WEST POINT — West Point football coach Chris Chambless knew the significance of Friday’s home matchup against Grenada.
With a victory, the Green Wave would be in the driver’s seat to win Class 5A Region 1, having already taken down Lafayette and Lake Cormorant.
Despite trailing 13-6 at halftime, West Point (8-1, 4-0 district) rallied in the second half for a 20-13 win.
“It was a huge game with big implications,” Chambless said. “There was a lot of playoff pictures that could have happened depending on what went down with this one, but credit to our guys, they settled in.”
But the comeback win wouldn’t have been possible without senior linebacker Tyron Orr.
Orr made a game-changing play to close the third quarter, reading Grenada quarterback Joshua Phillips’ eyes and intercepting his pass 30 yards for a touchdown for the go-ahead score.
“The last play before that, he was looking at (tight end Delarenzio Brooks). I knew the quarterback wanted to go to him, so I baited him,” Orr said. I got excited when he was throwing the ball my way, and I settled in and caught it.”
The Chargers (5-3, 2-2) scored the first 10 points of the night following a field goal and Phillips connecting with wide receiver Emmanuel Forbes Jr., a Mississippi State commit, on a 2-yard pass on fourth-and-goal.
West Point scored its lone touchdown of the first half on a 23-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Harris to wideout Tre Ryland but failed to convert the extra point. Running back Dantariyus Cannon put the Green Wave on the board late in the third quarter with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, but West Point couldn’t convert the PAT once again.
That set the stage for Orr’s interception on the next series as time expired in the third quarter.
“He’s really steady,” Chambless said of Orr. “He plays hard every game and is smart. He’s a coach on the field.”
Grenada had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but the drive was halted by sacks from Jordan Rupert and Donte Smith.
“They figured it out. We work on one-on-one rush lanes every day,” Chambless said. “Our front guys busted through and were able to make some plays.”
Chambless said the biggest defensive second half adjustment was doubling Grenada wideouts Christian Wortham and Forbes Jr., making sure safety help was provided when the Chargers tried to attack the deep third with Forbes Jr.
It wasn’t all roses and sunshine, though. West Point experienced a scary moment with 3:30 left in the game after Harris left the field after suffering an injury. Following the contest, Chambless wasn’t sure what the extent of the injury was quite yet.
“He’s a little hobbled right now,” Chambless said. “We’ll evaluate him and see where he’s at. But he’s our heart and soul.”
Harris finished with 121 rushing yards on 16 carries and threw for 43 yards on two passes, while Cannon had 45 yards on 12 rushing attempts. Jimothy Mays racked up 32 yards on six carries, and Ryland caught two passes for 35 yards.
West Point is back in action on Friday in a road matchup against Columbus.
West Point 20, Grenada 13
G 10 3 0 0 — 13
WP 6 0 14 0 — 20
First quarter
G — Remmington Smith 31 field goal
G — Emmanuel Forbes Jr. 2 pass from Joshua Phillips (Smith kick)
WP — Tre Ryland 23 pass from Brandon Harris (kick failed)
Second quarter
G — Smith 34 FG
Third quarter
WP — Dantariyus Cannon 2 run (kick failed)
WP — Tyron Orr 30 interception return (Harris run)
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.