WEST POINT — Some players fit a system perfectly.
Every since Lakenderic Thomas can remember, he has been a bruising running back who prefers to run through defenders than to run around them.
Nowhere in the state is that quality cherished more than at West Point High School.
In 12 games, Thomas has been a catalyst for the Green Wave (13-1). The 200-pound senior delivered an exclamation point Friday, rushing for 105 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-0 victory against Ridgeland in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State title game.
Thomas scored on runs of 12 and 22 yards and added a pair of 1-yard runs to help the defending Class 5A state champions earn a return engagement at Mississippi Memorial Stadium in Jackson. West Point will try for seventh state crown at 7 p.m. Saturday against Brookhaven.
For his accomplishments, Thomas is The Dispatch”s Prep Player of the Week.
Thomas leads West Point in rushing with 1,416 yards and 28 touchdowns in 12 games. He averages 5.62 yards per carry as part of an offense that has rushed for 3,977 yards (6.17 yard per carry) this season.
Thomas has earned all of those yards thanks to his offensive line and a hard-charging style that goes full speed ahead all of the time.
“Coach (Casey) Welch teaches us to be real physical,” Thomas said. “He tells us to make our defender feel it if they are going to tackle us. That is how we run around here.”
Thomas said there is no secret to how he or West Point plays the game. The Green Wave plan to hit you in the mouth and to continue to do that for four quarters. Thomas, quarterback Justin Cox (1,136 rushing yards), and Tez Pulliam (540) have been the primary punishers in the ground assault.
While Thomas is the bruising component of the black and blue style, Cox adds game-changing speed to the equation. Either way the Green Wave go, few teams have been able to stop them once their offensive line establishes its dominance.
Thomas said he enjoys the philosophy of pounding teams. He said he has enjoyed carrying the load as the team”s feature back and knew he has to emerge as a leader on and off the field to realize his potential.
“I played around a lot last year,” Thomas said. “This year, I am a lot more focused. You have to lead by example. If the other players see me goofing off a lot and in the classroom, they will do the same. You just need to stay focused and work hard.”
Thomas said being a senior helped him focus. As a result, he started that hard work immediately following the Green Wave”s title victory last season. He said he knew this season would be his time to take the lead and he feels he has helped West Point set the tone every week.
“I am real physical. I like to run hard,” Thomas said. “I don”t take plays off. I am doing it for my team. I pick my teammates up if they do something crazy.”
West Point coach Chris Chambless said Thomas has matured this season into another one in a long line of solid performers and leaders.
“What can you say about Lakenderic Thomas? He is like a machine. He can take a licking and keep on ticking, and that is what he has done,” Chambless said. “The coaches have done a good job and have spread it around well. We have a physical style and are going to get hit every week. They have done a good job limiting Justin”s carries and Lakenderic”s carries and not wasting their time out there.”
Chambless said Thomas” durability and strength helps set him apart. He said Thomas often gets stronger as the game goes on, which is even more impressive considering he averages 21 carries a game.
“If he needs to get that extra yard he is not going to run around you, he is going to run over you,” Chambless said. “He has good vision, too. The offensive line has done a great job giving us a hole to run through, and he has gotten a lot of yards after contact.”
Thomas said West Point won”t change its approach Saturday night. He said the Green Wave will have to avoid overconfidence and mistakes if they want to bring another trophy back to Clay County.
He said the fact that the game will be broadcast on Mississippi Public Broadcasting won”t change the way he plays.
“We just have to keep playing West Point football like we have been doing for the past couple of weeks,” Thomas said. “Everybody has to keep making plays and stepping up. If we do that, I think we”ll be all right.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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