WEST POINT – With some different faces on the coaching staff, some new faces in the lineup and even some familiar faces wearing different numbers, it took some time for West Point’s football team to look like its usual physically dominant self – but it didn’t take long.
After responding to a touchdown throw by Oxford in Thursday’s spring game with a 15-yard bruising touchdown run by Michael Williams, the Green Wave anchored down on defense and forced four straight punts. The last of which left West Point on its own 20-yard line, where veteran assistant and new head coach Roger Burton gathered his troops to lay out the framework for a good, old-fashioned rumbling Green Wave drive. Mixing handoffs to Kingston Branham and Williams, the squad chewed Oxford’s defense as it picked up two first downs on four plays before Jaylan Hall brought down the hammer in the form of a 65-yard touchdown run.
After getting the handoff, all Hall needed was a jump-cut between two Chargers to break free into open grass for the score. The Green Wave then ran in the 2-point conversion as they’ve done so many times before.
It may be the beginning of the Burton era, but it’s still the same West Point.
The moment was one of a few highlights for the Green Wave on Thursday, which ended up losing 21-20 to Oxford – albeit in only three quarters of football. It was a spring game, so there were plenty of areas that weren’t quite as polished for both teams. Burton and the crew know that and are confident they could’ve provided some updates to the scoreboard had there been another quarter to play.
“I really thought our kids operated to our standard,” Burton said. “I really thought they played hard. I thought we adjusted to the tempo of Oxford’s offense and got used to it and got settled in and played our offense.”
The game offered an early look at two teams operating with different offensive approaches but with the same “redemption” mentality. The 7A Chargers fell short of the state championship game with a loss to Tupelo in the North Half Championship while the Green Wave saw Brookhaven end their perfect season in the 5A state championship. With receivers out wide and the quarterback in shotgun, Oxford found moments of success against the Green Wave secondary and pass rushers with a touchdown throw of 38 yards to game at 14-14 and an aerial bombardment later in the game to set up the game-tying touchdown run and the lead-taking PAT.
After its scoring run by Hall, West Point continued its spree of powerful rushes from its own 27-yard line as it drove down the field for a 4-yard touchdown run. The Green Wave lined up for the 2-point conversion but a flag for an illegal shift moved them back. A flag for pass interference on Oxford moved them back up to just four yards away but the Chargers got into the backfield and stopped the try short. West Point also missed a PAT earlier in the game, so among other items, Burton said tries after touchdowns are definitely on the list of things to work on this summer. But mainly, he’s thrilled with what he’s seen against another team.
“We just have to keep working and getting better just one day at a time and enjoy the process,” he said. … “I like the way our team looks. I like the attitude… They are working hard, they’re working within the framework. They are operating to our standards.”
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