TUPELO – Turns out week three would be when the Starkville HIgh School offense would introduce itself to Mississippi High School football.
The passing duo of sophomore quarterback Caleb Wilson to senior speedster Preston Baker was untouchable in the Yellow Jackets’ 28-0 rout at Tupelo High School Friday night.
Wilson, who made his first ever career varsity start last week in a loss at Madison Central, came out of the game with pinpoint accuracy on throws to Baker out of the backfield as Tupelo’s defense continued to have him covered by a slower linebacker.
“I’m going to tell you right now – Caleb Wilson is special and is just going to get better every single time he steps on the field,” Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell said.
On the first touchdown pass of his varsity high school career, Wilson executed a beautiful play-action fake to hold the defense and lay a perfectly timed pass in the lap of Baker after the senior ran a wheel route down the middle of the field for a 71-yard touchdown strike.
Once Baker caught the football every one of the 11 Tupelo defenders were already behind him allowing the SHS track athlete to sprint to the end zone for the game’s first score.
“I really thought we had a shot to score right then and I actually thought I’d overthrown the ball but suddenly realized you can’t overthrow Preston Baker,” Wilson said. “For that to be my first ever high school touchdown pass was an incredible feeling no doubt. I was pumped.”
Wilson, who is the son of Mississippi State University defensive coordinator Chris Wilson, found Baker again on a designed screen pass where the SHS tailback broke two tackles on his way to the end zone.
Wilson would finish the game 8-of-12 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-3 sophomore, who led the SHS freshman team to a league title last year, looked composed and calm leading the play calling duties after experiencing the nerves of his first start last week.
“I feel like I’ve gotten comfortable after last week’s game and still need to work every week to get better,” Wilson said.
Wilson even showed an aspect of being able to escape pressure by dodge what appeared to be guaranteed sacks for Tupelo’s defensive front and convert the broken play into positive yardage.
Tupelo (1-2) had no answer for Baker, a 5-foot-9 and 205-pound multi-versatile threat, as he finished with 151 total yards.
“Starkville simply has big-play people and always have, probably always will,” Tupelo head coach David Bradberry said.
When Baker was either double covered or spied by the Golden Wave’s safeties, SHS simply gave the ball up the middle to junior Darius Grayer. Grayer, a junior who just started to factor into the
Yellow Jackets offense last week while still playing with a cast on his right hand at Madison Central, went untouched for a 56-yard touchdown scamper. Grayer, who is a cousin of MSU senior All-American candidate Johnthan Banks, would finish with a career-high 76 yards on the ground on only six attempts.
“I’m so proud of Darius Grayer because here’s a kid that still playing with that cast but finding a way to make a difference for us,” Mitchell said.
The first 24 minutes of action involved a complete manhandling by Starkville on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The defense, which Mitchell was convinced would have to be dominant whole SHS dealt with numerous injuries, held Tupelo to 14 yards of total offense in the first half and just two on the ground. Starkville would head to the first-half locker room with a 21-0 lead after nearly doubling its season average of total yards (144) in the first two quarters (259).
Starkville will certainly not get a break with their annual matchup with rival West Point at Yellow Jackets Stadium next week. However, a win can put them at the exact same record as last season before they ran off an undefeated region play record in route to a Class 5A state championship game appearance.
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