West Point High School football coach Chris Chambless admits preseason scrimmages and jamborees aren’t high on his to-do list.
This week, though, is different. Top-ranked South Panola has West Point’s full attention for the season opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Batesville.
“I’m really not a fan of playing jamborees,” Chambless said. “There is a chance you get someone hurt. On top of that, you then see too many things you will start worrying about as a coach.”
West Point appeared sluggish at times, but found enough overdrive to beat Philadelphia 22-0 Saturday at the New Hope High School Jamboree in Columbus.
“We have some really great players in the backfield,” West Point senior running back Tez Lane said. “We have playmakers. On offense, we can attack from five or six different places. The key is preventing turnovers and becoming a little more consistent.”
The hype for last season’s South Panola-West Point season opener lasted throughout the summer. Each team was coming off a state championship. South Panola made a statement in that opener, pulling away late for a 37-17 victory.
“We learned a lot by playing South Panola last season,” West Point junior running back Aeris Williams said. “It showed us how hard we had to work to be a championship team. We made way too many mistakes in that game. I think it really helped us grow up and made us a better football team.”
Chambless hoped this highly touted series would provide such talking points when the two-year contract was signed.
“It is such a huge challenge,” Chambless said. “But it is also a great way to start the season. You are looking at one of the teams expected to get to Jackson. … You learn a lot about yourself and grow up fast.”
West Point begins the season as the state’s third-ranked team in Class 5A, according to The Clarion-Ledger. The Green Wave won state titles in 2009 and 2010 before finishing 8-5 last season. The year ended with a second-round playoff loss to Starkville.
“We may have taken some things for granted since we won in the regular season (a 33-12 home win against Starkville),” West Point senior linebacker Mario Virges said. “We are working harder than ever before to get back to that point. We don’t want to be back in a position where our mistakes mean the end to the season.”
The Green Wave returns a bevy of offensive starters. However, the quarterback position will be in new hands. DeQuinten Spraggins finished up last season. Lane has taken most of the snaps in fall camp and did the same at the jamboree. West Point attempted only four passes in nearly 40 plays.
Williams, Lane, junior Roger Thomas, and sophomore Quincy Starks all will get carries. The Green Wave typically rely on a mammoth offensive line and run the ball more than three-fourths of the time.
Virges and classmates Jonathan Patterson, Anthony Johnson, and Nelson McIntosh will be asked to anchor a defense that will need to take the next step to improve on last season’s finish.
“The thing with this team is the attitude is really great,” Chambless said. “They work hard every day. They do everything asked of them every day. They are a great group of guys to coach and to be around. We have some question marks, but we will work hard at it every day to get answers.
“We had tons of mistakes in the scrimmage, everything from missed assignments to not lining up right to penalties. However, everything we did wrong is correctable. We will coach them up and fix those mistakes and get ready for a huge challenge.”
South Panola had an atypical 9-4 finish last season, losing to Madison Central in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs. Led offensively by senior running back Ladarius Strong and defensively by senior safety Antonio Conner, South Panola looks to return to Jackson where it won the 2010 Class 6A state title.
Oak Hill Academy at Newton County Academy
Daniel Merchant will make his debut as Oak Hill Academy football coach at 7 p.m. Friday against Newton County Academy in Decatur.
“The attitude has been great,” Merchant said. “We have worked this group awfully hard. I think you will see some results on Friday nights this fall.”
Oak Hill finished winless a season ago. A new coach and new attitude will try to help change that. The Raiders last winning season was in 2006.
“Sometimes you lose your confidence, it is hard to get it back,” Merchant said. “We have been working on the mental aspects of the game a lot during the offseason. I think the players have responded. They have given us their best efforts. Hopefully, that can carry over to the field.”
A major task for Oak Hill will be improving on an offense that scored 51 points in 10 games. Several offensive returnees, bolstered by a highly touted junior high class, will work hard to reverse that trend.
Newton County finished 7-5 a season ago and won a district championship in Class 1A. The Generals won last season’s opener, 18-7 in West Point.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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