STARKVILLE — While any high school football game can present its twists and turns, Starkville High School coach Jamie Mitchell can always take solace in the fact his offensive line is going to come ready to play.
As the Yellow Jackets have molded themselves into a state title contender, the offensive line may be the most underrated part of the squad. Line play again proved a key Friday night in a 20-14 Class 5A North State second-round playoff win against longtime rival West Point.
For its all-around solid effort, the Starkville High offensive line has been named The Dispatch Prep Player of the Week.
“The line has shown steady improvement throughout the season,” Mitchell said. “It is a rare group on this team where we have senior leadership. Of our five linemen, three are seniors. It is a group we put a lot of trust in. Offensively, we have thrown it and we have run it. That means the line has done a great job of run blocking and pass blocking.”
The seniors are left guard Eric Rogers, center Kelvin Young, and right guard Cory Cannon. That trio is joined by junior tackles Kirk Kinard (on left) and Jawon Johnson.
“The offense really stepped it up against West Point,” Rogers said. “We have a young quarterback (Gabe Myles), but he is very good. We have big-time playmakers in Jimmy Saulsberry and Devin Mitchell. As linemen, it is our job to make them better. Since we are seniors, this year is very big to us.”
Starkville (11-2) will travel to Ridgeland (10-3) for the Class 5A North State championship game at 7 p.m. Friday. Starkville beat Ridgeland 26-23 in the regular season en route to a region title. The winner of that game will play for the state title Dec. 3 in Jackson.
“Since summer workouts, we knew we had a chance to play for state,” Young said. “We always ended every practice and every workout by saying, ‘Win State’. That has been the goal the whole year. Now, we are this close to realizing it, so everybody is excited.”
The Yellow Jackets breezed through Region 2, winning all seven region games. In the postseason, Starkville has defeated Neshoba Central and West Point. Its nine-game win streak makes a 2-2 start feel like a distant memory.
“The ride has been tough,” Rogers said. “We started out with a really tough schedule. Our first four games prepared us to be a tough team down the stretch. We have strived to be perfect all year. When playoff time came, we knew had to step it up another notch. We feel good about our situation.”
The latest victory was sweet revenge. Not only did Starkville prevent West Point from winning a potential third straight state championship in a row, but it also made up for its worst regular-season defeat — a 33-12 setback in September at West Point.
“Defense was the difference,” Young said. “West Point got us good the first time, so the game was about payback. We knew we had gotten better. Now, it was just a matter of stepping up come playoff time.”
As the victories have mounted, so has the support of the student body, teachers, and alumni.
“What is really crazy is people didn’t want to buy into us,” Rogers said. “They really didn’t believe in us from the start. Even when we won some games, we had some doubters. Now that we are this close to state, we are getting the support. But nobody on the team is complaining. It’s all good. We appreciate everybody who is behind us.”
While Starkville earned revenge against West Point, it must make sure not to be on the opposite end of the spectrum Friday night.
“We just have to cut down on our mistakes,” Young said. “We have to go out and execute our game plan. If we do that, we know we can get to Jackson.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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