Vols fall to Patriots, see season end
COLUMBUS – There’s not much doubt that the Starkville Academy Volunteers were playing their best football at end of the season.
Starkville Academy finished the regular season with momentum by handling Washington School 42-0, then knocked off Lamar School 17-7 at home in the first round of the MAIS Class 5A playoffs to earn a rematch with the rival Heritage Academy Patriots.
The Vols lost a 30-0 decision to the Patriots in the regular season, but accounted for themselves much better in the second meeting of the season.
Starkville Academy was able to put 12 points on the board this time, but it still wasn’t enough as it fell to Heritage Academy 31-12 in the second round.
The Vols saw their season end with a 7-5 record.
“I’m proud of them,” Starkville Academy head coach Chase Nicholson said. “I told them after the game that the seniors really showed what they’ve got in store for them in the coming years when they grow to be men and grow to be husbands and fathers one day. They’ve got a lot of fight in them. Life is not going to be able to knock them down. There are a lot of great things in them boys. I couldn’t be any more proud of them.”
After Heritage Academy jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter, Starkville Academy fought back to get back into the game by halftime.
The first touchdown for the Vols came with 4:28 remaining in the second quarter when Randall Futral found Wyatt Buice in the end zone. Buice made a juggling catch for a 35-yard play for points. The extra point failed, but Starkville Academy got to within 14-6.
“That was a big play,” Nicholson said. “We knew we were going to take some shots. (Buice) went out and made a play.”
On the final play of the first half, Dylan Miller made up for his extra point miss with a 25-yard field goal and the Vols trailed only 14-9 at halftime.
The Patriots regained control of the game with their third scoring pass of the game on the first offensive possession of the second half and extended the advantage to 21-9.
Another field goal by Miller in the third quarter cut the gap to 21-12, but that was as close as Starkville Academy could get the rest of the way.
Heritage had a field goal and touchdown run by Mack Howard to put the game away.