MERIDIAN —
It may not have been pretty — rivalry games seldom are — but No. 2 Meridian High was able to come out on top in a highly-contested defensive battle against Starkville 14-7 at Ray Stadium on Friday night.
"Meridian and Starkville have played each other for years," said Meridian coach Larry Weems. "This was a good, hard-fought high school football game. If you think back from years past, it's a typical Meridian-Starkville football game.
"It was ugly but we found a way to win."
The Yellow Jackets (1-2) came out of the locker room from the intermission trailing 7-0. However, SHS answered the bell on its first second-half possession as quarterback Jaquez Johnson led his team on a 77-yard, 13-play drive that was capped by Johnson plunging in the end zone from 1 yard out on quarterback sneak to even things up at 7 with 2:53 left in the third quarter. The Starkville drive nearly stalled before Meridian (3-0) committed a roughing the kicker penalty on a fourth-and-7 punting situation.
"I don't know if they would have ever scored if we hadn't committed that penalty," added Weems. "Penalties hurt us tonight."
The Wildcats would storm right back behind a flurry of runs from quarterback Antionne Adkins and running back Kenya Roberts as Meridian's 64-yard drive came to fruition when Roberts took a delayed pitch from Adkins 9 yards to pay dirt.
"I'll tell you what, we took that ball right back down the field and answered their score," said Weems.
The Yellow Jackets would not be able to move the ball on their final possession of the game and the Wildcats used their ground game to put the game on ice and run out the clock.
MHS took the early lead in the first quarter when Jacoby Eason bulled in for a 1-yard touchdown run out of the 'Cats jumbo package.
The defenses of both teams held true to their hype. MHS has now only allowed 20 points on the season and SHS just 28.
Starkville rushed for 127 yards on the night and had 198 yards of total offense, while Meridian totaled 291 on the night.
Adkins led the Wildcats with 145 yards on 21 rushes, while Roberts carried the ball 20 times for 79 yards and a score.
"That is a good Starkville team," added Weems. "Those coaches have those kids buying in and are headed back to competing for championships.
"This game between us is always a slugfest and someone has to win and someone has to lose. I'm tickled to death to come out with this win.
"Now we have to get ready to go down to Quitman for another tough game."
Notes: Meridian was not fully healthy tonight with three key starters sidelined. Weems doesn't have a set time frame of when they will return, but hopes to have them back after their bye when division play starts against Natchez in three weeks.
Sports
Related Photos
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Meridian's Kenya Roberts finds room up the middle against Starkville Friday night. Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
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Meridian's Isaac Johnson evades a Starkville defender after a pass reception Friday night. Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
Discussion
Slugfest at The Ray
Wildcats top Starkville in heated rivalry game
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