STARKVILLE – Luke McKenzie has had little time to reflect on the biggest mistake of his young season.

With Starkville Academy leading Chambers Academy by one point late in the first half on Friday night, the senior quarterback put the Volunteers in the red zone when he threw a ill-advised pass while trying to escape pressure. Rebels linebacker TJ Daniel intercepted the pass and had nothing but open field in front of him. He returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, giving Chambers – who made the four-hour trip from LaFayette, Alabama – a seven-point lead.

But SA got the ball back immediately and Blake Little gave the Vols excellent field position by returning the kickoff to the Rebels’ 33-yard line. Two plays later, McKenzie found Joseph Portera deep up the middle for a touchdown that tied the game at halftime, and he put his team ahead for good with a 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. SA fended off a late charge from Chambers to win 35-31.

“He’s the guy who has a short memory,” Vols head coach Chase Nicholson said. “We talk about it all the time and he handled it well. He shook it off, got back on his feet and responded. That’s how you’re supposed to do it.”

After a loss at Lamar last week, SA (1-1) faced a battle against a Rebels team that finished 12-1 last fall. Chambers (0-1) had few opportunities for a passing attack but used a slew of running backs, including Daniel, Jacob Norgard and Luke Tarver, to lead the offense. It was Tarver who gave the Rebels the early lead with a 29-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.

The Vols responded on the first play of the second quarter when senior Luke Johnson found the end zone from six yards out, the first of the senior’s three touchdowns of the night. After an interception and a long return by Landry Parker, Johnson scored a one-yard touchdown on a direct snap to give SA the lead for the first time.

“The coaches pushed us at practice,” Johnson said. “We just came out here and wanted to prove ourselves on offense because our defense was killer last week and we struggled a little bit. So we were able to practice really hard and do our defense really well and just come out here and perform and play for each other.”

The Vols’ defense, which intercepted three passes and set up two touchdowns in the first half, was bruised at times on the ground but was able to get things under control in the third quarter. After McKenzie’s run put SA ahead 28-21, Chambers moved the ball before a costly penalty ultimately led to a turnover, and the Vols took advantage again.

SA was about to face a fourth-and-12 attempt at their own 32, but a Rebels defender hit McKenzie after he threw the ball and the call for roughing the passer put the ball near the halfway line. Two plays later, Johnson followed his blockers and ran 52 yards into the end zone, giving the Vols a two-touchdown lead with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“You just have to trust your guys,” Johnson said. “Don’t throw the ball out there too fast and just trust him to make the block, that’s pretty much all you can do.”

Still, the game was far from over. Chambers took a long time on his next drive, but was able to get within one point on a 19-yard touchdown run from Tarver, who also scored a two-point conversion to make it 35-29 with just over a minute left in the game. SA recovered the ensuing onside kick, but couldn’t quite run out the clock, and then opted for an intentional safety on fourth down to buy more time.

The Rebels had one last chance for a miracle, but Little made the fourth interception of the evening for the Vols defense on the last play.

SA is back in action next Friday night at Leake Academy, a team the Vols easily defeated at home last year.

“They came in on Sunday fully focused and ready to go. It was a great week,” Nicholson said. “They were so focused, trying to get better at all the little things we’ve been working on. And that showed tonight.”

Chambers Academy (0-1) 7 14 0 10 — 31

Starkville Academy (1-1) 0 21 7 7 — 35

First quarter

CA – Luke Tarver 29 runs (Kaisen Nix Kick), 5:15

Second quarter

SA – Luke Johnson 6 run (Nathan Miller kick), clock 11:54

SA – Johnson 1 run (Miller Kick), clock 8:35

CA – TJ Daniel 3 run (kick blocked), clock 5:34

CA – Daniel 90 Interception Return (Tarver run), 1:23

SA – Joseph Portera 33 pass from Luke McKenzie (Miller kick), clock 0:56

Third quarter

SA – McKenzie 50-mile run (Miller kick), clock 4:32

Fourth quarter

SA – Johnson 52 run (Miller Kick), clock 5:46

CA – Tarver 19 Run (Tarver Run), clock 1:07

CA – Intentional Security, Clock 0:10