For the first time this season, Starkville will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. After each having a week off, they and the Germantown Mavericks will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Starkville will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Starkville is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Mississippi's top teams: Brandon, who was ranked tenth at the time (Starkville was ranked fourth). The Yellowjackets came out on top against the Bulldogs by a score of 22-14 last Friday.
Kingston Johnson had another great game (as he tends to do), throwing for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also rushing for 58 yards. Graham Hancock also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Starkville's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. Tylan Paty was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, forcing one fumble, and making five total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Germantown got themselves on the board against Pearl last Friday, but Pearl never followed suit. They claimed a resounding 55-0 victory over the Pirates. Considering the Mavericks have won three matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Starkville better keep an eye on King White. He was instrumental in Germantown's win, throwing for 285 yards and four TDs while completing 84.2% of his passes, and also rushing for 33 yards and one score. That's the most passing touchdowns White has posted since back in September of 2024. Another player making a difference was Lawson Branson, who picked up 137 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Starkville's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Germantown, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Johnson and White. Johnson just won't slow down this season and has thrown 10 touchdowns while averaging 215.6 passing yards per game. White has been a dominant force too and has thrown 10 touchdowns (and no picks) while averaging 214.6 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Starkville against Germantown in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 42-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Yellowjackets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
