STARKVILLE — The 2017 Starkville High School football team started its run to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State championship game with a 43-3 rout of rival Noxubee County.
Torean King was on the sidelines, taking a bitter pill on his home field to start the season.
On Friday, Noxubee County will visit Starkville with revenge on its mind. King will be waiting for them in black and gold.
King’s first game as a Yellow Jacket will come against the team he just left. A year ago, the wide receiver was part of Noxubee County’s run to a Class 4A State title, but he transferred immediately after that and arrived in Starkville for the spring semester. King hopes the extra time at Starkville High puts him in a good position for playing time — even if it’s at the cost of his friends.
“(There has been) a little talk about the (defensive backs) going to lock me down, trying to get in my face,” said King, a senior. “I expect little cheap shots, a little talk back, but that’ll come with it. That’s my hometown.”
King’s arrival could come at the perfect time because Starkville will have to replace Cameron Hines (Jackson State) and Cameron Gardner (Mississippi State), two of its top three receivers in 2017. Rufus Harvey returns after a promising sophomore season. The Yellow Jackets also moved quarterback Malik Brown to receiver, but opportunities for playing time are there for the taking.
Starkville coach Chris Jones hopes King’s participation in spring practice makes it easier for him to seize that opportunity.
“A lot of it is him being in a new place and being comfortable, and he’s starting to get comfortable,” Jones said. “He was in a place where, I wouldn’t say the talent is less but the numbers are less. There’s so many good kids here, so he has to compete, no plays off. He had to get used to our system.
“My thing is being consistent. If he can be consistent, he’ll have a good season.”
Jones also is looking for confidence from King, and he thought a big play on a post route in the spring game was a step in that direction.
Jones said King’s tennis background has helped his lateral movement. He said he expects King to play tennis at Starkville High.
The timing of the move made it easier for him to transition on the football field, but King said the unexpected happened so fast between semesters that he didn’t talk with Noxubee County coach football Tyrone Shorter coach about his transfer. King said there are no hard feelings between the two.
“He’s a Noxubee guy. I’m a Noxubee guy,” Jones said. “We hear it every day, at home, in the neighborhood, everybody wants to call, especially this week. I always joke with TK (King) about it.
“I think he’ll have a good game, and hopefully he can make some plays that help us win the game, whether it’s catching some passes or making a block.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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