WEST POINT — West Point High School junior defensive back Tyler Rupert had been waiting patiently for his first two-interception game.
The time finally arrived Friday night at Hamblin Stadium.
“I knew after I got the first one early, this might be the night,” Rupert said. “I had the rest of the game to figure out a way to get another.”
Rupert had a lot of time with the champions belt, as his two interceptions highlighted a dominant defensive performance in 39-6 victory against Olive Branch for the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A North State championship.
West Point (14-0) will face Hattiesburg (14-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford for the state championship.
“Playing for the championship makes me so happy,” West Point senior defensive lineman LeDarrius Glover said. “We have been working hard to get to Oxford. For the seniors, it’s going to be special. For the whole town of West Point, it’s going to be special.”
West Point followed its traditional format to win its 27th-straight game. The Green Wave relied on a dominant rushing attack — three touchdowns from Marcus Murphy and a 150-yard night from Chris Calvert — and received contributions from an underrated passing attack, as Jason Brownlee had two touchdown catches.
There also was defense — lots and lots of defense.
“I just feel like it’s because we are all like brothers on the field,” said Rupert, when asked why the defense was so successful. “You want your brother to do good. But you don’t want him to have it easy. We challenge each other. We make it hard on each other. If you are tested in practice, the game is going to be much easier.
“It’s a competition for all of us. We challenge one another to be great.”
West Point nearly had its fifth shutout of the season. The lone score for Olive Branch (12-2) came on a 69-yard fumble return midway through the third quarter.
Coach Chris Chambless echoed Rupert’s sentiments and said his team wins most games on the practice field.
“For the defense, practice is intense,” Chambless said. “There is a lot of competition. They fight one another for everything, even a spot in line to eat. Then on Friday nights, everybody buys in and is all together. The communication of the defense has been great. It’s the closest group I have ever coached.”
West Point won the regular-season meeting 51-7. Thus, the Green Wave arrived at the stadium with a healthy dose of confidence. While a second-round rematch victory against Grenada was rough in certain areas, the second meeting with Olive Branch had no such adversity.
“Each week we come out focused on what we have to do,” West Point junior defensive end Jaylen Cungious said. “If we play to our ability, no one is going to score on us. We really believe that. It’s 11 guys playing as one out there. If your teammate needs some help, we have your back.”
The pressure of the West Point front four made the night miserable for junior quarterback Cole Catledge. Glover and Terence Cherry both blew through for three sacks.
Catledge was 11-for-31 with three interceptions. He was under duress most of the night. Olive Branch had 89 of its 115 yards in second half. Sixty-seven of the yards came on one drive.
“It feels good when you get in the backfield and mess up their passing game,” Glover said. “You could tell (Catledge) he was throwing quicker than he wanted, too.”
West Point has participated in the recent football phenomenon of having a belt or chain on the sideline to reward the accomplishments of its players. Rupert set the tone with an interception on Olive Branch’s second possession. Murphy cashed that takeaway in for a touchdown and 13-0 lead.
Rupert followed with his second interception early in the second quarter. It was his third interception of the season.
“Whatever it took to make the championship,” Rupert said.
The belt stayed with him until junior Latarius Embry had an interception in the closing minutes.
“One more game to win,” Glover said. “We got to bring the defense one more time. We know we can do this.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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