LAKE CORMORANT — Junior Marcus Murphy collected 395 all-purpose yards Friday night to help the West Point High School football team overcome a slow start to beat Lake Cormorant 39-17 in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A, Region 1 game.
West Point (7-1, 4-0 region) won its sixth-straight game to clinch a berth in the Class 5A playoffs. Murphy had three touchdowns and rushed for 199 yards.
“Marcus really carried us,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said. “It is always difficult to play away from home, but our kids have done a great job with that this year. Even though we were behind early, Marcus kind of gave us a spark. Defensively, we gave up a few big plays, but overall we played well.”
Murphy helped the Green Wave rally from a 7-0 deficit with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown. The Green Wave eased out to a 20-10 halftime lead on a 1-yard run by Andre Lane and 2-yard run by Murphy.
In the second half, Murphy scored on a 65-yard run. Clayton Knight converted a fourth-and-5 with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jason Brownlee. Lane’s 26-yard run capped West Point’s scoring.
Terrence Cherry led the defense with four sacks.
“This team has really matured and gotten better each week,” Chambless said. “We had some tight games early, and I think that has really helped us. When we need to have a play, the kids have confidence that someone can go out there and get it done.”
West Point will play Friday at Saltillo (2-7, 1-3) in another region game.
n West Lowndes 50, Vardaman 20: At Vardaman, the Panthers strengthened their claim for a first-round MHSAA Class 1A playoff game by knocking off a region unbeaten on the road.
West Lowndes improved to 5-3 and 3-1 in region play. Smithville is 4-0 in the region, while Vardaman is 3-1. The Panthers have three region games remaining, with two of those at home.
The Panthers led throughout and pulled away with 28 points in the fourth quarter, including two defensive touchdowns. West Lowndes won despite missing Quinshawn Lucious, who was out with illness.
“We really had a great start and that helped us,” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “We knew we had a tough assignment because Vardaman has some really good speed. We forced some turnovers and really had a great game on offense.
“We had some balance. We can do a lot of things well when (quarterback) Casey (Smith) is healthy.”
Smith hit Marcus Farmer for touchdowns passes of 20 and 34 yards. Kemario Evans added a 12-yard touchdown run. Those early scores pushed the Panthers to a 22-14 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Zach Williams scored on a 16-yard run and also scored on a fumble recovery. Smith scored on a quarterback keeper and Farmer had an interception return for touchdown.
n Indianola Academy 35, Heritage Academy 13: At Indianola, the Patriots fell short in a non-district battle between two of the elite teams in Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA play.
Tyler Anderson hit Eli Acker on a 40-yard touchdown pass early in the game before coach Sean Harrison said turnovers plagued the Patriots.
“We came out and started fast like we normally do, but we had a couple of turnovers — a fumble and an interception — and that was pretty much it,” Harrison said. “We played hard. I was proud of them. They were not scared.”
Harrison praised Indianola Academy (9-0), which entered the game as the No. 4 team in The Associated Press’ private school rankings. He said playing Indianola Academy on the road made the challenge even tougher, but he said he hopes heritage Academy can take care of business next week and in the playoffs to earn another chance to play against Indianola Academy.
Heritage Academy (7-2, 2-0 district) will try to wrap up a perfect run through district play Friday night when it plays host to Leake Academy (3-6, 1-1) in a MAIS Class AAA, District 2 game. A victory would clinch the district title and improve the team’s chances of earning a high seed in the 16-team Class AAA playoffs.
“We just need to regroup,” Harrison said. “We saw some things that we have to do differently from a coaching aspect. If we do those things I think we will be fine.
“We’re playing for a district championship Friday night and we are looking forward to that, so we’re going to put this one behind us quickly.”
n Pillow Academy 32, Starkville Academy 17: At Greenwood, the Volunteers couldn’t rally in this non-district MAIS game.
Starkville Academy built a 10-0 first-quarter lead on a 23-yard field goal by Sam Cox and 5-yard touchdown run by Dalton Dempsey. The Volunteers drove 77 yards on eight plays before Dempsey found the end zone.
