won seven games and returned to the Class 1A playoffs. The encore performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday when West Oktibbeha plays host to S.V. Marshall.
“We want to take the next step,” West Oktibbeha fifth-year coach Adam Lowrey said. “Last season was very satisfying because we accomplished a lot of our goals. Now we want to take the next step and win some playoff games.”
The West Oktibbeha season ended with a first-round playoff loss at Natchez Cathedral.
Senior quarterback Von Smith and senior running back Tiberias Lampkin will try to help the Timberwolves get back to that point — and possibly beyond. Smith threw for 2,500 yards, while Lampkin had 1,000 all-purpose yards last season.
Class 1A opponents will know Smith, a four-year starter, and West Oktibbeha like to throw the football once they step off the bus.
“We have to make strides on defense,” Lowrey said. “Defense is what wins championships. Last season, when we struggled on defense, we had a tough time matching scores. We have some playmakers on that side of the ball; we just need them to step up. To be the team we want to be, we have to play better defense.”
Marshall, a Class 2A opponent, finished 7-4 last season but failed to make the playoffs. The two teams didn’t play each another in 2011.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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