GREENWOOD — The Starkville Academy football team wrapped up its regular season Friday night with a 31-0 victory against Pillow Academy in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, District 1, Division II game.
Houston Clark had touchdown runs of 19 and 33 yards to lead the Volunteers (10-1, 6-1 division) to their fourth-straight victory and their fourth shutout of the season. Clark also connected with Logan Locke on an 11-yard touchdown pass.
“It was a nice way to end the regular season,” Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill said. “We played really well defensively. In the second half, we were able to run the ball and control the clock.”
The win sets Starkville Academy up for a home playoff game against Lamar School next week. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Magnolia Heights-Oak Forest (La.) on Nov. 22 at Mississippi College in Clinton.
“The kids are excited about being back in the playoffs,” Terrill said. “With a lot of seniors, they have been working hard for this moment for quite some time.”
Sam Cox added a 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and four extra points. Colt Chrestman’s 1-yard touchdown run capped a 21-point third quarter that helped put the game away.
The Volunteers’ defense was again up to the task, forcing four turnovers, including two interceptions by Drew Harrell. Blake Slaughter and Hunter Peeples also had interceptions.
n Warren Central 37, Columbus 14: At Vicksburg, DeArius Christmas had two touchdowns and recovered two turnovers Friday night to help the Vikings secure the No. 3 seed in Class 6A, Region 2 of the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
The result coupled with Madison Central’s victory against Greenville and Northwest Rankin’s victory against Murrah forced a three-way tie between Columbus, Madison Central, and Northwest Rankin. Columbus beat Madison Central but lost to Northwest Rankin, which secured the region’s final playoff berth.
Warren Central, which led top-ranked Starkville 17-0 before losing 27-17, built a 27-0 halftime lead. The Vikings used their reserves for most of the second half. In the first half, Columbus (4-7, 3-4) had 116 yards.
Christmas played a big role in the victory. He had a 1-yard rushing touchdown and then made an interception that set up his 3-yard touchdown run. He also recovered a fumble off a bobbled snap.
“It was one of those deals that we talk about executing and not turning the ball over,” Columbus coach Randal Montgomery said. “You can’t turn the ball over against a good team when you’re playing for something.”
Montgomery said Warren Central put a lot of pressure on sophomore quarterback C.J. Gholar, which played a role in the interceptions. Still, Montgomery said the experience was a good one for Gholar, who stepped into the role of starting quarterback midway through the season.
Gholar connected with Martavious Mitchell on a touchdown pass, and Kylin Hill added a 65- to 70-yard touchdown run for the Falcons’ scores. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak that moved Columbus one win away from clinching a playoff berth. It also ended a run of games against arguably one of the state’s toughest schedules. The seven teams Columbus lost to this season had a combined record of 61-19. All of the teams except Northwest Rankin, which finished 5-7, had eight or more victories. All seven teams advanced to the playoffs.
“If you look at the win-loss record of the teams we lost to, I don’t know if you can’t say we didn’t play one of the toughest schedules in the state,” Montgomery said. “Moving forward, playing teams like that and having the opportunity to play for the playoffs is going to be good for us going forward.”
n Madison-Ridgeland Academy 33, Heritage Academy 20: At Columbus, the Division I Patriots closed the regular season with a victory against the Division II Patriots that set the stage for a trip to the postseason.
MRA (8-3, 6-1 division) will be the top seed in Division I and will play host to Presbyterian Christian next week. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Jackson Academy-Jackson Prep game for the Class AAA, Division I title.
The loss ended Heritage Academy’s season at 5-7 and 1-5 in the division.
“It felt like we played pretty good,” Heritage Academy coach Barrett Donahoe said. “Our guys once again competed hard against MRA, which is one of the best teams in the state. They have playmakers all over the field, and we did a good job of making it close before halftime.”
Unfortunately, Donahoe said MRA scored two defensive touchdowns following interceptions of sophomore quarterback Tyler Anderson. The scores put Heritage Academy behind 33-13 in the third quarter.
“The guys played extremely hard and extremely physical,” Donahoe said. “We played a very tough ballgame up front. The offensive line played well. We rushed for more yards than anybody had against them all season. I was proud of them. We were able to get to second-level blocks and do positive stuff in our running game.”
Hunter Sykes had two interceptions and a touchdown reception in his final game. Michael Ledbetter, who returned from an injury, also had a touchdown run and played well in the secondary, Donahoe said. Anderson rushed for more than 100 yards, and Cayden Upton moved to middle linebacker and was all over the field making tackles. He added to a strong night with more than 50 yards rushing.
Despite the loss, Donahoe was pleased with the fight his team showed down the stretch in losses against Starkville Academy, Magnolia Heights, and MRA, three of the top teams in the state, he said. He hopes his young team will learn from the losses and develop a knack for finishing close games.
