WEST POINT – On a night when the West Point Green Wave lost a pair of fumbles and conceded their most points in 10 weeks, their defense reached a new milestone in the Chris Chambless era to advance in the Class 5A playoffs.
The Green Wave picked off five Provine High passes Friday, including a pair of pick-sixes in the second quarter for a 49-28 win in their first-round playoff game. The Green Wave will face Lafayette next week.
Senior cornerback Jordan Rupert had two interceptions in the game, the second of which he returned 70 yards up the right sideline for a score to give West Point a 21-7 lead.
Friday’s game marked the first time Rupert had recorded more than one interception in a game.
“We were playing [regular coverage], and I saw the deep man drop,” Rupert said. “I saw the ball, and my coach always tells me, ‘Whenever you see the ball, attack it.’ I saw a lane, and I just took it.”
Just three plays later with Provine at midfield, Jacoby McQuiller picked off Provine quarterback Shavario Allen over the middle and returned the ball 75 yards for a score.
West Point carried a 35-14 lead into the break.
Keon Cunningham picked off Allen at the West Point 9-yard line after Provine blocked a punt early in the third quarter, setting up West Point for a nine-play, 91-yard scoring drive to push the lead to 42-14.
Chambless said he couldn’t think of a time during his tenure at West Point where the Green Wave intercepted more than three passes. The turnovers were vital, particularly the defensive scores, after Provine fought to within a pair of scores, 41-28, in the fourth quarter.
West Point fullback Kelviontae Gibbs scored later scored 7-yard run, and Chris Dean intercepted Allen late in the fourth quarter to shut down a desperation drive by Provine and seal the win.
The turnovers were particularly rewarding for West Point’s defense, given the explosive play of Provine junior wide receiver and Mississippi State University verbal commitment Deion Smith, who finished the game with eight catches for 164 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Chambless said West Point bracketed Smith “all night” and had “three on him some.”
“[Smith] was still making plays,” Chambless said. “He’s a good athlete and kind of reminds me of (Jason) Brownlee we had a couple of years ago.
“We took some stuff away from him, and he hurt us with some stuff that we weren’t able to take away from him. You’re danged if you do, danged if you don’t with some of that stuff. But we won the game, and that’s what counts. It’ll be a good learning experience for our kids.”
Rupert, though, said the Green Wave “didn’t really need to” double Smith Friday night.
“[Smith] is pretty good,” Rupert said, “but I’m better. No cockiness, but I’m confident.”
West Point blowing a protection and getting a punt blocked deep in its own territory was one of a handful of miscues Friday night. West Point had a personal foul penalty on a Provine punt on the first drive of the game, which the Rams converted into an 18-yard touchdown catch by Smith. The Green Wave then fumbled the ball in Provine territory after Rupert’s first interception in the first quarter.
A fumble by Jimothy Mays in the second half turned into Provine points and made it a two-score game.
“It’s football,” Chambless said. “A lot of times, it has to do with the team you’re playing. [The Rams] were physical, probably the most physical [team] we’ve seen in the last three or four games. They came ready to play. We knew they had some athletes that we had to corral.”
Chambless said his seniors took control of the game and created “juice” to combat Provine’s physicality and to supplement a “flat” atmosphere.
“A West Point team, as long as I’m around, is never going to give in and never going to get down,” Chambless said. “We’re going to fight through the last whistle, and that’s just part of it. They have a refuse-to-lose attitude that we preach to them everyday. Our seniors did a good job of settling everybody down. We rely on our seniors to be able to do that.”
Mays led West Point with 101 yards on 15 carries and a score. Gibbs had a pair of scoring runs, too.
West Point senior tight end TJ Anderson had a team-high four catches for 125 yards.
West Point 49, Provine 28
Provine 7 7 7 7 — 28
West Point 14 21 7 7 — 49
First quarter
PHS — Shavario Allen 18 pass to Deion Smith (Smith kick)
WP — Brandon Harris 29 run (Alexander Harper kick)
WP — Jimothy Mays 65 run (Harper kick)
Second quarter
WP — Jordan Rupert 70-yard interception return (Harper kick)
WP — Jacoby McQuiller 75-yard interception return (Harper kick)
PHS — Allen 51 pass to Smith (Smith kick)
WP — Harris 15 run (Harper kick)
Third quarter
WP — Kelviontae Gibbs 1 run (Harper kick)
PHS — Allen 25 pass to Cameron Young (Smith kick)
Fourth quarter
PHS — Allen 1 run (Smith kick)
WP — Gibbs 7 run (Harper kick)
Team statistics
PHS WP
First downs 14 18
Rushes-yards 27-48 40-242
Passing yards 239 129
Comp.-Att.-Int. 14-29-5 5-13-0
Return yards 62 185
Fumbles-lost 4-1 2-2
Penalties 6-50 4-40
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Provine — Macaleb Williams 6-31, Deion Smith 1-20, Brandon Jones 2-7, Marktavius Reed 13-(-2), Team 1-(-3) Shavario Allen 4-(-5); West Point — Jimothy Mays 15-101, Brandon Harris 10-94, Kelviontae Gibbs 7-44, Dantariyus Cannon 2-4, Cameron Young 2-4, Jakobe Pate 1-4, Team 2-(-4), Corbin Kelley 1-(-5).
PASSING: Provine — Shavario Allen 14-29-239-5; West Point — Corbin Kelley 3-10-67-0, Brandon Harris 2-3-62-0.
RECEIVING: Provine — Deion Smith 8-164, No. 9 3-25, Javorrius Selmon 1-25, Daniel Smith 1-15, Shawnell Handy 1-10; West Point — TJ Anderson 4-125, Jordan Rupert 1-4.
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