STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School football team hopes its “second season” is just as good as the first one.
Starkville has opened the season with four victories to catapult into the No. 1 spot in the state’s polls. At 7 tonight, the “second season” starts when Starkville plays host to Columbus in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 opener for both teams at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
“You have to have a different focus when it comes to region play,” Starkville senior quarterback Brady Davis. “This team has done a great job of staying focused every week. We treat every game like it’s the most important one on the schedule. We just have to keep it up to get where we want to go.”
Starkville has defeated Noxubee County, Oxford, West Point, and Florence (Ala.). The wins have come by an average margin of 29 points per game. Starkville hasn’t trailed in a game.
“We just have to stay humble,” Starkville senior running back Matt Fuller said. “This really is a team. I like how we work hard in practice. We really enjoy doing everything that it takes to have a chance to win the state championship.”
Columbus (1-3) is coming off its best performance of the season, a 43-20 victory against Louisville. Kylin Hill and Kendre Conner topped 100 yards rushing in the win.
The challenge will be much greater against a Starkville Front Four, which is considered by many to be the team’s strongest suit and the state’s best unit.
“They are playing a lot of young players,” Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell said. “What you see is a team that has gotten better each week. They have a new coach (Randal Montgomery) and it takes time to put everything together under that scenario. We feel like we have gotten better each week, too.”
Davis has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,176 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions. Last week in a 37-7 victory against Florence (Ala.), junior A.J. Brown and senior Raphael Leonard had 10 or more catches.
Florence didn’t have the speed to match up with the Starkville receivers. The Yellow Jackets have had 10 receivers catch at least one pass and seven receivers with one or more touchdowns. Senior Quenton Evans and junior Parker Lemm each found the end zone for the first time against Florence.
“The offense is really growing as a unit,” Davis said. “We all think alike on the field, and that is a good thing. You are beginning to see a comfort level out there. There are still things to work on. We come out and work on those things each week.”
Tonight’s game is the first of seven in the region. It is the same situation as last season, when Starkville waltzed to a 35-13 victory. The last time the teams met at region foes in Starkville, Columbus knocked Starkville out of playoff contention with a 34-32 victory in 2010.
“You can’t overstate the importance of one game,” Mitchell said. “However, it is really huge to start region play 1-0. That puts you in a better position for what lies ahead.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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