By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
STARKVILLE — Midway through the second quarter of Starkville Academy’s season-opener Friday, linebacker Noah Heflin thought back to the week following the team’s loss to Oak Forest Academy in last season’s Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, Division II state championship game.
After that loss, the team returned to the weight room under new head coach Chase Nicholson. The players knew the squad size would be smaller. They would have to be in peak fitness if they hoped to return to the playoffs.
So when the SA defensive line broke through an exhausted Marshall Academy front to recover an unforced fumble, Heflin knew the Patriots were shook.
The turnover was one of six for the Volunteers, who would march 10 yards to a score and a 32-point lead the break.
Starkville Academy wound up winning 45-0 at J.E. Logan Field in the season opener for both teams.
“We’re constantly running,” said Heflin, who had a forced fumble. “(Strength) Coach (Brad) Butler, he’s on us, constantly. He pushes us every workout to get better. His big thing is we won’t be tired, we won’t cramp. He wanted us to be able to play a fifth quarter and outlast them. By the end of the game, [the Patriots] were cramping up, they were having to stretch. Everybody was down, and that’s what motivates us. That makes us want to go harder. You’re in better shape, and you’re prepared more.”
SA’s defense turned in a dominant performance, limiting the Patriots to just 57 yards of offense and two first downs. The Patriots didn’t record a first down until a little over a minute to go until halftime.
“There’s a lot of youth in the middle, and Coach (Bubba) Davis and Coach Butler have worked hard with those guys to get them caught up,” Nicholson said. “We were able to rotate some guys in there, too, and that helped a lot. The interior guys play hard, and when they clog it up, it spills to the outside, and linebackers are there.”
SA forced a three-and-out and blocked a punt on Marshall Academy’s first two possessions and followed each with a score, including a 59-yard scoring pass from Houston Clark to Colt Chrestman. Pierce Fondren picked off a Will Summerlin pass on the next possession, and Hayes Henderson blocked another punt that was then recovered in the end zone by David Moore. Marshall Academy would then fumble the ball away on its next drive, which led to another SA score and a 26-0 lead with 8:20 left in the second.
“About midway through the first, they were all gassed,” said Carter Wood, SA defensive tackle. “We were ready to go two extra quarters. At that time, we could fire off and put them on their butts, easily.”
Very little worked for the Patriots, and their cause was not helped by their base play – the counter, a play that’s a staple of the SA offense and one the Vols’ defense sees regularly in practice.
“They tried to get us with counters a lot, and we made adjustments at halftime to stop that,” Wood said. “They had a triple-option shovel pass once, and we stuffed that. Nothing else really worked.”
The Vols got great production from their special teams, including two blocked punts, one of which was recovered for a touchdown.
“We work hard on special teams, and since the start of the summer, we’ve been working on blocking punts and blocking kicks,” Nicholson said. “The kids were able to see it works, and that’ll keep them confident in continuing to work hard at it.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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