Encounter for SA
It’s game week against Leake and it doesn’t get any better for Starkville Academy head coach Chase Nicholson.
The traditional game between the Volunteers and the Rebels takes place again on Friday night. It’s one that Nicholson always anticipates because of the spirit of competition among friends.
“We always enjoy this every year because it will be a war for four quarters,” Nicholson said. “We’ll start off friends and when the game is over, we’ll be friends again. For four quarters, we’ll be enemies and I love it because you can’t say that about all teams and all coaches. At the end of the day, you can call on any of those guys for help and they know they can do the same. It’s just a great relationship.
“I dare say they are one of the best coached teams throughout in the entire association if not the state. We have a lot of respect for that coaching staff and I think they share the same opinion of us.”
Leake Academy head coach Brian Pickens does and considers Starkville Academy one of the most fundamentally sound teams the Rebels will see this year.
“Their kids are going to be where they need to be and when they need to be there,” Pickens said. “That’s impressive and says a lot about them as coaches.
They do an excellent job, not only in the preparation for the game but preparing them for the season because it’s a lot of hard work to get a group of kids as fundamentally sound as they are.”
Leake Academy has started 4-0 this season with victories over Hartfield Academy 3720, Lamar School 2625, Jackson Academy 47-37 and Winston Academy 56-0. The Rebels are ranked No. 3 this week in the private school category of The Associated Press Mississippi Prep Polls.
Pickens said his Rebels are “a good group of kids that work real hard.”
“They are a really close-knit group and play real well together,” Pickens said.
Nicholson knows what Leake is capable of doing and is not surprised at its undefeated start.
When it comes to seeing the Rebels on film, Nicholson said it’s like looking in a mirror.
“We know what they bring to the table and we’ve played them as long as I can remember,” Nicholson said. “They do a tremendous job over there. We are mirror images of each other.
“It’s going to be what we call big-boy football. We are going to lineup for smash-mouth football and we both throw the football effectively. That’s what we do and have always done.”
Kickoff at J.E. Logan Field in Starkville is set for 7 p.m.