Jackets learn fundamentals before reaching varsity level

If looking for the secret formula for Starkville High’s consistent success in high school football, search no further than the time spent by players on the field before they get to Friday nights.

Over the years, SHS has seen some great players come through and wear the black and gold of the Yellow Jackets and almost all of them were showing out in games long before they made it to the high school level. The community in Starkville and especially the school puts an emphasis on development in the early stages and it’s happening at a young age.

“I think it starts even before (junior high) with the youth league getting them prepared,” SHS head coach Chris Jones said. “We have the Steelers and the Cowboys that do a great job getting the kids excited for football. You can see it when they get to the seventh grade. From there, our junior high coaches do a great job getting the kids out and teaching them the basic fundamentals to have them prepared.”

Before A.J. Brown, Willie Gay, Luke Altmyer, Kobe Jones, Rodrigues Clark and others were shining at Yellow Jacket Stadium in key high school games, they were doing it as pee wee football players and then on up into the junior high ranks.

That’s where Jones has noticed several of the next great stars at SHS since he arrived in 2017 and he trusts his staff to develop those players at that level as well. This year Braylon Burnside, Tyler Nichols and Trey Petty are introducing themselves to Class 6A, but Jones and his staff have been discussing those players for the last few years from what they’ve seen in seventh through ninth grade.

The Jackets had another successful season this year as the eight grade went undefeated and the ninth grade lost just one game to a flawless Tupelo team. That’s something that bodes well for the future for Jones and his crew.

“They’re going to be really good,” Jones said. “The eighth and ninth grade groups are really good. We’ve got a chance to continue to win games, but we can’t overlook or skip steps with those kids. We’re trying to make sure that they hit the weight room and do stuff the right way. It starts at the bottom for them to work their way to the top.”

The junior high games are not just another job for the SHS coaches and they’re not snoozing through their time with the players. They all know that this is only the beginning of the next threefive years of a players’ career and the future of Starkville football.

The Jackets are 8-0 this season and in the driver’s seat of one of the toughest divisions in the state. A large part of that reasoning is the behind the scenes development that continues.

“When we get kids, at least we know that they’ll be physical, play fast and play our brand of football,” Jones said. “They’ve still got a long ways to go, but the fact that they’re headed in the right direction at such a young age allows us to be ahead of the curve.”