WEST POINT — Two hours, 16 minutes is an eternity in a high school football game.
But even a presumed march to inevitability can turn into a slog that creates doubt and frustration when you’re trying to get your program to its first state title game in six years.
Those are two of the feelings West Point High felt Friday night as it returned for the second half against Lake Cormorant in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A North State title game at McCallister Field at Hamblin Stadium.
With 2 minutes, 51 seconds remaining before the start of the third quarter, a voice from the West Point High stands summed up the thoughts of many of the home fans, “I hope y’all ready to play football now.”
Following a halftime talk by the coaches that was equal parts salty and spicy, West Point imposed its will with a dominating final two quarters to earn a 40-7 victory.
Marcus Murphy’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Everitt Cunningham with 3 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third quarter provided the spark that paved the way for the Green Wave (13-1) to engulf the Gators (10-5). Touchdown runs by Murphy, Chris Calvert, Clayton Knight, and Andre Lane followed to help send West Point on to the Class 5A State title game against Laurel, which defeated Picayune 45-27 Friday night in the South State title game. The teams will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium.
The matchup will feature seven-time state champion West Point against three-time state champion Laurel. The Green Wave last won a state title in 2010, while the Golden Tornadoes won their last championship in 2014 (a 29-26 victory against the Oxford Chargers).
“It was no panic,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said. “Our guys are mature enough to know when they’re not playing well and they have to step up their game. We just went in (at halftime) and said we’re going to do what we do (in the second half) and get the momentum and refuse to lose. That is our motto.”
A first half in which little went right for West Point tested its focus and resolve. The only points the Green Wave managed came on an 80-yard interception return by Rasson Carr. Two fumbles and bad field position combined to push the Green Wave into a first half that turned into a quagmire. A 39-17 victory against Lake Cormorant in Region 1 play on Oct. 14 added to the frustration that reached alarming levels when quarterback Will Guest hit wide receiver Xavier Malone on a 25-yard crossing route for a touchdown to tie the game with 31 seconds left in the first half.
The anxiety peaked following two incompletions and a fumbled snap on West Point’s ensuing possession. An interception by Ryan Melton allowed the Green Wave to go to the locker room and regroup.
Knight, a senior quarterback who transferred from Saltillo High, said the players listened to a “pretty rough” halftime talk that got everyone “hyped” for what they hoped would be a return to normalcy.
After limiting Lake Cormorant to one first down on its first two possessions, West Point seized control. Murphy set the stage for the go-ahead score with a 27-yard gainer on a pass to his left to Nate Montgomery. Facing a first down from the Gators’ 44-yard line, Murphy used a side-arm delivery to find Everitt Cunningham all alone on the right side. The senior defensive lineman did the rest to help put the Green Wave back on track.
Murphy, who was the primary quarterback last season, has split time with Knight at the position this season. The scoring drive, which also featured an 8-yard pass from Knight to Demarrio Edwards and two runs by Murphy, showcased the different looks West Point can give opponents.
“I was trying to throw it toward the sideline so I wouldn’t hang it in the air,” Murphy said. “He is a big guy, and he was going to make a big play. We practiced that like 50 times at practice. My big concern was overthrowing it or throwing a bad ball to him.”
Cunningham said the Green Wave used the play two or three times earlier in the season, but none of them went for touchdowns. He said he hoped co-offensive coordinators Brett Morgan and Casey Welch would call the play because he felt the team really needed it.
“I was kind of nervous, but I had to come in for the team at a clutch moment,” Cunningham said. “I was eyeing the ball and caught it. I was nervous because I was waiting on the play the whole game. I was like, ‘Call it, call it, call it.’ I just had to show up for my team.”
West Point was nearly unstoppable from there. Xavier Fair backed up the go-ahead score by getting penetration into the backfield and knocking running back Brian Jackson off balance for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Lake Cormorant 49.
Knight didn’t waste any time delivering the dagger. Unlike Murphy’s completion to Cunningham, junior wide receiver Jason Brownlee had two defenders to contend with, but he cut in front of both of them and went up high to snare the pass for a 41-yard gain. A roughing the quarterback penalty moved the football closer and set the stage for Murphy’s 5-yard touchdown run two plays later.
“I saw the ball in the air and I had to make a play on it,” Brownlee said. “I went up and got it because the quarterback gave me a chance.”
Brownlee said he thought one of the defensive backs was going to make a play on the ball, so he cut in front of the one closest to him and jumped as high as he could. Knight or Murphy can prepare for next week’s game with confidence because Brownlee said he can go up even higher to make a play on a ball if needed.
The pass play gave the Green Wave an additional spark in a second half in which nearly everything went their way.
“In the first half, we weren’t really pumped,” Brownlee said. “But coaches got us in the there (at halftime) and pushed us and got us crunked and we came out and we demolished it.”
The touchdown was the first of three in a span of 2:37 that turned the grind-it-out first half into a blowout. It also changed the tune for the Green Wave, as the refrain “We’re going to the ‘ship, we’re going to the ‘ship” cascaded up and down the West Point sideline.
Another comment — “It has been a long time coming” — seemed to be most appropriate for a program that is fourth all-time in the state with seven state championships. A victory against Laurel would move West Point into a tie for second with Louisville and Bassfield behind South Panola, which has 11 state titles.
On a night in which a state title date seemed certain and then in doubt after the first half, West Point seized control with an effort that proved its championship mettle.
“Somebody is always going to step up and make a play for you,” Chambless said. “We were able to get a three-and-out on defense (on the Gators’ second series), which we preached to them at halftime that we couldn’t let them extend drives. Then we got something going on offense. It just snowballed from there.
“When you’re playing at home, you have to grab momentum and keep it. We were able to keep it the whole second half.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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