Columbus High School coach Randal Montgomery believes the cliche that a football team’s biggest improvement comes from the first week of the season to the second.
That is why Montgomery took last his team’s pedestrian 26-12 victory against Kemper County last week in stride.
The school’s third-year head coach could have discussed his standout running back being held to 48 yards. He could have lamented 13 penalties. Instead, the vibes were positive.
“A lot of people don’t win their first game,” Montgomery said. “I think you can read too much into a jamboree game or into the first game of the season. Those things are exactly that — a preseason game and the first game of the season.
“I have always looked at the first week of the season being important for one reason — being 1-0. After that first game, you will really see a team take flight.”
Montgomery hopes that flight happens Friday when Columbus plays host to Noxubee County in a top-10 battle at Falcon Field.
In The Clarion-Ledger’s Super 10, Columbus ranked fifth in the state, while Noxubee County is No. 10. For Noxubee County, it’s another Class 6A matchup for the two-time reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) State champions. Last week Noxubee County lost to No. 4 Starkville 24-21.
“I told our kids we’re getting ready to face Starkville all over again because they are big,” Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter said. “They are probably bigger than Starkville.”
Noxubee County lost 10 points on special teams’ miscues. Overall, Shorter was pleased with the fight of his squad and saw numerous positives to take forward for a difficult non-region schedule.
A year ago, Noxubee County started 2-4 but won its final 10 games to repeat as MHSAA Class 4A State champions.
“Obviously, we have to go up a notch Friday night,” Montgomery said. “Everybody knows that. Noxubee County always presents a great challenge with their size and speed on defense. Offensively, they had a very good game against Starkville. Our secondary has played well this season, and that will have to continue because Noxubee County will challenge us through the air.”
The Columbus defense lost six starters from last season. However, Devon King, Derrick Beckom, Tahj Sykes, and Josh Gray have quickly proved a dropoff isn’t likely. Columbus excelled in a 14-0 victory against Meridian at the New Hope Jamboree and then — with the exception of one long drive — clamped down on Kemper County.
The turning point Friday night took place when Columbus’ Patrick Weatherspoon sacked quarterback Eric Clark early in the second quarter, forcing him from the game.
From there, Columbus could play conservatively on a wet track. The Columbus defense thrived and the Columbus offense did enough to earn the win.
Even though he rushed for less than 50 yards, Kylin Hill had a 77-yard punt return touchdown and a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
“I feel like their defense is just as good as Starkville’s,” Shorter said of Columbus High’s unit. “Their offense is better than Starkville’s because you have one of the best running backs in the state (in Kylin Hill). They have another running back (Kendre Conner) who is a big, bruising kid. They have two really good running backs who run the ball really hard, who weigh over 200 pounds. Then they have a quarterback (C.J. Gholar) who can run it. We’ll have our hands full because they have some weapons. I am sure we will see all three of them in the backfield at the same time, so we have our work cut out for us defensively.
“Our focus will be on stopping their run game. Knowing coach Montgomery over the years, he loves running the football, and he has some good backs. We have to get ready for a physical ballgame.”
Noxubee County made a solid impression in its season opener. Fresh off a strong showing against Grenada in the New Hope Jamboree, Noxubee County saw its attempt to beat Starkville for a second-straight year denied in the final seconds.
Sophomore quarterback Maliek Stallings threw for 203 yards in his first varsity start.
A year ago, Noxubee County won 25-8 in Macon. Columbus had three red-zone turnovers in the defeat. Another positive from the Columbus season opener this year was no turnovers.
“At this time of year, you just try to win games and look for that improvement,” Montgomery said. “Our defense is playing well. We know what we have on offense. Friday night is another chance to get better.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
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 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.