A week seven loss to Carroll Academy showed the Winona Christian Stars that they could play a physical football game.
The Stars took that loss to heart and won their second straight game as they beat Marshall Academy 33-7 on Friday night.
With the win, the Stars improve to 7-2 on the season and will travel to Oak Hill to end the regular season.
In all, head coach Junior Graham said it might be his team’s best win of the season.
“That was a really good win for us,” Graham said. “All wins are good but that is a really good football team. They are big and athletic and are definitely one of the better football teams that we have played this year. I think our offense and defense are starting to get their identity.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Stars scored twice in the second quarter. The first was a 10-yard run by Hayden Self. The try for two failed, and Winona led 6-0.
The second score was a five-yard run by Blake Cooper. John White hit Self on the two-point conversion, and the Stars led 14-0 at the half.
“Everybody has stolen Carroll’s formula of taking Dalton out of the game and invite us to run the football,” Graham said. “They double and triple teamed him and took him out of the game. We were able to block their box and keep the chains moving. The loss to Carroll proved to our kids that we could play a physical game. That Carroll game was the first sure-enough physical game that we had been in. We held our ground against Carroll and got something out of that game. We actually learned more from that loss than any win we have had.”
The Stars continued to dominate on the game while the offense continued to build its lead.
The first score was an 11-yard run by Cooper while Steele Mims kicked the PAT, and Winona led 21-0.
The second score of the second half came from the defense when Scott Walters intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. The kick failed, and Winona led 27-0.
“The Walters kid has come so far as a defensive player,” Graham said. “He played really well in the Kirk game and had a good game this week. He gets better every week and has been an asset on defense. Moving Jake Ware from corner to safety has been phenomenal for our defense. We are playing some more mature corners than were out there with Blake, Scott and Dalton.”
The Stars added one last score in the fourth quarter when John White scored on a one-yard run. The PAT failed, and Winona led 33-0.
Winona had 235 yards rushing and 36 passing for 271 total yards. Cooper had 142 yards rushing on 20 carries while Wiggins had 83 yards rushing on four carries.
On defense, Self led the way with 11 tackles. Bradley Pinkard, Collin Mullins, and Collin Parkinson each had eight tackles apiece.
The Stars will hit the road this week as they travel to Oak Hill to take on the Raiders.
The Raiders are 3-5 on the season and coming off a 48-30 win over Central Holmes. They also have wins over Rossville, Tenn. (47-20) and a forfeit win over Newton. They have losses to Benton (42-34), Tunica (46-32), Winston (33-0), Marshall (32-14) and Carroll (45-0).
“They got their quarterback back last week and he is the real deal,” Graham said. “They have a really good slot receiver. They have moved it on everybody they have played, even without the quarterback. They are putting up some good numbers. It could be an interesting game.”
