STARKVILLE — Giving up three touchdowns last week was too many for Willie Gay.
The Starkville High School linebacker watched Meridian move up and down the field on his defense. It didn’t sit well with him and, as always, he took it personally.
Gay said Starkville didn’t practice well prior to the game against Meridian. As a result, he wanted to make sure practice was different before Starkville played Callaway so the defense played its best.
Gay and the defense delivered Friday night by not allowing a point in a 30-6 victory in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 2 opener for both teams at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
“We knew what we were trying to do,” Gay said. “But when we looked up at the end of the game there were six points on the scoreboard. We were like, ‘Dang, but we didn’t give up any touchdowns.’ It was good to get a shutout.”
No. 5 Starkville (4-1, 1-0 region) has won 18-straight regular-season home games and 16-straight region games dating back to 2013.
Last week, Starkville lost to Meridian 20-10. Gay said the performance was a direct result of how the Yellow Jackets practiced.
After an open week, Gay said practices weren’t as intense and everybody wasn’t locked in. The loss opened the players’ eyes and helped everyone, especially the defensive players, re-focus.
“We knew we had a big matchup,” Gay said. “They’ve got a young running back that’s pretty good and they’ve got a lot of athletes. I thought we played really good on defense.”
Callaway (5-1, 0-1) had 81 yards of offense (63 rushing, 18 passing). The Chargers had 7 yards in the first half against a defense that was in the backfield nearly every play.
Callaway sophomore running back Lakenith Thompson had 51 yards on 13 carries. Junior wide receiver and Mississippi State commit Malik Heath didn’t record a catch.
The Chargers tried to score an offensive touchdown late in the game. Callaway had a fourth-and-16 at the Yellow Jackets’ 17-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but junior defensive back Natrone Brooks intercepted a Tyrese Winford pass in the end zone.
“Something just told me he was going to run the fade,” Brooks said of the wide receiver. “He had the advantage because he was taller. I just saw the ball, stepped up and made a big play.”
Brooks said earlier in the week the defense was taking too many plays off. He said the Yellow Jackets worked on that in practice and that they didn’t take any plays off against the Chargers.
Gay was on the sideline for the final defensive series and admitted he was nervous as the Chargers marched down the field. But he knew it was over when he saw Brooks all alone in the end zone.
Gabe Rogers had a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter to give the Chargers a 6-0 lead.
Starkville senior quarterback Jaquez Akins came off the bench for starter Malik Brown and scored a touchdown. He had 22 carries for 99 yards. He didn’t attempt a pass.
Akins played a limited number of snaps at safety because of his role on offense. He still took pride in what he and the defense did.
“This is Starkville, 6A, lockdown defense and it’s here to stay. We’re the best defense in the nation,” Akins said.
The Jackets forced three turnovers. Senior lineman Nelson Jordan forced a fumble and made a fumble recovery. Jordan had six tackles (three for loss) and a sack.
The Jackets also had two interceptions. The first came in the third quarter and led to a touchdown. Jacob Williams intercepted a pass by Winford and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to give Starkville a 23-6 lead late in the third quarter.
“I think the defense play well,” Starkville coach Ricky Woods said. “We bent a little bit but we didn’t break. We’ve played good defense all year long.”
The defense is under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Chuck Friend. Friend took over in the spring for Brooks Oakley, who left the school to become the football coach at Senatobia High.
Friend, who coached at Starkville High from 1994-2000 and won state championships in 1994 and 1995, didn’t change much. As a result, the defense has thrived.
Brooks said the defense delivered its best performance of the season. To keep it up, Brooks said practices have to be about getting better and going as hard as everyone can.
Inspired by inside linebackers coach Tate Fisher, Gay said the unit’s focus has to be like a flashlight, very small and focused on one goal. That’s what the defense did in practice and against the Chargers.
“You practice like you play, and all week we just went hard,” Gay said. “We didn’t practice like we did before the loss because before we were kind of loafing and just going through the motions. We just have to keep it up.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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