STARKVILLE — After a recent blowout win against New Hope High School, West Point High football coach Chris Chambless warned his team’s season would end in heartache if it played as sloppily as it did against the Trojans.
The Green Wave’s season did just that, coming to a screeching halt Friday night in a 20-14 loss at Starkville High.
Fumbles, penalties and missed tackles kept two-time defending Class 5A state champion West Point out of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State title game, and snapped a two-year streak of dominance.
Senior quarterback DeQuinten Spraggins led West Point with 68 rushing yards and a score, but two fumbles led to a pair of Starkville scores.
On West Point’s last drive of the game, receiver William Harrell, a senior, was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after an incompletion on first-and-10 from the Yellow Jackets’ 30. West Point ended up turning the ball over on downs and Starkville ran out the clock.
“The referee on my side, he didn’t know,” Chambless said. “I didn’t see it, but, of course, I wasn’t looking for anything. We teach our guys to hustle back to the huddle, but evidently something happened. Until I go back and see what happen, I won’t know.”
The Green Wave (8-5) entered the game having won seven of their previous eight games. They finished with eight penalties for 70 yards and had one extra point blocked.
Starkville (11-2) was just as sloppy, finishing with nine penalties for 81 yards. But West Point lost the turnover battle and committed its penalties at the most inopportune times. The Green Wave had a holding and chop block call stall a drive right before halftime, and they picked up a holding and unsportsmanlike penalty on the penultimate drive of the game.
Running back Tez Lane said the loss to Starkville mirrored a 30-29 loss at Center Hill in which the Green Wave trailed by 13 points at halftime.
“We shot ourselves in the foot,” said Lane, who finished with 61 yards and a score. “After all them penalties, we didn’t hold on to the ball. They couldn’t beat us … we beat ourselves. It’s tough.
“When we play mistake-free, nobody can beat us. Coach tells us that if we hold on to the ball we’ll win. What he said was true tonight — we put it on the ground and they capitalized off it.”
Chambless seemed content with the miscues, noting how hard his team played despite playing with just two seniors on defense. He said the game came down to Starkville “getting the breaks.”
“Fumbles happen, holds happen,” Chambless said. “That’s just football. Missed tackles happen. But when you make more mistakes than the other team, nine times out of 10 you’re gonna get beat.”
Aeris Williams finished with 70 yards on eight carries to lead the Green Wave.
Spraggins completing 1 of 10 passes for 15 yards. He had a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to get West Point within a point, 7-6, entering halftime.
Lane had a 3-yard scoring run in the third quarter that tied the game at 14.
“The future is bright,” Chambless said. “I told them a while ago, I don’t want to coach another team in the state of Mississippi, and I still don’t. Regardless of what critics, fans, our biggest supporters and our enemies think, we have a good football team.”
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