WEST POINT — West Point High School coach Chris Chambless doesn’t call it “opening up the playbook.”
However, he knows his squad has talent and lots of options on offense.
Seniors Marcus Murphy, Chris Calvert, and Jason Brownlee teamed up to wreak move havoc Friday night, as West Point beat Olive Branch 39-6 to win the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A North State championship at Hamblin Stadium.
West Point won its 27th-straight game to repeat as North State champions.
West Point (14-0) will face Hattiesburg (14-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday for the Class 5A state championship at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
“This is the most fun I have ever had coaching,” Chambless said. “We have a lot of seniors. They know what to do. This hasn’t been about working them hard in practice. It hasn’t been about motivational speeches or anything like that. We have seniors and they lead. They know what we have to do and how we have to go about doing it.
“This season has been fun, rewarding. It’s never easy. But from a coaching standpoint, it has been something close to that.”
It is no secret Chambless likes to run the football. The preferred method of success is prolonged scoring drives based on precision blocking and multiple running backs who carry the load.
Enter Brownlee, a 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver with long arms, soft hands, and an instinct of knowing how and where to jump.
“Any 50-50 ball he is going to get,” Murphy said. “My job is to get the ball there or close to there. If there is a play to be made, Jason is going to make it. It’s just an unbelievable amount of confidence we all have in him. He is a warrior.”
West Point has rolled through the season with newfound balance. The smallest margin of victory has been 19 points.
It is still an offense that runs the football 75 percent of the time. The Green Wave are averaging 325.7 yards rushing and 129.6 yards passing per game.
Yet, Murphy will go over 1,000 yards passing with any success in the state championship game. He has received a lot of help from junior Jake Chambless. Chambless is more a passing threat, while Murphy is the running threat.
Murphy and Chambless hit Brownlee in stride for touchdown passes. Both were jump-ball situations. Both involved Brownlee outworking his man for the ball and then turning on his speed. The second touchdown also involved a broken tackle and a juke move.
“You saw a little bit of everything from the offense,” Calvert said. “We are maxing out our capabilities. It’s fun when everybody is involved. Playing for the state championship is special. We wanted to go back for a second year because that will really make this team elite.”
Brownlee had five catches for 161 yards. Murphy threw for 174 yards, while Chambless threw for 82 yards.
In the end, though, it is still all about the running game.
Calvert ran 19 times for 150 yards with a late touchdown. His carries have increased as the coaches have tried to keep Murphy fresh for the stretch run.
Murphy ran 12 times for 88 yards with three touchdowns.
The duo has combined for 3,000 yards and 50 rushing scores.
“It starts up front with what has been a great season from the offensive line,” Chambless said. “To run the ball successfully, everybody has to do their part. Marcus and Chris have different running styles, so they complement each other very well. It has been fun to watch. We know how special a situation this has been.”
Murphy hit Brownlee for a 66-yard touchdown on the team’s second play. After an interception, Murphy plowed in from 3 yards out to make it 13-0 before most of the capacity crowd settled in.
West Point finished with 530 yards and worked in a lot of players in the second half. The Green Wave led 25-0 at halftime.
Sometimes, it is great offense. Other times, teams use great defense. Sometimes, they key to success is having veteran players. Other times, squads rely on new players to earn their stripes. Sometimes, the Green Wave have done it on the ground. They also have done it through the air.
In the end, the senior class left Hamblin Stadium with one home loss in three seasons. More importantly, those players left with an invitation to the state championship game for a second-straight year.
“I get to play with these guys one last time,” Calvert said. “What an opportunity.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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