WEST POINT — The Green Wave is back in the win column after a thrilling 20-18 win over local rivals Noxubee County on Friday. Tigers quarterback KaMario Taylor was a handful for the West Point defense but was contained in crunch time thanks to two huge stops with the game on the line.
“Huge,” Green Wave head coach Brett Morgan said of his defense. “Huge plays. They didn’t pout, they didn’t whine about it, they stood up and made plays. We turned the ball over and they came back and made another stop. I couldn’t be prouder, and that’s what I told the team.”
The Green Wave (1-2) picked up their first win under Morgan after two near misses to start the season. The Tigers (1-2) suffered their second loss of the season but showed a lot of talent for a team with young players stepping up into starting roles.
“I’m proud of the way they fought,” Tigers head coach Teddy Young said after the loss. “That’s the biggest thing I told them, fight to the end, but it’s the little stuff. We’ve got to clean up the little stuff and learn how to finish. We were in the game, the defense did a great job getting us turnovers, but we’ve got to learn how to finish.”
The Green Wave defense defended Taylor perfectly on the Tigers’ first two drives. He completed no passes, though a couple of drops played a part in that, and the contain kept him from escaping on the ground. Two three-and-outs meant the Tigers only had the ball for about 90 seconds through two drives, meanwhile the Green Wave ate nearly 15 minutes of clock on the way to taking a 14-0 lead.
Taylor and the offense responded before the break, driving quickly with passes to the flat and screens to keep the Green Wave backpedaling. Taylor capped the drive with a touchdown run and added another score after halftime with quick passes to help alleviate the pressure.
The Tigers took a risk and went for the onside kick to start the second half, a strategy that failed on the opening kickoff but worked this time around to set up another touchdown drive and swing the game 18-14 in their favor. Taylor, again, had the touchdown run.
“He’s probably the best player in Mississippi,” Morgan said of Taylor. “I hate to make absolute statements but I feel pretty good about that. He’s a phenomenal football player. I thought we played well handling him, held them to 18 points with an extra possession. That’s good defense.”
The Green Wave responded with a long drive that resulted in a touchdown run from Shamane Clark, but it was time for the defense to step up.
The Tigers drove deep into the red zone, and with a 2nd and 1 Taylor had to scramble before taking a sack. The visitors had to settle for a field goal attempt, which sailed wide left, but got the ball back quickly after a fumble by the Green Wave. They were set up again near the red zone, but the defense stood tall. Jamichael Forest, who had an interception off of Taylor in the first half, came up big to break up a 4th-and-long pass to the end zone to help seal the win.
“He rolled out, he threw it and I just went and got it,” Forest said. “There was a lot of adversity coming into this game, going against one of the best quarterbacks and we got it done. Big plays, we’re prepared for it, we just had to go get it.”
The Tigers will look to shake the loss next week at home against Shannon while the Green Wave hit the road to face Neshoba Central. Young’s team is, well, young, but it was an experience against another powerhouse program that he wants them to learn from the next time they’re in a fourth-quarter battle.
“We know they’re a defending state champ, and I think they’ll be back there this year,” he said of West Point. “They came in 0-2 but lost to two of the best in the state. We knew they’d be hungry and we knew we’d have to beat them. We just have to clean up going into district.”
West Point 20,
Noxubee County 18
Noxubee County 0 6 12 0 – 18
West Point 7 7 0 6 – 20
First Quarter
WP – Cam Randle 1 run (Shamarrion McKinney kick), clock 7:38
Second Quarter
WP – Randle 2 run (McKinney kick), clock 9:52
NC – KaMario Taylor 2 run (kick failed), clock 1:56
Third Quarter
NC – Jaiden Taylor pass 11 from Taylor (two-point pass failed) clock 9:05
NC – Taylor 4 run (two-point pass failed), clock 6:33
Fourth Quarter
WP – Clark 37 run (kick failed), clock 10:55
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