WEST POINT — The names have changed. The faces have changed.
But the production hasn’t, which is why the West Point High School football team’s offense keeps rolling.
One season after the graduation of Aeris Williams, the state’s reigning Mr. Football, and four weeks after starting tailback Lacequiu “Quincy” Starks suffered a season-ending injury, West Point continues to chew up yardage and to score points in a string of five victories in its last six games that have helped it keep pace in Class 5A, Region 1.
Senior quarterback Dason Thomas, a veteran offensive line and linebacker turned tailback Kadarius Forside have played major roles in West Point’s three-game winning streak in the region.
“They are doing a heck of a job,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said of the offense. “They are taking coaching well and listening to their coaches, going out there and executing. I wouldn’t trade this group.”
Despite the loss of Starks, who was ruled out prior to West Point’s trip to Clarksdale three weeks ago, the offense has put up big numbers. Behind Thomas and Forside, West Point has scored at least 30 points in five of its last six games, and has scored at least 35 in its last three. Since a loss to Oxford in the region opener, West Point has outscored Clarksdale, Center Hill, and Lake Cormorant 126-26. It is averaging 42 points per game in that stretch.
“It’s my last year, trying to make it count,” said Thomas, who has thrown for 713 yards and eight touchdowns. “We are trying to get better every week, trying to make sure we will be there at the end.”
A big part of West Point’s resurgence has been Forside, who switched from linebacker to tailback following the loss to Oxford. In the past three games, the senior has six of his 11 touchdowns.
“He’s just a football player, and he goes out and does what he’s asked to do,” Chambless said of Forside, the younger brother of Mississippi State safety Justin Cox. “That’s like a lot of our kids. No matter what they’re asked to do, they go out and do it. He starts at linebacker and he’s a good one earlier this season. But things happen and we need him on offense, and he’s good there, too.”
For Forside, the switch was a no-brainer.
“I will play wherever they tell me to play,” Forside said. “Anything to help the team win.”
West Point has rushed for more than 600 yards in the three-game winning streak. But the threat of the pass is there, too, as senior wide receivers Kaelon Collins and Steffon Moore have combined for 26 catches and six touchdowns.
“Our receivers are stepping up,” Thomas said. “They are getting open and making my job easier.”
Scoring points is a must in Region 1. Of the eight teams in the region, West Point, Oxford, Saltillo, and New Hope are averaging more than 30 points per game. For the Green Wave, two of those teams are on the schedule next, starting with a visit to Saltillo (6-3) at 7 tonight. The Tigers, 2-2 in league play, have topped the 30-point mark five times.
“They can score. Everybody in this league can score,” Chambless said. “They are a disciplined team, well coached. It’s going to take our best game to go up there and get a win.”
A win would keep West Point in line for a home playoff game, which will go to the top two teams in the region. With division-leading Oxford looking like a lock for the No. 1 seed, the No. 2 spot likely will be determined by the trip to Saltillo tonight and a home game next week against New Hope (7-1).
“We are trying to do whatever we can to get a good spot in the playoffs,” Forside said. “Every Friday night is a big game.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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