Home » Sports » Prep capsules: Starkville takes its unbeaten record to Louisville
It has been a season of utter domination so far for Starkville, who after defeating Olive Branch, 42-10, on Friday, is now a perfect 3-0 this season.
The Yellow Jackets have given up just 23 points as a team compared to scoring 38 points a game as an offense.
They have been clicking on all cylinders on both sides of the ball, but once again, this program faces a tough task this Friday in Louisville, a program that has also started out 3-0 this season, surprising many.
“We’re just preparing ourselves for a long season and making sure we’re continuing to do things the right way,” Starkville head coach Chris Jones said. “I know it’s going to be a big game and a playoff-type atmosphere. It’s something that we need. We need to be able to win on the road.”
Jones has plenty of experience with Louisville, having taken his first coaching job there, where he coached with the Wildcats for a decade.
He knows the program well and knows it’s going to take a lot to take down an offense that’s scored just over 35 points a game this season. Expect a shootout between these two teams and an exciting game overall. Itawamba Agricultural (3-0) at New Hope (2-0)
New Hope has been dealt two massive challenges to begin the season, playing local rival Caledonia in its season opener and Shannon on the road in Week 2.
The Trojans found a way to squeak out wins in both games, the closer of which was a thrilling 28-24 victory over the Red Raiders on Sept. 2.
After a bye week, New Hope continues its tough schedule against an undefeated Itawamba team that has shown itself to be one of the best offenses in the state.
“We had a bye last week and it was needed,” New Hope head coach Seth Stillman said. “We had some guys that really needed the week to get prepared for this one, so I think the rest was paramount.”
Coming up against an opponent like Itawamba, that sort of rest can help massively to get players fully ready for a game that’s going to be run-and-gun with two offenses that can score at will and one in New Hope that’s going to continue to pound the ball on the ground.
New Hope shut out Itawamba last season, and the visitors will be looking for revenge in a big way on Friday. Caledonia (1-2) at Nettleton (2-1)
On Friday, the Cavaliers finally got the monkey off their backs, getting its first win of the season in emphatic style, a 40-0 shutout against Holly Springs at home.
Now, Caledonia is riding the good vibes train heading into this Friday’s game against a longtime rival in Nettleton, a team that the Cavs have gotten the best of in recent memory.
“We needed to win in the worst way to get a little confidence in our guys,” Caledonia head coach Michael Kelly said. “We played the way we needed to, but we have to limit offensive snaps for them and be productive on offense.”
Kelly said that Nettleton has averaged close to 70 offensive snaps a game, so making sure the defense isn’t on the field for elongated periods of time is going to be critical for the Cavaliers.
That taste of winning is now fresh in the minds of this team and recent history favors Caledonia in this matchup, having won four straight dating back to 2011.
The Cavs have scored 40 or more points in the last three games in this rivalry, so if they can score early and often, getting back to .500 will be an easy task. Tupelo (3-0) at Columbus (0-3)
It’s been the same story for three consecutive games now for Columbus as they once again lost, 28-0, to an opponent last Friday, falling to Louisville.
Having not scored a point yet this season, the Falcons could be in for a very rude awakening against Tupelo, which comes into Friday’s game undefeated off a 42-10 victory over Corinth.
Tupelo has outscored its opponents 131-10 this season and has taken care of business quite easily. The Golden Wave have also taken care of business in recent memory against Columbus, having won the past four meetings between the two schools.
The Falcons last defeated Tupelo in 2015, a 33-9 victory, and they’ve been shut out in two of the last four games against the Wave.
History could very well repeat itself again Friday night. Shannon (1-2) at Noxubee County (2-1)
The rain-soaked conditions of last Friday didn’t favor Noxubee County against one of the better rushing attacks in the state in West Point.
While the Tigers tried to mount a comeback in the second half of an eventual 34-16 loss, the mistakes made in the first half proved to be too costly in the end.
This Friday’s game plan is to minimize those mistakes as much as possible and start firing on all cylinders from the start of the game, not enter the second half already in a significant hole.
“We need to focus on the little things,” Noxubee County head coach Teddy Young said. “We need to focus on our assignments more because we had a lot of blown assignments in our running game. Defensively, we need to focus on tackling and lining up right.”
Friday’s end result can be considered a unique situation with slippery conditions, making it tough to tackle and hold onto the football, especially on the ground, but the Tigers were able to get within one score against West Point and had momentum in that second half.
If they can sustain that momentum from the start, they’ll be set on the path for success Friday against Shannon, a team they beat 20-8 last season. Noxapater (2-1) at West Lowndes (2-1)
West Lowndes finished off its non-district schedule in impressive fashion on Thursday night, using the rushing game to blow out Tupelo Christian Prep, 40-14.
Now 2-1 on the season, the Panthers begin district play against a Noxapater team that also bounced back in Week 3 with a convincing win.
The key this week for West Lowndes is simple: rinse, wash, repeat and consistency across the board.
“We had a really good week of practice and we know the importance of this game,” West Lowndes head coach Anthony King said. “It’s a district game at home, so we really need to take advantage of our home-field advantage.”
The Panthers have found ways to take care of business against Noxapater in recent years, winning the last two games in this matchup, one dominated by the Tigers.
With the success that West Lowndes was able to find in the ground game, starting with quarterback Elijah Johnson, success is being baked into the DNA of this team, and the Panthers just need to keep finding it game after game. Lee Academy (3-1) at Oak Hill Academy (1-3)
For the second straight week, Oak Hill Academy gave up 40 points in a blowout loss — this time at the hands of Canton Academy.
Playing against one of the better programs in the state, it was going to be a challenge from the start for the Raiders, and they couldn’t sustain drives the entire game.
Two straight losses after a convincing first win of the season isn’t the direction this program was looking to be going toward, but another opportunity to get back to the .500 mark is in front of them on Friday against Lee Academy.
“We need to control the ball,” Oak Hill Academy head coach Bill Rosenthal said. “We need to be able to run it. We need to be physical up front in our offensive line. We can’t give up big plays and play from behind.”
The two schools have already played each other in a scrimmage earlier this season and played last year, a game that Oak Hill pulled out in the end.
Friday is a statement game for the Raiders, and a win would give the program tremendous confidence heading into the remainder of the season. Other games
Tunica Academy at Columbus Christian Academy, 7 p.m.
Hebron Christian at Delta Academy, 7 p.m.
Pickens Academy (Ala.) at Coosa Valley Academy (Ala.), 7 p.m.
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