LEXINGTON — Cameron Young took the snap and ran right, heading straight for a crowd of defenders.
As players from both teams were knocked off their feet, the West Point junior looked like he’d be the next to be tackled. After all, Holmes County Central senior defensive back Calvin Head was right in front of him, arms extended, waiting.
But Young wasn’t ready to go down just yet.
Neither was West Point.
Young stayed on his feet and leapt into the end zone with a 12-yard touchdown run to break a fourth-quarter tie, and the Green Wave (8-3) soon moved on to the second round of the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs with a 42-28 win over the Jaguars (7-3).
“They just refused to lose,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said.
The victory kept alive a chance at a public school record for state championships with 12 all time as well as the Green Wave’s shot at their fifth straight Class 5A title.
“We’re trying to make history: five in a row, man,” junior linebacker Keon Cunningham said.
Cunningham fought through pain to make an impact on both sides of the ball for West Point on Friday. In the second quarter, he caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Corbin Kelley; on Holmes County Central’s ensuing drive, he sniffed out a fourth-down screen for a loss to give the Green Wave the ball back.
“He was cramping a little bit tonight, but he still pushed himself through, and he was able to make some big plays for us,” Chambless said.
Cunningham said no matter what side of the ball he was on, the Green Wave’s offense and defense had each other’s back throughout Friday’s game. It’s a hallmark of his team’s success, he said.
“We’re going to play together all the way,” Cunningham said. “That’s West Point football.”
Of course, this year’s edition of West Point football hasn’t quite looked the same as Green Wave teams of years past. Against Lake Cormorant, West Point lost its first Region 1-5A game since 2015; the following week, the Green Wave lost again at Grenada. The setbacks gave West Point the No. 3 seed and a road date for the playoffs.
And despite miscues Friday night — two fumbles at inopportune times — the Green Wave still made it through.
“That’s because our guys play extremely hard,” Chambless said. “They believe in themselves and in each other.”
That faith rewarded West Point in the biggest of moments Friday night. After Holmes County Central’s Jerrell Boyd ran for a 15-yard touchdown and tied the game 28-all on a two-point conversion, the Green Wave got to work with just over eight minutes to go.
A pass interference penalty saved West Point on an early third and long, and senior back JaKobe Pate kicked the offense into gear from there. On a crucial third-and-6 from the Jaguars’ 31-yard line, the Green Wave went back to Young, who bounced outside to move the chains. Then Young powered through to the right corner from 12 yards out and the lead with 2:36 remaining.
“Him and Kobe Pate, they’re a great complement for each other, and they both pull for each other,” Chambless said. “When one of them scores, both of them score.”
With a seven-point lead, West Point geared up to stop a dynamic Jags offense featuring Boyd, quarterback Levi Wyatt, Mississippi State commit Corey Ellington and LSU commit Khamauri Rogers one last time.
As it turned out, the Green Wave didn’t have to.
Holmes County Central fumbled the kickoff return, and West Point’s Chris Dean recovered at the 20-yard line. Two penalties and a 2-yard Young touchdown run — his fifth score of the game — later, the Green Wave had a 42-28 lead and some breathing room.
It was just what West Point needed after having difficulty stopping the Jags all night, particularly on third and fourth down. The Green Wave will try to clean that up, though they’re pleased it didn’t cost them their season.
“When it’s money down, we’ve got to get off the field. We were gassed tonight — stayed on the field way too long,” Chambless said. “But at the same time, we pulled out a win. We’re going to enjoy it.”
West Point won’t have long, of course, before jubilation becomes preparation. The Green Wave hope to “avenge” their earlier loss to the Chargers, Chambless said, though that won’t come easy.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Grenada’s got a great football team. They’ll be fresh. They haven’t played very many games, and we’ve played every one of ours.”
As usual, the Green Wave expect the Chargers to step it up for next week’s game, a chance for Grenada to eliminate a state powerhouse. West Point wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’re going to give it our all,” Cunningham said. “I know they’re going to give us their all. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”
West Point 42, Holmes County Central 28
WP 7 14 7 14 — 42
HCC 6 6 8 8 — 28
First quarter
WP — Cameron Young 1 run (Alex Harper kick), clock 10:24
HCC — Jerrell Boyd 8 pass from Levi Wyatt (kick failed), clock 7:45
Second quarter
WP — Young 2 run (Harper kick), clock 11:58
HCC — Corey Ellington 15 pass from Wyatt (run failed), clock 9:35
WP — Keon Cunningham 21 pass from Corbin Kelley (Harper kick), clock 6:35
Third quarter
HCC — Ellington 31 pass from Wyatt (Boyd run), clock 7:50
WP — Young 1 run (Harper kick), clock 5:16
Fourth quarter
HCC — Boyd 15 run (Boyd run), clock 8:11
WP — Young 12 run (Harper kick), clock 2:36
WP — Young 2 run (Harper kick), clock 1:38
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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