SA vs. Heritage: Week 9
Photos by NKH Photography
Vols Fall On Senior Night
Starkville Academy coach Chase Nicholson was peppered with questions following Friday night’s 34-14 loss to Heritage Academy here at J.E. Logan Field. One by one they came from various local reporters seeking answers.
“The No. 1 thing, the main problem is that’s a good football team we just played,” stated Nicholson, succinctly and matter-of-factly. “And they played a complete game. That’s really all I’ve got for you.”
He wasn’t wrong. The visiting Patriots were certainly better than the Volunteers on this night, and one of the main reasons why was the big guys up front. While quarterback Josh Tate, running back Charlie Fowler and receivers Xzavier Webber and Chris Willis garner most of the headlines for Tobias Smith’s squad, the offensive and defensive lines proved to be the biggest difference in the latest installment of this heated rivalry.
Big being the operative word in that last sentence. Left tackle Brandon Turner (6-5, 260), left guard Austin Stumpf (6-4, 270), center Jack Tompkins (6-0, 250), right guard Silas Knight (6-5, 295) and right tackle Hank Baucom (6-4, 275) helped pave the way for 411 yards total offense – 278 coming in the first half as Heritage established its dominance early. On the flip side, Turner, Baucom, Knight and Co. helped limit SA to only 156 total yards.
“We’ve got a good offensive line,” said Smith, a former offensive lineman at Mississippi State.
Heritage’s offensive front was the largest SA has seen since its season-opener at Chambers Academy (Alabama). The Vols were able to overcome a slow start in that one and win 14-13 in come-from-behind fashion. The Patriots were having none of that on what was SA’s Senior Night, however. They started fast and finished strong in snapping a two-game losing streak to SA.
Heritage improved to 7-2 overall, 2-1 in Class 4A District 2. SA dropped to 6-3, 2-1 heading into next week’s regular season finale at Hartfield Academy. Postseason play awaits the following week. The Vols have gone on a roller coaster ride of emotions during their recent three-game home stand, suffering lopsided losses to Magnolia Heights and Heritage with an upset win over Lamar School sandwiched in between.
SA turned in arguably its best all-around performance of the season in the victory over the Raiders. The Vols simply weren’t able to duplicate the same type of performance one week later. Heritage had a lot to do with that.
“I love these guys (seniors) and everything they’ve done for the program,” Nicholson said. “I hate for them to go out like this on our own field. But we’re not done yet. We’re looking down the road. We’ve got next week, and we still have the playoffs.”
Speaking of playoffs, Heritage (44 points) moved slightly ahead of SA (43.1 points) in the latest MAIS power points – the metric used to determine standing and seeding for postseason play. If the playoffs started today, SA would host Copiah in a rematch of last year’s opening round game at Gallman. Heritage, meanwhile, would host Silliman. Of course, all that is subject to change based on the results of next week’s regular season finales as mere decimal points separate a handful of teams.
The top four teams in Class 4A will compete for the Division I championship. The next six teams – where SA now sits – will play for the Division II championship, while the next six will vie for the Division III title. The bottom three teams don’t qualify for the playoffs. Best believe, there will be a lot of coaches processing and calculating the latest numerical data when that time comes.
“It will all sort itself out,” Nicholson said.
Heritage certainly has the look of a team capable of making some noise in the postseason. The Patriots led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, 21-7 at halftime, and 34-7 through three quarters. SA cut the lead to 14-7 and gained a little momentum late in the second quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jack Northcutt to Owen Couvillion. However, just three plays later on 3rd-and-long Tate connected with Webber on a 68-yard scoring strike and it was pretty much game over at that point.
Tate, a dual-threat newcomer, completed nine of 19 passes for 189 yards and tossed four touchdowns - all to different receivers. He also rushed for a game-high 105 yards on 16 carries. Fowler complemented Tate with 90 yards on 18 carries, giving the Patriots a balanced attack featuring 222 rushing yards and 189 passing yards. They ran a total of 67 offensive plays and registered 21 first downs.
SA’s other touchdown came less than two minutes into the fourth quarter as Brantley Berkery scored on a 10-yard run. The scoring run was set up by a 10-yard run from Northcutt on the previous play to convert on fourth down. Couvillion had seven receptions for 45 yards.
“(Heritage) did a good job of doing what they do, we need to do a better job of doing what we do,” Nicholson said.
Two-time reigning Class 6A state champion Hartfield will enter 4-5 overall, 3-0 in district play. The Hawks started 1-5 playing against the likes of Columbia High, Tupelo High, MRA, JA and Jackson Prep, but have won three straight since, including a 49-21 win at Heritage. They are averaging 49 points per game in district play and are coming off a 56-point performance in a win over East Rankin.
Hartfield defeated SA 58-7 in Flowood last season.
