WEST POINT — From the opening quarter, West Point controlled every inch of the field and never let Columbus gather any momentum. Behind a fast start on the ground and a swarming defensive front, the Green Wave rolled to a convincing 49-0 shutout victory on Thursday night.
West Point wasted no time. After marching downfield and punching in the game’s first score, the Green Wave defense forced a quick three-and-out. Columbus briefly caught a break when a tipped pass turned into an interception inside the West Point 25, but the Falcons could not capitalize. They gained only three yards on the next set of downs before punting it away again.
West Point made them pay. Relying heavily on their running back tandem, the Green Wave flipped the field in three plays before junior back Amahd Brown broke loose for a 61-yard touchdown run to stretch the early lead.
Columbus tried to settle in. Senior halfback Jeremiah Bluitt broke off a strong return to near midfield and added a short gain on the ground, but the Falcons stalled again and punted. West Point started another promising drive and appeared to score again before a holding penalty wiped it off the board. Even so, the momentum never shifted.
Head coach Brett Morgan said the Green Wave never wavered because they stayed within their identity.
“Our defense stood tall,” Morgan said. “They did a phenomenal job of not letting the emotions of the game affect them.”
Early in the second quarter, West Point extended the lead when senior quarterback Colt Whitacre connected with senior tight end Justin White on fourth-and-short inside the red zone. Minutes later, another short Columbus possession gave West Point another short field. A 30-yard burst from sophomore back Kingston Branham set up a direct-snap score on the next play as the Green Wave continued to pile on.
Columbus’ lone spark of the half came when the Falcons recovered a West Point fumble near the Green Wave 38. But after just three yards from Bluitt and an incomplete fourth-down pass from senior quarterback Dkyren Henderson, the possession fizzled out. West Point responded in the final seconds of the half as Whitacre delivered a 25-yard strike to senior receiver Crenshaun Blair to push the margin to 35-0 heading into halftime.
The second half followed the same pattern. Columbus opened with a bobbled snap by Henderson and lost 10 yards on the first play of the third quarter, and the Falcons punted once again. West Point quickly flipped field position again with a pair of tough runs from junior running back Savion Jefferson. A mishandled snap briefly slowed the drive, but West Point regained rhythm.
In the final quarter, West Point continued to lean on the ground game. A jet sweep from junior wideout Markell Logan moved the Green Wave inside the 15, and senior back McKinvein McKinney powered in another score. After forcing another Columbus punt, West Point marched to the Columbus 15, where a loose snap briefly delayed the inevitable, when McKinney took a direct snap two plays later and went 14 yards untouched for another touchdown and a successful conversion.
The Falcons’ final possession produced another negative snap, a short gain up the middle, and a punt to close out the night.
Morgan said the win showed what West Point can be, but he still wants sharper execution when games tighten.
“We just have to be cleaner on offense and keep operating on our standard,” Morgan said. “We need to stay healthy as well.”
Columbus’ season will end with the loss at West Point as the Falcons finish 1-9. West Point, on the other hand, locked up the No. 1 seed in the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs and will host Vicksburg at home next week.
West Point 49, Columbus 0
West Point (10-0) 14 21 0 14 — 49
Columbus (1-9) 0 0 0 0 — 0
First Quarter
WP – Opening Drive TD
WP — Amahd Brown 61-yard run
Second Quarter
WP — Colt Whitacre pass to Justin White
WP — Kingston Branham 22-yard direct snap run
WP — Whitacre 25-yard pass to Crenshaun Blair
Third Quarter
No Scoring
Fourth Quarter
WP — McKinney 14-yard direct snap run
WP — McKinney 3-yard run
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