5 Takeaways from Starkville's 57-54 Win Over Oak Grove

Quarterback Kingston Johnson passes for over 400 yards and four touchdowns as he leads Starkville past Oak Grove in a thrilling shootout

Kingston Johnson evades the Oak Grove defender / Austin Frayser

As the high school football season in Mississippi kicked off on Friday, the fans were treated to a top 10 showdown in Starkville, Mississippi that did not disappoint.

In what might turn out to be the top quarterback duel in the state all season long, Kingston Johnson of Starkville and Kellen Hall of Oak Grove combined for 1,024 yards of total offense and 12 total touchdowns.

With the score 6-3 in favor of the Warriors, it appeared that it was going to be a defensive showdown, but that was not the case. Once the second quarter began, each offense traded blows until the final second when running back, Torian Knox, scored the game winning touchdown as time expired.

This game had plenty of storylines and drama before and during the game, and these were the five takeaways that were presented during the game.

Starkville has their quarterback

Entering the game, everyone on the Jackets knew that Johnson was going to get the nod to start, but no one could have imagined the show he'd put on.

Johnson completed 23/37 passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns and one interception. He also added 92 more yards on the ground with two touchdowns on 16 carries.

His dual-threat element makes Starkville a dangerous team throughout the season and a potential dark horse to win state.

Starkville's ground game keeps Oak Grove's defense honest

With Johnson throwing for nearly 500 yards, it was the Yellow Jackets' ground game that gave them the balance to walk away with the win. Starkville rushed for 242 yards as a team with four touchdowns.

Knox excelled at his role as he alleviated pressure off of Johnson and the passing game as he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

The success of the ground game also came at the most important time as Knox scored the game-winner on the ground.

Starkville's fourth down conversion early in the second quarter gives the team momentum

Early in the second quarter, Starkville faced a 4th and 7, and John Carr decided to roll the dice and gamble by going for it.

Had the team failed to convert, and scoring the crucial touchdown on this possession, it was possible that the Warriors could have pulled away early in the game as they scored on the next possession.

However, even with Oak Grove taking the ensuing kickoff back to the 12-yard line and scoring a few plays later, the touchdown Starkville scored on fourth down gave the offense the spark they needed to keep up and ultimately outscore Oak Grove's high-flying offense.

Special teams woes for Oak Grove ultimately proves to be the difference

Coaches always preach the importance of special teams, and that teams must excel and win the special teams battle if they want to emerge victorious. This proved to be the case in this game.

Oak Grove missed their first extra point which seemed harmless early in the game, but then the Warriors had two PATs later in the game that were blocked that ultimately proved to be the difference in the outcome.

Fans can also look at this in two ways in regards to the outcome. The first way is that Oak Grove made errors in their blocking on the extra points which allowed them to be blocked. The other viewpoint that fans can look at is that Starkville preached the importance of special teams, and that they made the necessary plays to help their team win

Kellen Hall cements himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the state

While Johnson came into this game virtually unknown by most teams and fans in the State, Hall was a proven commodity after having a stellar 2024 season.

His performance on Friday albeit in a loss, showed that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the state with Johnson.

He completed 22/33 passes and 446 yards and six touchdowns in the loss. His vision and decision making on the field was superb has he targeted three separate receivers who each caught at least five passes for 120+ yards and one touchdown. His poise and awareness in the pocket should led to numerous victories for the Warriors this season.