STARKVILLE — There”s something brewing at the top of the state soccer hierarchy.
While Tupelo and Clinton high schools have kept an annual grip on the state title, Starkville High hopes to join them.
Such has been the goal every season, especially through the consistent years the program has had.
The pieces never quite fell into place for the Yellow Jackets to make a run.
The way things are working out this season, Starkville coach Brian Bennett feels fortune awaits his squad.
Starkville doesn”t have a first-round matchup with a Jackson-area school and will play at 5:30 p.m. today at Horn Lake in the opening round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A playoffs.
A victory could give Starkville a chance to play host to a second-round playoff game if Madison Central beats Vicksburg.
It will take three wins to get to Jackson for the state title game, and having played Clinton to a draw and beaten Tupelo this season, Bennett knows this team has the goods.
“Maybe it”s time for that stuff to kind of go our way,” Bennett said. “We”re healthy, so we”ll have our full lineup. We”re thinking this is the year the stars align.”
The Yellow Jackets” undefeated run ended Saturday in a 3-0 loss to Tupelo, but no one in the camp is hanging his head. The team wanted the division title and a third-straight win against Tupelo, but walked away with the harsh, but timely reminder of what it will take to advance in the playoffs.
“It gets your intensity back and your focus,” Bennett said. “You can”t play at anything less than a high level.”
One blemish isn”t going to stall the momentum of a 16-game unbeaten streak and the second-straight win and shutout of Tupelo, which came four days prior to the finale, Bennett said.
This season, by his own admission two years ago, was the target year for a state title.
Back then, he had a burgeoning ninth-grade class and a sophomore goal-scorer whom he envisioned wreaking havoc once they learned to balance travel ball and longer high school seasons.
Now built around defender J.R. Tomlinson, goalkeeper Addison Watson, midfielders Price Day, Kase Kingery, and Daniel Fumo, and striker Alvaro Pichardo, Starkville (15-1-1) will travel to Horn Lake as a favorite.
Bennett said the players appeared to have a balance of intensity and confidence he thinks will fuel a title run, but he admits Saturday”s loss featured an old habit: Lack of communication.
“We had guys going after the same ball, which kills your spacing,” Bennett said. “We did a good job of that with Clinton, and Saturday we stopped talking. We were better today in practice.”
Weather, as it has the past two seasons, could alter today”s match. With showers Monday night and rain expected today in North Mississippi, there”s a chance the Yellow Jackets could play Wednesday or Thursday.
Starkville girls set for DeSoto Central
In each of the last two seasons, the Lady Jackets have faced two state powers in the first round.
After a dominant season, they”re excited about playing an opponent outside of the Jackson area when they face DeSoto Central at 5 p.m. today.
Last season, eventual state champion Madison Central eliminated Starkville. In 2009, Clinton ousted Starkville. Both games were on the road, and both had large margins of defeat.
Starkville coach Anna Albritton hopes today”s matchup produces a second-round game.
“Can you see the grin on the face? It”s a big relief,” Albritton said, “because the last two years we”ve pulled the state champion.
Albritton has a young squad she believes will benefit from a less-daunting environment than the one the team would have faced against Madison Central and Clinton.
“We”re gonna drive up to a football field that is not turf,” Albritton said. “They don”t have banners hanging outside their stadium that says all this kind of stuff like Madison Central does. It”s good, mentally.”
DeSoto won Class 6A, District 1, but Albritton”s brief scouting report has her confident her team can record a victory today.
“I think we have a really good chance when I look at their record and who they played — some of the same teams we”ve played — we have a really good chance,” Albritton said. “They have beaten some of the teams we”ve beaten, but not at the same margin. I”m excited. I think we have a really good chance.”
The Lady Jackets (13-4, 2-2) are coming off a 4-0 loss at Tupelo, the last of a three-games-in-three-days stretch to end the regular season.
Tupelo shut out Starkville twice last week.
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