WEST POINT — A new season has arrived for the West Point High School football team.
“All of the adversity of the regular season does not matter now,” West Point senior fullback Roger Thomas said. “What we have to do now is win four games in a row. We know we have a team that is capable of doing it. It starts with Pearl and we are ready to get started.”
West Point closed the regular season Thursday night with a 62-34 victory against Lewisburg in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A, Region 1 Senior Night game at Hamblin Stadium.
If Clarksdale defeats Center Hill tonight, West Point (7-4, 5-2 region) will be the No. 3 seed behind Oxford and Clarksdale and will begin Class 5A North State playoff action at Region 2 No. 2 seed Pearl next Friday night.
West Point typically begins postseason play after a 10-win regular season and a region championship. This squad didn’t have that same flair in the regular season, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t close with a strong finishing kick.
“We are really close to being a great football team,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said. “We have a great game offensive game where everything works. Then we have a stretch of plays where were show our true capabilities on defense. Now it is a matter of putting it all together.
“We have to have every aspect of the team work together as one. If we do that, we have a chance to compete for a championship.”
Everything worked as one for most of the night against an outmanned Lewisburg squad that scored three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes, 39 seconds.
“On offense, we had a lot of things we had to get settled in at the start of the season,” West Point junior quarterback Josh Ewing said. “As a unit, we have grown up and matured a whole lot during the season. It is pretty exciting when you see everybody work together and everybody get better each week.”
West Point had 239 yards passing and 236 yards rushing. The Green Wave scored on 11 of 12 possessions to start the game and didn’t punt until the fourth quarter. West Point didn’t have a turnover and committed one penalty.
“Everyone knows West Point football is running the ball behind a huge offensive line,” Chambless said. “We have a little more diversity this season. The more things you can do successfully, the better your chance at winning.”
Mississippi State University commitment Aeris Williams had the first 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving game of his prep career. With a 107-yard night on the ground, Williams topped the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
“We have the best player in the state on our team,” Thomas said. “But what we also have are a bunch of players who can make plays and beat you. It’s a new season now, and we feel like we are really clicking on offense. There are some big challenges ahead but we are ready to see what we can do.”
West Point averaged 40.4 points per game and topped the 55-point mark four times in the regular season.
“We feel like we can move the ball against anybody,” Ewing said. “The chemistry with the receivers has gotten a lot better. It took a little while to get everybody comfortable with what we wanted to do. Now that we are going into the playoffs, you have to be at your best.”
West Point received strong play from both quarterbacks. Ewing was 3-for-5 for 111 yards, while fellow junior Dason Thomas was 4-for-5 for 125 yards. Williams caught three passes for 120 yards, including a 77-yard reception where he broke three tackles while hauling in the football.
“I think we carry a lot of confidence into the playoffs,” Chambless said. “It doesn’t matter if you are first or last, the bottom line is making sure you find a way to get in.”
West Point got in by winning its final five region games after losing back-to-back decisions to Oxford and Clarksdale to start region play. To advance, West Point will have to tighten up defensively.
“We had a fast start tonight and we wanted a fast finish,” said Chambless, whose squad led 41-7 at halftime. “It doesn’t matter who you have on the field, you want to finish. We had some chaos there at the end, and I really don’t want chaos. We had some problems with the punt teams. To win a championship, you have to do all of the little things right. Our focus in practice this week will be all about the little things. This is normally the time of year where we really want to start playing on another level.”
The Lewisburg pass-catch combo of Jake Harville and Benji Galbraith hooked up for seven receptions, 94 yards and three fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Patriots (3-7, 2-5) had 440 yards of total offense and 21 first downs.
“Our offense is rolling,” Chambless said. “We do a great job of overcoming whatever mistakes we made. Our defense actually played well tonight until the end. We have to keep going now though. What has happened in the past doesn’t matter.
“We have to be really good for the next four weekends.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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