HORN LAKE — Tears were dripping down the faces around him, but Ty Johnson’s face stayed still. He spoke to fans and family members over the fence of the sideline. They didn’t hide their sympathy, but his expression remaining unchanged.
He kept it together because he knew what he did.
“I left everything on the field. I feel like we played our heart out,” Johnson said.
A cheerleader’s hand appeared on his back. He took a deep breath and dropped his head.
“That’s all I got,” Johnson said.
It was his turn to cry.
For the second-straight year, the Starkville High School football team’s season ended in tears, this time in a 35-14 loss to Horn Lake on Friday night in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A playoffs.
“We didn’t do enough,” Starkville coach Chris Jones said.
The Yellow Jackets (11-2) did everything they could.
Jones wasn’t stubborn with the season on the line. The same team that averaged more than 33 runs per game threw the ball 33 times, compared to 27 runs. The change was partly out of necessity — those 27 carries went for minus-23 yards — but it was the first step in Jones emptying his bag of tricks.
After Horn Lake’s first touchdown, Starkville turned to an up-tempo offense that was nearly too much for the chain gang. Snaps could not have been more than 10 seconds removed from each other. In the fourth quarter, Starkville went to specialty packages reminiscent of the swinging gate and the flex bone.
Still, Starkville averaged 3.2 yards per play. The team that averaged 385 yards of offense mustered only 195.
“They had a good defense. We weren’t able to get much going on the ground, and just didn’t do enough,” Jones said. “They’re good where you need to be in order to win big games. They’re good in the box. ”
Horn Lake also was good on the other side of the ball, as the state’s No. 1 team rushed for 247 yards — 6 yards per carry — and gashed Starkville for 17.5 yards per completion.
Several times this year, Starkville relied on its defense to give its offense time to find a groove in the second half. The groove never came and the defense never dominated.
“We thought we could make them a one-sided team and they did one side us. They ran it at us,” Jones said. “We didn’t help, offensively. We didn’t put any points on the board and allowed them to play a one-sided game. They didn’t have to throw the ball until they wanted to, and it was wide open because we’re selling out on the run.
“This isn’t what I expected. Even early in the game, I thought it would be a battle and it would be close at the end. We didn’t really get a chance.”
Jones recognizes Starkville “didn’t just lose to anybody,” but the sting is all the same. Defensive end Zach Edwards stood a dozen yards removed from the handshake line, the helmet in his hands dropping as Horn Lake players found him for handshakes outside of the usual postgame handshake line. As the crowd of Eagles left him, he turned toward the scoreboard.
His final two seasons as a Yellow Jacket ended in the similar pain. Last season, Starkville lost to Pearl 21-17 in the Class 6A State title game.
Edwards is part of a big senior group on the defense that won’t get another chance. Jones will find ways to replace them, a process that started with a moment of reflection as the last of his players left the field.
“I’ll get better. Scheme, player development this offseason, I have to do a better job of getting us back and have to do a better job of winning big games when it matters,” Jones said. “Missed it last year and missed it again this year, but there will be a tomorrow. There will be an opportunity for us to get better.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.