West Point High School football coach Chris Chambless is aware of his community’s expectations for the program.
After all, Chambless, his staff, and his former teams are a big reason for the expectations.
“It really doesn’t matter who we line up against on a Friday night, folks expect us to win,” Chambless said. “Players want to be a part of this program because of the past success. There is an expectation. There is an excitement. We understand that. That is why it is a privilege to coach here and play here, to back that tradition.”
Chambless took West Point to a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state championship in 2005. He followed that up with Class 5A titles in 2009 and 2010.
The past four seasons haven’t measured up. West Point had five losses in three of the past four seasons. It hasn’t returned to the state championship game in that time, including a heart-breaking overtime loss to Starkville in the 2012 Class 5A North State championship game.
However, the swagger is back. The enthusiasm level is, too.
“We really like this team,” Chambless. “We are young in a lot of spots, but the kids are excited. They are hungry. You can only be beaten down so much. You want to come out and fight. I think you are going to see a lot of resilience. You should see a team get better each week.”
West Point didn’t play the opening week of the regular season. In the New Hope Jamboree, West Point scored two late touchdowns to beat Kosciusko.
The youth was on full display. Sophomore quarterback Marcus Murphy scored two touchdowns, while sophomore Chris Calvert scored the other.
While it was only one half, one could tell that this looked like a vintage West Point football team.
The offensive line blocked well. The team ran the ball almost exclusively. A series of quick backs lined up as running backs, slot backs, wide receivers, and flankers. Murphy and Calvert made good decisions and moving the chains, primarily with their feet.
The defense also looked the part. The Green Wave played with passion and enthusiasm. Players were flying to the football, making plays and then chest bumping and high-fiving after they did.
If you looked for one area of disconnect in recent years for West Point it was on defense. The 2009 and 2010 state championship teams allowed 177 points in 15 games for an average of 11.8 points per game. In 2013, West Point allowed 405 points in 12 games for an average of 33.75 ppg.
“There is no secret we have been looking to get better on defense,” Chambless said. “I think we are headed in that direction. We have some really talented players on both sides of the ball. We are just young in a lot of areas. The good news is some of the younger players didn’t go through some of the tough times on the varsity level that last couple of years, so they are new to how hard we work and how we do things around here. You will see them grow up quickly.”
On the preseason depth chart, neither quarterback is a senior. The Green Wave also don’t have a senior in their top trio of running backs. They have only one senior at receiver. The offensive line is led by top recruit Scott Lashley. He is joined mainly by sophomores and juniors.
“It’s really fun coming every day to practice and helping the young guys learn,” said Lashley, who entered preseason camp with 24 Division I offers. “You can tell we are faster than we have been the last couple of years. Stronger and faster, too.
“Our job is to open up the holes and let (Marcus Murphy, Dmarrio Edwards, Chris Calvert, and Trevino Harris) do their thing.”
Harris doing his thing is something new. A defensive standout a season ago, Harris was moved to offense in the offseason. Chambless felt his team lacked speed on offense a year ago. Several moves were made to address that concern.
“We really evaluated every position on the field,” Chambless said. “We also have practiced more guys at two positions than ever before. When you are teaching some younger players the game, you can open them up to trying some new things.
“We have moved more speed to the offensive side of the ball. We have also made sure that just about everybody in the starting lineup could go at two positions.”
On defense, the Green Wave could start as many as six seniors. A year ago, West Point allowed 307 points in 14 games for an average of 21.9 ppg.
Oxford returns almost everybody from last season’s North State Class 5A championship team. The Chargers will again be the favorite in the Class 5A, Region 1 race. Still, West Point is determined and focused. The Green Wave will come ready to play.
“Oxford really embarrassed us twice last year,” West Point senior defensive back Jeffery Drake said. “We are ready to show them we are for real this year.”
Even if West Point can’t back the words on the field, the good news is the attitude of a champion is back. For West Point, it has been a long time coming.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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