STARKVILLE — It would be quite natural if the Starkville High School football team felt skepticism at halftime Friday night.
Playing for the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A North State championship for a second-straight season, the Yellow Jackets again had watched a two-touchdown lead evaporate on their home field.
Down by a field goal at halftime, the Starkville High defense made sure this season’s script didn’t have another horrifying ending and led the way for a 28-20 victory against Madison Central.
Starkville (13-1) will face Petal (10-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford for the Class 6A title. Starkville last won the state championship in 2012.
“We are going to the ‘ship,’ ” Starkville senior Terrance Grayer said. “It’s really not about last year anymore. It’s all about this year and winning a state championship. We got our mind right to make sure we were ready for this challenge.”
Last season, Starkville won its first 13 games and appeared on cruise control to at least play for the title. In the North State title game against South Panola, Starkville blew a 12-0 halftime lead and went on to lose 36-26. South Panola won the state title.
“For 365 days that loss has motivated us,” Starkville junior Abdural Lee said. “It has been the driving force. It has made us want this more than any other team in the state. We thought we had the best team last year, but we blew it. For this year’s team, this is personal. We aren’t going to lose a game we are supposed to win again, and we feel like we should win all of them.”
Starkville defeated Madison Central 28-10 in the regular season. For the second-straight week in the playoffs, Starkville was facing a region rival in a rematch. In the second round, Starkville lost a 17-0 lead but regrouped to take a 45-27 victory at Clinton.
More regrouping was needed Friday night after Madison Central built a 17-14 halftime lead on a Michael Kroeze 22-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half.
Starkville looked dominant to start the game. The Yellow Jackets drove 66 yards on eight plays on their first possession and 52 yards on three plays on their second possession for a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.
From there, things turned dicey. Madison Central (9-6) had answers on offense, while Starkville kept treading water.
“We had to make plays,” Starkville senior Maleke Bell said. “There is no offense that can score on us when we are playing our best. They hit us with a couple of big plays. We just had to stop that. We feel like this is our championship. We just had to go out there and do the things that make us successful.
“We had to put some pressure on the quarterback. We had to shut down the running game.”
Starkville did both of those in the second half. Willie Gay was all over the field making huge stops, including two tackles for loss. Aretavious Hendrix had a back-breaking interception. Gay and Bell had two quarterback sacks for a combined loss of 21 yards. The Yellow Jackets were credited with eight tackles for loss.
Starkville took the lead for good when Montario Montgomery hit Rontavis Clark on a 49-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter. A 22-yard punt return by A.J. Brown set up the scoring drive.
The Yellow Jackets stretched the lead to 28-17 but still needed some help from the defense.
Madison Central faced first-and-goal at the Starkville 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets benefited from a false start penalty but still stopped one passing play and two rushing plays. Lee had one of his team-high 13 tackles at the goal line.
Kroeze hit his second field goal of the night, but the Jaguars needed more from a 64-yard, 10-play drive.
Hendrix’s interception ended the next threat and gave the capacity crowd a chance to celebrate and the Yellow Jackets a moment to exhale.
“We just have to keep doing what we have been doing,” Bell said. “The team is tight. This team is motivated. This team is determined. It has been a long climb back to this spot. Everybody is excited to play for a championship.”
Montgomery is leading the offensive charge. He was 9 of 19 for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Avery Brown topped the 1,500-yard mark with 127 yards on 18 tries. A.J. Brown, Avery Brown, and Clark each caught a touchdown.
A year ago, Starkville spent most of the season ranked as the state’s No. 1 team. While South Panola was considered a worthy foe, many felt Brady Davis, Raphael Leonard, and A.J. Brown were locks to play for a championship.
Instead, the school’s 10th North State championship came one year later in a season that saw South Panola as the state’s No. 1 team all season. Madison Central did its part by knocking South Panola out of the playoffs.
“I don’t think of us that much as an underdog,” Lee said. “Maybe to the outside world we are. To us guys, we are simply doing what Starkville football is supposed to be doing. We are doing what we should have done last year, too.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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