HSFT Stop #24: Starkville Academy

Starkville, Miss. (WCBI)- Starkville Academy football coach Chase Nicholson knows what it takes to win. He’s entering his ninth year as head coach and led the Volunteers to a state title in 2017. As far as this year is concerned, his mind will only be on football. He recently stepped down as the Vols’ athletic director.

“My focus every day now is 100% on my guys,” Nicholson said. “I wake up and think about football, not emails or phone calls. That will be good for the whole picture and the guys will see that we’ll have more time for more stuff. I won’t be getting pulled away.”

This year the Vols have the luxury of quarterback Briggs Bennett returning. He accounted for 2,600 total yards and 24 touchdowns for Starkville Academy’s seven-win team last year.

“I’m smarter, I can see more things, and read them better. Read safeties and linebackers and I have a lot of experience,” senior quarterback Briggs Bennett said.

“Returning as a senior QB after the season he had last year is a head coach’s dream because it’s one less thing to worry about,” Nicholson said.

The Volunteers fell to Leake Academy in the first round of the playoffs last year. This season, they have 14 seniors and the mentality never changes.

“We want to be great and to do that we need to do things we haven’t done in the past,” senior running back and linebacker Camp Overstreet said. “Not peaking at the wrong time and being ready for the playoffs and being successful.”

Nicholson said the plan remains the same as it always has; win the whole thing.

“If we don’t shoot for that what are we doing? Why would we shoot for just making the playoffs or having a winning season or beating Heritage or whoever that happens to be? The goal is to win the whole thing and when we wake up and come to work our goal is to win a ring in November.”