Pillow Academy (5-3) battled back for a 12-10 halftime lead on touchdown runs of 5 and 19 yards by John Madison Brooks.
Brooks also scored twice in the third quarter on runs of 5 and 15 yards.
“We had a difficult time controlling their running game,” Starkville Academy coach Chase Nicholson said. “I thought the kids played hard for four quarters. We just fell too far behind and couldn’t make up the deficit.”
Starkville Academy scored in the closing minutes when Noah Methvin hit Howell Archer on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Starkville Academy (6-3, 1-1 district) will try to wrap up a playoff berth Friday night when it plays host to Winston Academy (4-5, 0-2) in MAIS Class AAA, District 2 play to finish the regular season.
n South Pontotoc 21, Aberdeen 18: At Pontotoc, the Bulldogs suffered a heart-breaking road defeat in MHSAA Class 3A, Region 4 play.
Aberdeen (2-7, 1-2 region) built an 18-14 halftime lead but where shut out in the second half.
For the Bulldogs, Cameron Braylock scored on a 2-yard run and a 70-yard interception return. Dajoun Rogers scored on a 6-yard run.
Eddie Ivy ran the second-half kickoff back 65 yards for a touchdown to lift South Pontotoc (7-2, 3-0) to the win. The Cougars forced four turnovers and blocked a punt.
Aberdeen will play host to North Pontotoc (6-3, 3-0) in another region game Friday night.
n Carroll Academy 36, Columbus Christian 7: At Carrollton, the Rams were eliminated from playoff consideration with their MAIS Class A/AA, District 2 road loss.
The teams were tied at 7 at halftime. However, Carroll Academy forced a couple of turnovers early in the second half and cruised to victory.
“I am proud of how well the kids battled and how they kept composure during some tough situations,” Columbus Christian coach Greg Watkins said.
The Columbus Christian touchdown was a 20-yard run by Nate Parker in the second quarter.
Columbus Christian (2-7, 1-3 district) has completed its district schedule and will play Friday night at Wayne Academy (3-5) to finish the regular season.
n Leake Academy 55, Oak Hill Academy 3: At Madden, the Raiders dropped their fifth straight in this non-district MAIS game.
Grayson Easterling kicked a 28-yard field goal for Oak Hill Academy.
Oak Hill Academy (2-7, 0-3) will play host to Deer Creek School (5-3, 2-1) in a MAIS Class A/AA, District 2 game Friday night to finish the regular season.
n Kemper Academy 60, Central Academy 6: At DeKalb, the Vikings were eliminated from playoff consideration with this tough loss on the road in MAIS Eight-Man, District 2 play.
“We became the first team to lead them this year,” Central Academy coach Michael Dawkins said. “We had a couple of mistakes early and it went downhill from there.”
For Central Academy, Preston Dawkins caught a 55-yard touchdown from Jerry Long. Dawkins had 44 yards after the catch.
Central Academy (2-6, 1-2 district) will play host to Unity Christian Academy (0-7) on Friday night.
n Calhoun Academy 44, Hebron Christian 6: At Calhoun City, the Eagles remained winless with their MAIS Eight-Man District 2 road loss.
“The score does not reflect it, but we executed a lot better on defense,” Hebron Christian coach David Foster said. “We still gave up too many big plays, but we made them have long drives and work harder for their scores.
“The kids have not quit this season. They still have a good attitude. We just have to get better at executing on both offense and defense.”
For Hebron Christian, Bradley Scott scored on a 70-yard kickoff return for Hebron Christian (0-7, 0-2 district), which will play host to Park Place Christian Academy (6-3) on Friday night.
n Falkner 27, Hamilton 26: At Hamilton, the Lions fell back to .500 in MHSAA Class 1A, Region 1 play with their home loss.
Hamilton (2-5, 2-2 region) will play Friday at West Lowndes (5-3, 3-1) in region play.
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