STARKVILLE — Starkville High School junior running back Avery Brown got the word Monday afternoon.
With senior starters Jacquez Horsley (hamstring) and Matt Fuller (bruised tailbone) slowed or out due to injury, Brown received notice his first start with the top-ranked Yellow Jackets would come Friday night in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 opener has against Columbus.
“I was really nervous at first,” Brown said. “The coaches sat me down and told me to do what I do. They told me I was really prepared for this moment and that I needed to take advantage of it.”
Moment seized.
Brown rushed for a team-high 83 yards and two touchdowns as Starkville continued its early season dominance with a 43-0 victory on Homecoming at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
“Not a lot of schools could go three or four deep with quality running backs,” Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell said. “We know we are blessed around here. Avery has worked really hard in practice. We knew he would come up big when his time came.”
Starkville has scored 34 or more points in each of its first five victories. The Yellow Jackets have won by an average of 31.8 points per game.
The last time these rivals met here, Columbus defeated Starkville 34-32 in 2010 to eliminate the Yellow Jackets from the playoffs. On this night, Columbus played turnover-free ball but didn’t run a play in Starkville’s red zone.
“We really knew everything they were going to do,” Starkville senior linebacker Alonzo Flowers said. “This was region play, so we wanted to step things up on defense a little bit. We watched film (of Columbus’ 43-20 victory against Louisville), so we knew they were capable. We just had to come out and make plays early. We did a good job of doing that.”
While Starkville is yet to trail in a game this season, the defense was a concern after Noxubee County scored 19 points in the season opener and Oxford scored 29 points a week later. Since then, the Yellow Jackets have allowed one touchdown and 10 points in three games.
“Defensively, we have been on another level the last couple of weeks,” Mitchell said. “It is a long season and any teams will have its ups and downs. However, the defensive effort has been very good. That group works well together and they pay attention to all of the little things.
“Seeing what Columbus did last week had our attention. The kids knew it was going to take a special effort. The defense really set the tone while the offense got things in gear.”
Starkville eventually found its gear on offense. Quarterback Brady Davis was 14 of 25 for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Davis has thrown for 1,414 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
All three touchdowns went to Raphael Leonard, who celebrated receiving his second Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer (Troy and Louisiana-Monroe) this week by hauling in five passes for 171 yards.
“It’s region play time,” Leonard said. “We know the first four games really didn’t mean anything. Now is when you have to fasten your belt because everything is a little bit faster. Each game is more important. We want to make the playoffs and win a championship. This is how you get there.”
Starkville scored on its first two possessions — an 8-yard run by Brown and a 5-yard run by Fuller. Fuller carried three times in the first quarter but the pain was too much to continue, which turned the spotlight to Brown.
Davis hit Leonard on a 28-yard touchdown and Michael Godley drilled a 29-yard field goal for a 23-0 halftime lead. It was the lowest point total for Starkville in a first half this season.
“We were slow at the beginning,” Leonard said. “Once we got going, we kept the foot on the gas. We knew the defense had our backs while we got everything together.”
Starkville held Columbus to a season-low 125 yards of offense, including 2 yards rushing on 25 carries. Columbus finished with four first downs, including one by penalty.
“They are a pretty good team,” Flowers said. “We just came out here and tried to run to the ball. We had a couple of busts, but overall we really turned it up a notch. The thing about the defense is we have gotten better each week. We will have to continue to keep getting better if we want to help our team win.”
Doing what it takes to help the team win was the mind-set for Brown as he left the locker room for the first time as a projected starter. The first cousin of former Starkville High and current East Mississippi Community College running back Preston Baker, Brown had prepared to the best of his ability for the big moment.
“Once I scored the first touchdown, it all changed,” Brown said. “Winning games is great. But scoring that first touchdown was wonderful.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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