“Mentally they didn’t allow themselves to be defeated before they went on the field (in those last three games),” Donahoe said. “I was pleased with that. I think development definitely took place.”
n Sharkey-Issaquena 62, Hebron Christian 6: At Rolling Fork, the Eagles saw their season end in the first round of the MAIS Eight-Man playoffs against the reigning state champions.
The loss was Hebron Christian’s second this season to Sharkey-Issaquena. The Confederates earned a 36-0 victory in Week 3 in Rolling Fork. It also marked the second season in a row the Confederates eliminated the Eagles (6-4) from the playoffs.
“Overall we played pretty good,” Hebron Christian coach David Foster said. “The score doesn’t reflect that. We had some breakdowns and got tired because we have 12 kids. (Sharkey-Issaquena) has a lot of athletes and will run you to death.”
Channing Tapley had a touchdown run for Hebron Christian’s only score. Foster said two fumbles that contributed to his team falling behind early. Both turnovers came with the Eagles driving, including one on the 1-yard line.
“We had some good things, but we just didn’t finish plays,” Foster said. “We have to finish the play. Their speed just killed us. We have a little bit of speed, and we work on speed when we can, but their overall team speed is tremendous.”
Foster also praised the play of Collin Moore, the team’s only senior.
“He’s undersized, but his motor is running all of the time,” Foster said. “He has come to the sideline and asked me to let him play on the offensive line. He has wanted to play defensive line if that will help. He will play anywhere we need him to play.”
n Natchez Trinity Episcopal 38, Columbus Christian 12: At Natchez, the fourth-seeded and reigning MAIS Class A champion Saints dispatched the fifth-seeded Rams in their second-round playoff game.
The loss ended the season for Columbus Christian (7-5), which last week won its first 11-man football game. Five fumbles victimized the Rams in the loss. Four of the turnovers came in the first half to help Trinity Episcopal build a 38-6 halftime lead.
“It was that kind of night,” Columbus Christian coach Greg Watkins said. “We turned the ball over twice going into the end zone.”
KC Cunningham paced Columbus Christian with 121 yards rushing in his final prep football game for the Rams. B.J. Shirley added 108 yards rushing before having to leave the game with a concussion.
“We drove the ball good and moved the ball, but it looked like (the turnovers) got us down defensively and we got out of our game and out of position on defense,” Watkins said. “I don’t know if it was the long drive over there or if it was the turnovers that took us out mentally. We should have scored four touchdowns in the first half.”
Dawson Shaw had a 15-yard touchdown pass to Alec Vasquez. Cunningham rushed for the Rams’ first touchdown.
Shaw paced the team with four tackles, while Maurice Dantzler, Juvante Burks, Grant Wyatt, and Chris Randazzo had three tackles.
“I told the guys I hate to lose a game and really hate to lose the last game because it ends the season, but you really hate to lose it that way not having your best game,” Watkins said. “The turnovers put a damper on the last game. We could have played with them and possibly won the game if we took care of the ball. As tough as it was, later on they will realize how good of a season they had to put the school on the map other than being a basketball powerhouse.”
n West Lowndes 26, Noxapater 14: At Louisville, the Panthers closed their season with a road victory in a MHSAA Class 1A, Region 3 game.
West Lowndes (5-6, 4-4 region) snapped a three-game losing streak to Noxapater and finished fifth in the region.
The defense answered the call again for West Lowndes, limiting Noxapater to 101 yards rushing and 204 total yards. The Panthers forced two turnovers to give them 38 (19 interceptions, 19 fumbles) this season. The defense stopped Noxapater twice on fourth down, including one on fourth-and-1 at midfield early in the third quarter and once on a first-and-goal on the 5-yard line.
Tyshon Rogers had five solo tackles, five assisted tackles, and one pass defended, Trae Williams had five solo tackles, one assisted tackle, one pass defended, and one tackle for loss, Rontavious Clark had three solo 1 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack, Ty Harris had three solo tackles, five assisted tackles, one pass defended, and one sack, Jemarquis Jefferson had four solo tackles, one assisted tackle, one sack, and a fumble recovery, Jerry Anderson had four solo tackles and two assisted tackles, Marquiz Banks had one solo tackle and two assisted tackles, Roy Miller had one pass defended and one interception he returned for a 50-yard touchdown, Krayveon Harris had six solo tackles, three assisted tackles, and one for loss, Isaiah Wright had three solo tackles and two assisted tackles, Tyrese Wells had three solo tackles and two assisted tackles, Lavonte Porter had three solo tackles, three assisted tackles, and one sack, Tarus Woodson had three solo tackles and two assisted tackles, Denzel Beckwith had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles, Aldophis Brewer had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles, and Josh King added a solo tackle and an assisted tackle.
Offensively, Williams had two touchdowns, Clark had three rushes for 21 yards, and Daniel Davis had 12 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Davis was 7 of 12 passing for 112 yards. Clark, King, and Williams had two catches.
West Lowndes had 31 carries for 151 yards and three touchdowns and a total of 263 yards.
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