The mind-set was established early.
“From the beginning of the season, it has been about pride,” West Point senior lineman Terence Cherry said. “We won the championship (in 2016) and that made us want another one. You can really establish yourself as being the best ever by winning two championships. For the seniors, this is very important to us.”
West Point (13-0) will play host to Olive Branch (12-1) at 7 tonight for the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A North State championship. The winner will face Laurel or Hattiesburg at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford for the state championship.
West Point has won 26-straight games, including the final 13 for last season’s Class 5A State championship team. It was West Point’s first football title since 2010.
“It felt great to get West Point back to the championship,” Cherry said. “We feel like we should be playing for it every year. Now, we see a second one in our sights, so everybody is excited.”
A year ago, West Point won the championship thanks to a defense that allowed 11.5 points per game. This season, the number has dropped to 6.3 ppg. Nine opponents have been held to a touchdown or less.
“Very physical defense,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said. “We have been blessed the last couple of years with team speed. We have enough speed at just about every position. That allows us to attack. When the ball is snapped, we want 11 guys flying to the football.
“What we learned last year is we have some guys that aren’t afraid to hit. This year, we have forced more turnovers, and that has helped.”
Senior linebacker Xavier Fair leads the Green Wave with 53 tackles. Senior lineman LeDarrius Glover has 37. Fair and Glover have 12 tackles for loss.
Junior defensive end Jaylen Cungious has 10 tackles for loss. Glover has seven sacks, while Cherry has six-and-a-half.
“We are just trying to disrupt rhythm. If we do that, we have done our job,” Glover said. “You can tell when the other team is hesitant. When things don’t go their way, it can be frustrating. We are going to put up a fight for every yard allowed. You will have to earn each first down.”
Senior Jason Brownlee has a team-high four interceptions. Senior Antrayvious Brownlee and junior Ryan Melton have three.
West Point has 22 takeaways overall.
“This team takes a lot of pride in playing defense,” Melton said. “With our offense, there is not a lot of pressure to be perfect on every play. However, we take that as a challenge. We want to be known as one of the best defenses around. That is why everybody takes pride in practicing and studying film.”
Chambless said the physical attributes of his defense are outstanding. He also credits on-field communication as key. Nine starters returned on that side of the ball.
“You can tell the relationship built on the field,” Chambless said. “There is comfort level with each player knowing their assignment.”
In the regular season, West Point’s defense dominated in a 51-7 victory against Olive Branch. More of the same would help the cause as the team fights to play in another state championship game.
“If you reach this round, you are good,” Chambless said. “Olive Brach only has one loss. We have to remember the things we did earlier to be successful again.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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