TUPELO – Two years ago, West Point beat Tupelo on the blue turf, and the Green Wave did it again on Friday.
No. 2 Large School West Point scored the go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game to knock off No. 1 Tupelo 28-21 and cap off a frenetic fourth quarter. It’s Tupelo’s first loss since a defeat in the 2023 playoffs.
“God blessed us to be on this side of it,” West Point head coach Brett Morgan said. “We made a lot of plays, they made a lot of plays, they’re a fine football team. But the good Lord blessed us to be able to be on this side of it. It’s a huge win, it’s a great accomplishment.”
West Point (4-0) turned a couple of long drives in the first half into a pair of touchdowns to take a 14-0 halftime lead. Kylan Bobo punched in a touchdown to put Tupelo (4-1) on the board late in the third quarter. However, the dam burst in the fourth quarter.
First, Bobo tied the game with 7:18 to go after breaking off a 55-yard touchdown run. But West Point responded immediately when Kingston Branham ripped through the Tupelo defense for a 70-yard score to take a 21-14 lead.
“My O-line, coaches, my team, they’re the ones that pretty much get all the credit for that touchdown. Hole was really wide,” Branham said.
Bobo capped off the next Tupelo drive with another touchdown run to tie the game again at 21 with 3:33 to go. That left enough time for West Point to drive down the field before scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds left.
“Trying to manage (that fourth quarter) and still try to call plays, it’s kind of hard,” Morgan said. “But our kids just kept making plays. We kept swinging, kept coming, kept coming. They made palsy, knew they were going to make answers. We just kept plugging (away) in the fourth quarter and found a way to get it done.”
For Tupelo, it’s a bitter loss for a group that hasn’t done much losing in recent memory.
“A lot will be learned from this,” Tupelo head coach Ty Hardin said. “I thought our guys handled it well so far from what I’ve seen, but we’ll see next week. A lot of mistakes made in the game that we’ll correct on film. Maybe our sense of urgency picks up a little more.”
Extra Points
Turning Point: West Point scored the game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game.
Point Man: Branham had 93 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
Talking Point: “This means nothing if we don’t keep pursuing to get better, pursuing our dreams, pursuing our goals.” – Morgan
Notes
- Tupelo had 259 rushing yards to West Point’s 246.
- Both Bobo and J.J. Hill went for over 100 yards on the ground for Tupelo.
- Tupelo hosts Hartfield Academy next week, while West Point plays Callaway at home.
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