OXFORD — Nick Melton’s main focus for the past week was the Oxford High School football team.
In fact, the Chargers were the main focus of the West Point senior linebacker and his team since they beat the Green Wave 50-28 on Sept. 25. The Green Wave focused on other opponents and won eight-straight games since the loss, but it was all in an effort to get a rematch with the Chargers.
“We prepared all year long to get back to this point,” Melton said. “We did what we had to do to get back to this point. That speaks a lot about the team because we fought to get here. We didn’t just give up because we lost one game.”
West Point finished the regular season with six-straight wins and was second to Oxford in Class 5A, Region 1. West Point defeated Ridgeland and Grenada in the playoffs to set up another chance at Oxford.
But the result was the same in the rematch, as West Point lost 35-7 to Oxford on Friday night in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North Half State championship game.
Oxford (12-2) will play Wayne County for the Class 5A state title Saturday night at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
West Point finishes its season 11-3. Its other loss was to Starkville, which is playing for the Class 6A state championship.
“It was motivating that we were able to make it back to this point. That’s a good thing,” senior defensive lineman Tony Rush said. “We worked hard to get back to this point. The outcome isn’t what we wanted, but you’ve just got to take it and run with it.”
West Point coach Chris Chambless saw his team work hard every week to accomplish many of the goals it set before the season started.
“This has been a great team,” Chambless said. “They have nothing to hang their heads about. We didn’t get to our own expectations of winning a state championship, but we’re North State runner-up, and I know that’s not good enough for the guys and good enough for the guys coming up. That’s going to give us a plus in the offseason.”
West Point gave itself a fighting chance in the first half and trailed 14-7 at halftime. After Oxford quarterback Jack Abraham found Ken Presley for a 29-yard touchdown with 7 minutes, 7 seconds left in the first quarter, West Point used a 1-yard run by Chris Calvert with 4:15 left in the opening quarter to tie the game.
Abraham found Presley again, this time for a 35-yard touchdown, in the second quarter to give the Chargers their halftime cushion.
West Point had the ball first in the second half and drove into Oxford territory, where it faced a fourth-and-5 from the 34-yard line. Quarterback Marcus Murphy completed a pass to Thomas Williams, but Williams only gained 1 yard.
“That’s on me, but our guys will always tell you, I’ve got total confidence in them,” Chambless said. “When I choose to go for it, I expect to make it, and they do, too. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but we had to make something happen.”
Oxford capitalized thanks to Hiram Wadlington’s 1-yard touchdown that made it 21-7. Wadlington added another 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Abraham found D.K. Metcalf for a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to end the scoring.
Abraham was 26 of 34 for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Randall Johnson intercepted him in the second quarter. Oxford had 437 yards of offense.
“They told us don’t quit fighting,” Melton said. “We weren’t going to quit fighting. We weren’t going to let it get out of hand at the end. We were going to fight until the end and we did.”
Murphy and Calvert rushed for 85 yards on 18 carries and combined for more than 3,000 rushing yards for the season. Murphy was 9 of 16 for 56 yards and one interception. West Point had 234 yards of offense.
It was the last game for 16 Green Wave seniors. Chambless will miss the seniors who have meant so much to him and the program.
“It’s a great group,” Chambless said. “Every one of them’s special.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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