WEST POINT — Early this season, while West Point running back Dantariyus Cannon battled nagging injuries, fellow senior Brandon Harris shouldered the load.
In last Friday’s MHSAA Class 5A north semifinal against Lafayette, Cannon stepped up with Harris hampered by a high ankle sprain. The player West Point head coach Chris Chambless calls “Monster” scored all three Green Wave touchdowns, leading the team into Friday’s north final against Neshoba Central (10-3) and filling in for his teammate admirably.
“They complement each other really well,” Chambless said of Harris and Cannon.
Factoring in senior rusher Jimothy Mays, West Point has a three-headed rushing attack among the best in the state.
All three players have run for over 750 yards this year — Harris has racked up 1,048 in just 11 games, Cannon has 923 and Mays has 764 — and all have scored at least 10 touchdowns.
They’ve gotten the Green Wave this far, and Chambless thinks it can propel them to a “four-peat” and a record-tying 11th state title.
“We’ve got some guys that can carry for the ball for us,” Chambless said. “They get each other’s backs like true teammates should do.”
But Chambless noted that the Green Wave aren’t going to abandon their passing game even with Harris limited and senior quarterback Gray Berry out for the year with an ACL tear.
“We’re getting creative in the ways we get the ball down the field,” Chambless said.
Junior Corbin Kelley has taken some snaps at signal caller as West Point tries to stay multidimensional on offense.
“Corbin’s getting better and better in practice,” Chambless said. “He’s got an arm on him.”
The passing game will be important, but West Point knows the run game — on both sides of the ball — will be the key again when the Rockets come to town.
Neshoba Central senior Tyler Mathis and junior Jarquez Hunter both rushed for over 100 yards in last week’s 36-28 win over Lake Cormorant — Hunter went over 200. Chambless knows the pair can give West Point problems on defense.
“They like to run the ball, and they’ve got some good backs,” he said. “It’s gonna be a challenge.”
With rain possible again and dominant offensive and defensive lines for both teams, it’ll come down to run game against run game on Friday night.
“It’s gonna be a very physical game,” Chambless said. “It’s gonna be a game that’s gonna be won or lost in the trenches, just like this past week was.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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