PELAHATCHIE — The Starkville Academy football team scored the first 28 points and cruised to a 31-10 victory against East Rankin Academy in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools game Friday night.
“We really came out focused and ready to go,” Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill said. “This is the second-straight week we came out with a purpose. We have talked about starting fast, and I thought we did that.”
Noah Heflin started the Volunteers (2-0) on the right foot as he capped the game’s initial drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. On its second possession, Starkville Academy moved 70 yards. Heflin capped that drive with a 27-yard touchdown run.
Houston Clark kept the offense going in the second quarter, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run. He later hit Logan Locke on a 16-yard scoring strike.
Starkville Academy scored on four of its five possessions and led 28-7 at halftime.
“The offensive line blocked well all night and we were able to control the tempo of the game,” Terrill said. “The score before the half was really big because they came right back and also scored right there before the half.”
In the second half, both teams kicked a field goal. Sam Cox hit one from 38 yards for Starkville Academy.
Starkville Academy finished with 317 yards, including 243 rushing. Clark rushed 13 times for 123 yards and completed 5 of 10 passes for 74 yards. Heflin ran 14 times for 54 yards, while Drake Gordman ran five times for 47 yards and caught two passes for 41 yards.
Tony Hinton, Blake Slaughter, Hunter Peeples, Andrew Richardson, and Drew Harrell were the top tacklers for Starkville Academy.
Starkville Academy will play host to Greenville Washington (1-0) on Friday night.
n McAdams 46, East Oktibbeha 16: At McAdams, the Titans fell to 0-2 with their road loss in Mississippi High School Activities Association action.
East Oktibbeha rushed 35 times for 265 yards. Senior John Kincaid rushed 18 times for 143 yards, including touchdowns of 51 and 27 yards. Destin Covington ran 10 times for 89 yards. Kincaid and Covington each had a two-point conversion. Marquise Brooks rushed seven times for 33 yards.
Kincaid was 2 of 11 for 32 yards. Covington had each reception.
Brooks led the defense with 15 tackles and five quarterback hurries. Zack McCarter had 11 tackles, while Charles Rice had nine tackles and three hurries. Zack Williams, Ricky Armstead, and Dewaine Graham had eight tackles.
East Oktibbeha will begin Class 1A, Region 3 play Sept. 12 when it will play host to Nanih Waiya.
n Hebron Christian 41,
Humphreys Academy 0: At Pheba, the Eagles scored 27 first-half points and cruised to their first victory of the season in MAIS eight-man action.
“We played really well,” Hebron Christian coach David Foster said. “I thought we made a lot of strides from the first game (a loss to Victory Christian). We really opened the game up by scoring three times in the second quarter.”
For Hebron Christian, Landon Hill led the way with 11 rushes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Hill scored on runs of 68, 11, and 45 yards. He also scored on a 38-yard pass from Channing Tapley. Collin Moore also had five rushes for 56 yards, while Lucas Foster had three rushes for 66 yards. Foster also scored on a 58-yard run. Tapley had three extra points and a conversion run.
Tapley was 2 of 2 passing, with both completions going for scores. The other touchdown pass covered 41 yards to Drew Myatt.
“The defense worked real hard to get the shutout,” Foster said. “We had a couple of turnovers that were critical and helped us to make sure we got the shutout.”
Jessie Moore led the way with 14 tackles, while Hill had 11 and Moore had nine. Myatt had an interception, while Moore had a fumble recovery.
Hebron Christian will play Friday at Sharkey-Issaquena Academy (2-0).
n Victory Christian 49, Ezekiel Academy (Ala.) 20: At Montgomery, Ala., Anthony Sharp had eight carries for 210 yards and four touchdowns Friday night to help the Eagles improve to 2-0.
Sharp scored on runs of 65, 36, 47, and 55 yards. He also had four tackles.
“We got off to a sluggish start but from the second quarter on played really well,” Victory Christian coach Chris Hamm said. “Reed did a great job of throwing the ball.”
Bo McCrary, Burkley Jernigan, Chandler Honnoll, and Reed Fulgham had five tackles.
“The defense played well,” Hamm said. “We gave up a kick return for a touchdown. We also gave up a touchdown late when the reserves were in, so really over the first three quarters we only gave up one big play on defense. That is a very good sign.”
Fulgham was 9 or 12 for 154 yards. He had a 57-yard touchdown pass to Cody Bolton. Bolton had five catches for 70 yards. Fulgham also had a 1-yard touchdown run.
Will Jones added a 60-yard kick return for a touchdown for Victory Christian, which will play host to Evangel Christian (3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.
n Central Academy 40, Strider Academy 18: At Macon, the Vikings built a 22-0 halftime lead and went on to give first-year head coach Will Walker his first victory at the school.
Central Academy, which had its scheduled season opener last week canceled, held Strider Academy to 4 yards total offense in the first half.
Wyatt Norris scored the first touchdown of the season on a 28-yard pass from Dalton Outz. Colby Robbins scored the two-point conversion. In the second quarter, Outz scored on a 3-yard run. Nelson Robbins followed with a 24-yard touchdown. Colby Robbins again caught the two point conversion from Outz.
Strider Academy scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but Nelson Robbins matched the score with a 29-yard touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Leshon Hill scored on a 15-yard run. Outz added an 11-yard scoring run to account for the final margin.
William Dawkins led an attacking defense with 10 tackles. Nelson Robbins had six tackles and two pass deflections. Outz had five tackles, while Jack Vandevender and Joel Riddell each had four.
Hill rushed for 229 yards, followed by Outz with 49 and Nelson Robbins with 45. Outz completed six passes for 99 yards. Hill, Colby Robbins, and Dylan Manning also had receptions.
Central Academy will play host to The Veritas School next week.
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