When it came time for preseason football interviews, one could sense a different attitude in the West Point field house.
The Green Wave believed.
In the previous two seasons, West Point players and coaches talked about trying to get things back to championship level. This season, the answers were still cautious but way more determined. Instead of the Green Wave talking about what they would try to do, they talked about what they would do.
Now, West Point is two wins away from closing the deal.
When the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A playoffs resume Friday night, West Point (12-1) will face Region 1 rival Lake Cormorant (10-4) in the North State title game at Hamblin Stadium in West Point.
The winner will face Laurel or Picayune next weekend at Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville for the state championship. The Green Wave last won a state title in 2010.
In the regular season, West Point beat Lake Cormorant 39-17 on the road. One would be hard-pressed to believe Lake Cormorant will be able to close that gap in the rematch.
When the season started, coach Chris Chambless could still list questions.
Clayton Knight had just transferred from Saltillo High School, so the Green Wave had to incorporate a more conventional quarterback into the offense and give him time to jell with new teammates.
On defense, the Green Wave were working with nine junior starters. Patience was stressed. The unit would have to grow up before it could be considered elite.
Chambless also had to find out if his team was strong enough mentally to beat Oxford. The Chargers eliminated the Green Wave in the Class 5A playoffs in 2014 and 2015. While Oxford had heavy losses due to graduation and a coaching change, it was still Oxford.
The region rivals had met five times in three seasons, with Oxford winning all five meetings.
In the end, those were all minor questions.
The chemistry issues were resolved quickly. All-everything performer Marcus Murphy stepped away from full-time quarterback duties and quickly formed a friendship with Knight.
West Point solved some of its defensive issues from earlier in the decade by playing well.
A 22-8 victory against Oxford in West Point wiped out the mental hurdle. If there was any doubt West Point played a little tight in that game, one should only look at the halftime score of 8-7 Oxford.
Playing with a more confidence, West Point blew through Oxford 41-0 last week to clinch its berth in the North State championship game for the first time since an overtime loss to Starkville in the 2012 North State title bout.
Any state champion has its bad game. West Point lost 28-6 to Starkville.
Any state champion has a game where it is outplayed but still wins. West Point beat Columbus 17-13 despite having roughly 200 fewer total yards.
Any state champion has its close call. Fresh off the win over Oxford, West Point survived to beat Clarksdale 20-17.
Chambless always knows the right thing. He said his team was “lacking a mental edge” after the Starkville game, “fortunate” after the Columbus game, and “survivor on the road’ after the Clarksdale win.
Murphy has rushed for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns. Fellow junior Chris Calvert returned from a concussion to score three touchdowns last week against Oxford. Under-valued has been senior Andre Lane, who has run for 696 yards and eight touchdowns.
Knight has thrown for 1,188 yards with 15 touchdowns (four interceptions). Senior Demarrio Edwards has 429 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
On defense, juniors Antrayvious Brownlee and Xaiver Fair are the top tacklers. This unit has lacked the big plays of the West Point defenses of the past. However, it has been solid, dependable, and dominant on most nights.
In those preseason interviews, Edwards said this season would be different. He predicted the squad had something special planned for Oxford and that the state championship would be within reach by season’s end.
After the loss to Starkville, West Point responded by winning 11 straight and the first region title in football since 2012. In two playoff games, West Point has outscored its opposition 82-7.
The team is where it wants to be with two more four-quarter efforts needed. Not only is it where it wanted to be, it is where it expected to be.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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