CLINTON — The Starkville Academy football team’s Cinderella season had a cruel ending Friday afternoon.
Starkville Academy never could get untracked as Washington School rolled to a 20-0 victory in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, Division II state championship at Robinson-Hale Stadium on the campus of Mississippi College.
With the victory, Washington School secured its fifth state title, and its third in the past four seasons. Starkville Academy was denied a potential sixth state crown, and its first since 2005.
“I could not be more proud of this team,” Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill said. “To see how far we have come makes me awfully proud. Even in defeat, the kids played hard and they never quit. They showed the type of effort that championship teams are all about.”
The Generals’ defense entered the game allowing less than 10 points per game. That unit lived up to its advance billing, holding the Volunteers to 120 yards of offense, including 62 yards in the opening half. Starkville Academy didn’t cross midfield until a 26-yard run by Ryan Mann in the closing stages of the third quarter.
“We made too many mistakes to win this type of ballgame,” said Mann, a senior fullback. “You have to play perfect football, and today we weren’t able to do that. Give credit to their defense. They really were good. They did a good job of shutting down everything we were trying to do.”
Washington School cashed in on two takeaways to take a 17-0 halftime lead.
“The two turnovers really changed the complexion of the game,” Washington School coach Philip Wasson said. “You could tell early on the contest was going to be one of those where mistakes were going to be huge.
“Not only did we get the two takeaways, we were also able to score off them. That was critical. Our defensive effort today was the best it has been all year. ”
The teams traded punts on the first six possessions before Washington School finally found a rhythm. The Generals moved 85 yards on a well-executed, six-play drive. Ryan Gober ripped off a 43-yard scamper on that drive. Quarterback Hayden Lewis also had two of his five first-half completions.
The second completion was a 9-yard scoring strike from Lewis to Read Kelly. Nathan Noble’s kick gave the Generals a 7-0 lead.
That long drive would be the exception rather than the norm.
“We really competed the entire ballgame on defense,” Terrill said. “They have a great offensive team, and we only allowed one long scoring drive. The turnovers right there before the half put us in a hole. We knew we had to play mistake-free football, and we weren’t quite able to do that.”
Starkville Academy had three first downs in the opening half. The Volunteers’ situation was then complicated by the two turnovers. The giveaways led to the final 10 first-half points and the 17-0 halftime deficit.
On a first-and-10 from his 36-yard line, Starkville Academy quarterback Ryan McKell threw an interception in the flat. Dylan Elkins intercepted the pass and returned it 47 yards for the score. Noble’s second kick made it 14-0.
McKell was playing in the place on injured starting quarterback Drew Pellum, who broke his collarbone two weeks ago in the final regular-season game against Presbyterian Christian.
One possession later, the Volunteers gave the ball away with a fumbled snap. Elkins again had the takeaway, putting the Generals in business at the Starkville Academy 30-yard line.
With a limited clock, the Generals settled for a field goal. After having an earlier successful 50-yard kick brought back by a holding penalty, Noble was good this time from 26 yards to end the half.
“Our team was really fired up at halftime,” said Elkins, a senior defensive back. “It was a championship game, so we knew it would be a war for four quarters. When we went into the locker room at halftime, you could tell we were starting to feel it.”
The Volunteers had a couple of nice drives in the second half.
On its second possession, Starkville Academy moved from its 20 to the Washington School 46. The big play was a 26-yard scamper by Mann. The drive stalled and Starkville Academy had to punt from plus territory.
The flipping of the field didn’t last long. A Washington School special teams unit, which sparkled all afternoon, then got a 66-yard punt from Lewis to put it back in control.
Starkville Academy forced its only turnover of the afternoon midway through the fourth quarter. Angus Catchot recovered a fumble at the Washington School 45. This time, the Volunteers moved 18 yards before turning the ball over on downs at the 27.
“We gave it our best shot,” Starkville Academy junior running back Colby Runnels said. “I am proud we were able to play in this game. We didn’t catch any breaks or make any breaks for ourselves today.”
Starkville Academy had seven first downs and 120 yards. In his final game with Starkville Academy, Mann ran 20 times for 86 yards. He finished with more than 1,200 yards. The Volunteers completed one pass and committed only one penalty, but had three turnovers.
Washington School finished with 12 first downs and 263 yards, only 61 yards in the final half. Gober ran 29 times for 130 yards.
The General also dominated on special teams. Five kickoffs resulted in four touchbacks. Noble drilled field goals of 26 and 36 yards (the only second half scoring). The Generals also averaged 40 yards on five punts, including the 66-yard boomer by Lewis.
Still, Starkville Academy can take solace in posting the first winning season since 2005, and first playoff berth since that year.
“We had a good year,” Terrill said. “No, we had a great year.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.