They are just moving on from playing one ranked football team to another.
Such is how it will be this Friday at 7 p.m. when the 2-0 top-ranked Indianola Academy Colonels will step onto Legion Field against the also 2-0 and No. 3-ranked Starkville Academy Volunteers in a non-district AAA matchup.
“Starkville Academy has a really good ball team”, said IA Head Coach Tommy Nester. “They have a big offensive line that runs a balanced attack and they have a quick defense.”
As for last Friday night’s game, the Colonels’ 40-28 comeback road victory over Greenville St. Joseph High School, the top ranked AA team, was earned following a very physical performance by both teams, a situation which has seemingly become standard fare between these two teams.
The Colonels used an offense which generated 526 total yards and included a 383 yard running attack as well as three touchdown passes from quarterback Will Davis to T.K. Bolden.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Colonels limited St. Joe’s high octane offense to only one touchdown in the second half.
“Our offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, especially in the second half”, said Nester. “It was a four-quarter game the kids had to play and they never quit.”
In this hard-fought game, the Colonels battled back from a 26-19 third period deficit with three second half touchdowns to claim the victory over the now 1-1 Fighting Irish, who entered the game as the top-ranked AA MAIS team.
Meanwhile, last week the Volunteers also claimed their second consecutive victory with a 28-7 decision over MHSAA 1A member French Camp Academy. The Starkville squad opened their 2017 season two weeks ago with an impressive 43-21 victory over AAAA member Lamar School of Meridian.
This Friday’s meeting between IA and Starkville Academy, who finished 7-4 last season, is also the first between these two schools since 2003 and the Volunteers own a 5-1 series edge over the Colonels.
As for last Friday’s victory, the Colonels’ high-scoring offense featured three scoring drives of 75 yards or more, those three touchdown catches by Bolden, and 263 yards on 30 rushes by running back Sebastian Harris.
Despite so many big plays occurring in this contest, when all was said and done the margin of victory was earned by late-game St. Joe mistakes and an opportunistic IA team.
While the game-clinching touchdown was earned late in the third period following the Irish’s second bad snap of the night on a punt attempt, the contest was not put to rest until just over five minutes remained to play in the game. IA’s final touchdown was earned after St. Joe suffered a drive killing fumble at the Colonels’ 15 yard line.
Opening the scoring in this game almost midway through the first period, IA junior quarterback Davis connected on his first of three touchdown passes to wide receiver Bolden with a 28-yard scoring strike.
However, the Irish would knot the game on the first play of the second quarter with a 31 yard touchdown pass by quarterback Bryce Johnson, a Naval Academy football commit.
It would only take one play and 11 seconds for Davis and Bolden to connect again on a scoring toss. On this occasion the play covered 61 yards, and with William Barrier’s PAT kick, IA owned a 13-6 lead.
Moments later and following a pass interception after Davis was hit as he released the football, St. Joe struck for a 23 yard touchdown pass play and along with a two point conversion, the Fighting Irish were now up 14-13, their first lead of the night.
This lead lasted barely four minutes as the Colonels offensive line began to open gaping holes in the line and the IA squad marched 75 yards down the field in 10 plays, a drive which ended with Wesley Lester running through tacklers enroute to an 18-yard scoring run with 1:09 remaining in the first half of play.
Although IA owned a 19-14 lead, the St. Joe offense flexed its own muscle by closing and opening the second and third quarters with touchdowns to take a 26-19 lead.
However, other than a late-game safety, this would be the final scoring the St. Joe offense would register against an adjusted and swarming IA defense.
IA would later answer with a game-tying touchdown as an eight-play, 80-yard drive ended with Davis hitting Bolden for the third time of the game on a 28 yard pass play. Barrier’s PAT kick was true and the game was knotted at 26 with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter.
Ultimately, the Colonels took a permanent lead after a punting situation yielded a St. Joe bad snap and gave IA the ball at the Irish 21 yard line.
Six plays later, Harris bolted in from five yards out and Barrier’s kick gave IA a 34-26 lead as the third quarter ended.
Following their safety earned on a botched IA punt attempt, St. Joe returned the ensuing kick to the IA 43 yard line.
Two plays later however, IA linebacker Jack Dodd’s vicious hit on a St. Joe runner sprung the ball loose and sophomore defensive back Spencer Roberson was there to fall on the fumble at the IA 15 yard line.
The IA offensive unit then put the game out of reach by driving the football 85 yards down the field in seven plays; a drive which Harris finished off with a one yard touchdown plunge to end all scoring this night.
Statistically, while Harris paced IA’s running attack with his 263 yards rushing, Davis connected on six of this 11 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Bolden completed the game with four catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Colonels only yielded 97 yards rushing to the Fighting Irish while 17 pass completions in 26 attempts produced another 238 yards of offense.
Leading the resistance statistically was Woods Toler with two solo tackles and four assists, while Lester added a solo, four assists, one fumble recovery, and a knocked down pass.
Also making their presence known were Barrier (2 solos, 3 assists), Dodd (2 solos, 3 assists, forced fumble), and Stefon Smith (2 solos, 2 assists).
