STARKVILLE — Against the top team in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, the Starkville Academy football team had to play a flawless game.
At times Friday, the Volunteers did just that against Jackson Prep. They moved the ball on the ground and through the air. But eventually, Jackson Prep’s depth and speed – and Starkville Academy’s untimely mistakes – stymied what had the makings of a comeback.
Jackson Prep (6-0) used two turnovers and a 75-yard touchdown run from Hamel McGraw in the third quarter to turn a two-score lead into a four-score advantage and a 49-21 win in a Class AAA Mississippi Association of Independent Schools game.
Starkville Academy (3-3) had one punt blocked and botched the snap on another. The Volunteers also surrendered five runs of 20 yards or more and gave up 9 yards per carry.
“We made some critical errors, like the punt block and the snap over the head that you just can’t do against a team like that,” Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill said. “They’re the very best team in the academy league right now. You had to play faster tonight, and I hope we carry that into our next game.”
Jackson Prep played without quarterback and University of Mississippi commit Ryan Buchanan, who was nursing a bruised leg. In his stead, junior Gene Wood went 8 of 12 for 74 yards. Terrill said Jackson Prep’s quarterback situation didn’t affect Starkville Academy’s preparation.
“We studied them and didn’t think they’d change a whole lot,” Terrill said, “maybe run the ball more than normal. Their quarterback who filled in did a fine job. They’ve got a lot of depth and a lot of players.”
In the early going, Starkville Academy looked primed to hang with the big dogs of MAIS. It forced a three-and-out and a fumble on Jackson Prep’s next possession. But the Volunteers failed to capitalize on the early defensive success. After a pair of Jackson Prep scoring runs, Starkville Academy’s first disaster made it a 21-0 game when a punt snap went over the head of Michael Miller and was recovered by Jackson Prep.
The Volunteers faced a similar ebb and flow in the second half, when back-to-back turnovers and another special teams miscue ended another spurt of momentum and put the game out of reach.
“There was a lot of adversity to overcome in this game,” Starkville Academy offensive/defensive lineman Stephen Robertson said. “We knew we would face it, and I think, for the most part, we did a good job handling it. This will make us better down the line.”
Senior running back Colby Runnels (15 carries, 66 yards, touchdown) led the Volunteers’ ground game. Quarterback Drew Pellum had a touchdown pass and was 8 of 16 for 88 yards.
McGraw led Jackson Prep with 152 yards on 14 carries.
Starkville Academy travels to Copiah-Lincoln Academy next week for a division game.
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