BATESVILLE — West Point High School senior defensive back Johnathan Patterson likes to make plays.
Patterson makes big plays and makes small plays. His attention to detail is one of the reasons why West Point’s defense should place it in position to contend for this season’s Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state championship.
With help from several teammates, Patterson and the Green Wave battled No. 1 South Panola to the wire Saturday night. The top-ranked Tigers eventually emerged with a 12-10 victory in the season opener for each squad played before a capacity crowd at Dunlap Stadium.
Senior Clayton Sibley nailed an 18-yard field goal as time expired to lift South Panola to victory.
“We wanted it, I guess maybe we wanted it too badly and that is why we made mistakes,” Patterson said. “We worked hard and put in some long hours this week. We really wanted to make a statement. We all wanted this really bad.”
As Sibley’s kick sailed through the uprights, tears started flowing from several West Point players. An emotional struggle between the state’s top two football programs was decided on the last snap. Two plays earlier, West Point allowed 1 yard on first-and-goal at the 2. The next play, West Point only allowed 1 more yard, inching the ball to inside the 1-yard line.
South Panola coach Lance Pogue had seen enough and elected to trot Sibley onto the turf. The final kick of his four-field goal night sent the home folks into hysteria.
“We gave it our all,” West Point senior nose guard Antonio Dent said. “We came to the hardest place to play in the state and we were in it until the final play. It hurts because of what we did this week to get ready for this game. However, you leave here knowing what type of team you have. You know how special this season can be.”
Both teams played the type of defense that will be on display at state championship weekend in December. South Panola drove inside the 10-yard line four times but was limited to four field goals and turned the ball over once on downs. West Point did not top 100 yards of total offense until the first play of the fourth quarter.
Down 9-2, West Point suddenly found a rhythm in that final quarter. The Green Wave marched the ball 86 yards on 15 plays. Quarterback Tez Lane and fellow back Aeris Williams did the heavy lifting. The drive included a 16-yard run Williams and a 12-yard run by Lane. On this night, those numbers were gaudy.
“It all fell into place,” Lane said. “Coach (Chris Chambless) told us at halftime to keep believing. He told us we would have a chance to make a play. That was one of the biggest drives we have had in quite some time. You saw a determination in the huddle.”
Junior Roger Thomas, typically the third down back in most sets, scored on a 5-yard run. The Green Wave quickly raced to the line and drew a procedure penalty. Now the try for a two-point conversion would be from the 1-yard line.
“We came here to win it,” Chambless said. “There was never any doubt. If we ever found a way to score a touchdown, we were going to try to win the game. We have some new faces on the offensive line. The maturity on the line on that drive was amazing. You saw a football team grow up during a fourth-quarter battle.”
Behind that line, which was outweighed by more than 50 pounds at almost each spot, Williams plowed in from the yard out for the two-point conversion.
With 4 minutes, 22 seconds left in regulation, West Point led 10-9.
“I think we may have taken a breath there,” Patterson said. “We let them get the momentum back.”
South Panola started its game-winning march on its 37-yard line. Again, big plays were plentiful. Patterson and junior linebacker Davion Bradshaw, who had an outstanding game in his own right, continued to apply the pressure.
South Panola drove to the West Point 29-yard line in just four plays. Facing a fourth-and-7, quarterback Rip Kirk hit Darrell Henderson for a game-saving 14-yard pickup. On third down, junior defensive back Rashad Jones got his hand on a deflection. West Point had no such fortune on the next play.
South Panola would later picked up third-and-1 at the West Point 6-yard line. The teams combined for 455 yards, with 146 of those coming on the final two drives.
In the end, South Panola had just enough. With the teams in difference classifications, there will be no repeat performance in Jackson. Rest assured Chambless left this stadium feeling much better than he did a year ago when South Panola won 37-17 at West Point.
“I don’t know if you could have a loss define a season,” Chambless said. “I do know we showed we belonged tonight. These kids can feel good about what they are doing. Our attitude is great. We had a few penalties. We made no turnovers.
“If they needed any confidence, it came tonight. This can be a special team.”
After some of the tears were wiped away and replaced by hugs from parents and classmates, many of the West Point players echoed the sentiment of their coach.
“This really hurts right now because of everything we put into it,” Dent said. “But I walk out of this stadium proud of my teammates. West Point football is back. People who saw this game know that.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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