6A Southaven vs Starkville Playoff Game Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We all watched Starkville grind back to be relevant in this playoff. At one point a lot of people started to count their team out. Things are turning around and they have their players stepping up at the right time of the year. However [player_tooltip player_id='107045' first='John' last='Slaughter'] and the Southaven Chargers won't lay down. Starkville will definitely have a hard time advancing this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Starkville </strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellowjackets have a very solid squad and they know how to get the job done. They were banged up earlier in the season and that is what kept them battling with their lack of talent for about four weeks. [player_tooltip player_id='273258' first='Trey' last='Petty'] was out for about two games and [player_tooltip player_id='139597' first='Braylon' last='Burnside'] played banged up a lot. The only offensive lineman that was truly healthy all season was Chris Hayes. That big boy held things down for them all year. Even when they played that hard-fought game against Louisville, he was right there making plays. Hayes is their leader on the offensive line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jermar McCarter has stepped up big at the end of the season. When they played Oxford he was making a lot of stops on third down for their team. He is a guy that doesn't mind stepping up getting in the faces of big running backs and mean offensive lineman. He has been an x factor for this team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brandon Short is also a guy that is known to always step up for this Yellowjacket team. He is a long lanky defensive back that does not let many passes get completed in his area. He can also line up and play safety. Short isn't short by a long shot. He uses those long arms to get around his opponents to knock down passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Southaven </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southaven is a team that revolves around their star player [player_tooltip player_id='107045' first='John' last='Slaughter']. [player_tooltip player_id='107045' first='John' last='Slaughter'] is a guy that can line up and do a lot of different things for the Chargers. John plays safety, he lines up at cornerback and he does a great job at receiver. He is the guy that they look to push their offense through. I love seeing Calvin Williams run the ball. He is a guy to watch in the Charger backfield this game. Dontavious Brevard is also another guy that does great things on offense for the Chargers. These two are going to have their name called all night on the loud speaker. Cordell Gray is also a playmaker for this Southaven team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='107045' first='John' last='Slaughter'] is also the leader of this defense. You don't want to be tossing around passes loosely in his area. However I do think their defense needs to be focused. [player_tooltip player_id='340821' first='Jaylon' last='York'] and [player_tooltip player_id='139597' first='Braylon' last='Burnside'] are a lot to deal with on offense. Starkville also has Courtland Cooper and [player_tooltip player_id='340868' first='CJ' last='Willis'] who tote the rock very well. If Southaven isn't ready to stop the football it could be a long night. The Yellowjackets know how to line up and get some things going on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Britton Stovall could see a lot of time at quarterback for the Chargers. Who won't have any easy job completing passes this week. Tony Lucious, Eric Thomes and Jon David Methvin aka JD Methvin will be getting after him a lot. The Yellowjackets have a good secondary so he won't be having the easiest time completing passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I expect this to be a close game. I don't see any team winning over seven points. I think that if Starkville plays their game they win this game. I think that if Southaven comes in and stops their pass and keep them from running the ball then they win this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->