WEST POINT — West Point High School football coach Chris Chambless feels a little twinge when his team passes the football.
Chambless isn’t worried about the outcome of the play because his top-ranked team is strong in the passing game. Instead, it is the veteran coach’s dislike of passing the ball in general that causes the reaction.
“West Point has built its tradition on running the football. That’s what we do here,” Chambless said. “It is all about blocking and tackling. If we do that, we will be successful. However, I have coached long enough to know you let your best players make plays.”
A lot of those players have made a key contributions this season.
Senior wide receiver/defensive back Jason Brownlee is one of those players. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Brownlee had five catches for 161 yards Friday in a 39-6 victory against Olive Branch to win the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A North State championship for a second-straight year.
For his efforts, Brownlee is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“This team has been more focused than any team I have ever played on,” Brownlee said. “Last year, we were trying to figure out if we were good enough to win the state championship. This season, it has been focused on one goal since the start of the season. We are almost there.”
West Point (14-0) will play Hattiesburg (14-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Oxford for the Class 5A State championship. Last season’s title was the program’s eighth, and first since 2010.
“For the seniors, this has been a special run,” Brownlee said. “We feel like we have put West Point football back on top. The teams have always been competitive but couldn’t quite get over the hump. We play for a lot of the great players before us who didn’t win a championship. The tradition is rich. There is nothing like a Friday night here. Everybody in the community comes out and supports.”
Senior quarterback/running back Marcus Murphy already has given a verbal commitment to play football at Mississippi State. Brownlee has gone from a prospect to one of the team’s top playmakers.
“Jason works hard at everything he does,” Chambless said. “You know you are special if you are going both ways and playing that many plays. He just has that natural instinct for the game — always knowing what to do at the right time. You can’t coach that. That’s just an instinct. When you combine that natural ability with the hard work, this is what you get.”
Brownlee has 39 receptions for 928 yards with 11 touchdowns. On defense, he has 17 tackles and four interceptions.
“We’ve played together a long time,” Murphy said. “Football comes natural to him. If I get the ball close, he has that size and ability to make a play. If we have a mismatch, we are going to throw it more than usual. He can make those game-changing plays.”
For Brownlee and his classmates, the game Saturday will be emotional. With an undefeated season and a state championship on the line, the team hopes to give next year’s squad a 28-game winning streak to carry into battle.
“Nothing will be easy,” Brownlee said. “That’s what a championship game is all about.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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