West Point High School football coach Chris Chambless isn’t fond of the long road trips.
In the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), life in Classes 5A and 6A involves multiple road trips, usually between two and three hours from home.
For West Point, another such trip is on the horizon Friday night. The opponent will be Center Hill at 7 p.m. Friday in Olive Branch in the second game of the Class 5A, Region 1 schedule.
“The biggest challenge on the road is motivation,” Chambless said. “It’s difficult to play far from home when you don’t have a lot of your fans present. That is when you find out if you have self-starters. You need players with that high energy level when they take the field. You have to create your own energy, your own excitement.
“It’s important to start fast and to take control of the game.”
West Point (4-1, 1-0 region) has taken early control in most of the games during its 21-game region winning streak. The Green Wave have beaten the Mustangs by a combined score of 112-6 in the last two meetings.
After winning one game last season, Center Hill (3-3, 0-1) has shown marked improvement this season, with victories against St. George’s (Tennessee), Byhalia, and Crockett (Tennessee).
“The main thing you want to see is crisp offensive production,” Chambless said. “Typically, the defense will always show up and play. The challenge is to find a rhythm early on offense. The plan is to run the football, so, hopefully, you can come put a couple of good drives together early.”
Center Hill also likes to run the football. Senior Matt Burrow leads the way with 710 rushing yards and six touchdowns. In its region opener, Center Hill dropped a 24-3 decision at Grenada.
West Point opened region play with a 14-13 home victory against Lafayette. The Green Wave ran for 209 yards and received scoring plays from Brandon Harris and Jimothy Mays.
“Good win to start region play,” Chambless said. “Defensively, did a great job. They had size and speed. Pretty much contained what they were trying to do. It was good to see plays being made there late in the game when the outcome was in doubt. A hard-nosed, physical victory will really help this team grow up.”
West Point is averaging 212.2 yards rushing per game. Five players have gained 142 yards or more.
“Still looking for an identity,” Chambless said. “The challenge is finishing drives more often. We have stretches where we execute well. It’s just a matter of doing that on a more consistent basis. As we get deeper into region play, you want to see a balanced team that is finishing drives and limiting mistakes.
“If we can run the ball with more consistency, we will certainly be in every game. The defense can do the rest from there.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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