WEST POINT — As soon as the ball slipped through Chris Chandler’s fingers, the West Point High School senior brought his hands up to his face mask in contrition.
He knew what it meant to miss an opportunity like that.
Chandler’s dropped interception in the third quarter against Louisville on Friday exemplified the Green Wave’s frustrating night: West Point was right there all evening in its 2022 season opener but couldn’t execute consistently in a 24-14 loss.
“It didn’t go our way certain times; certain times it did,” Green Wave coach Chris Chambless said. “But when it comes down to finishing, we’ve got to finish.”
West Point (0-1) led 14-10 inside two minutes to play but allowed the go-ahead passing touchdown with 1:23 remaining. A pick-six on the Green Wave’s first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive sealed the deal for Louisville (1-0).
The Wildcats escaped Hamblin Stadium with a victory in the battle between two perennial MHSAA title contenders — West Point in Class 5A and Louisville in Class 4A.
“They have a great team,” Chambless said. “They have a state championship team, bottom line. We were nip and tuck, back and forth with them, and in the end it just didn’t happen for us.”
That hasn’t always turned out bad for the Green Wave. The last time they played the Wildcats, back in 2019, a 10-point loss just like Friday’s result proved meaningless as West Point surged to the state title.
But it’ll take much better play for something like that to happen again.
The Green Wave fumbled four times, committed seven penalties and had neither their offense nor their defense flowing as usual.
With a rivalry game at Starkville next up, West Point knows it can’t afford that performance again.
“We’re just going to get better every week,” junior quarterback Kahnen Daniels said.
Daniels certainly helped West Point battle Louisville to the end, scoring the Green Wave’s first touchdown — a 3-yard run in the second quarter.
He finished with 83 yards on 22 carries and had several key rushes to set up junior Quinterion Tillman-Evans for a 24-yard touchdown run on a bootleg with 4:07 to play.
But Louisville wasn’t done. A pass interference call away from the ball on a fourth-down incompletion gave the Wildcats new life, and they took advantage.
Sophomore quarterback Xavier Hunt completed his next three passes, capping a touchdown drive with a 17-yard dime to Keyarrion Jackson in the right corner of the end zone.
“That felt good,” said Jackson, who also had a 3-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. “We live for things like this.”
Hunt and the Wildcats got mostly what they wanted through the air against the Green Wave. Getting the ball out quick and facing little pressure, the Louisville signal caller completed 22 of 40 passes for 208 yards and two scores. He was intercepted once.
Chambless said a young West Point secondary that lost several players to graduation will improve but that Louisville’s passing attack is always tough to stop.
“They do what they do, and they do it well,” he said. “If you give them the deep ball, they’re going to take it. If you give them the short (ball), they’re going to take it.”
West Point managed to get its offense going when needed after a Ceidrick Hunt field goal gave Louisville a 10-6 lead late in the third quarter.
After a turnover on downs at the Wildcats’ 35, the Green Wave forced a three-and-out. A crucial offsides penalty on Louisville on fourth-and-4 in plus territory moved the chains, and Daniels dived ahead for a first down on fourth-and-2 to set up Tillman-Evans’ touchdown run.
But West Point’s kickoff only reached the 47, and Louisville marched down the field to take the lead for good. Tillman-Evans was picked off by Laterrious Haynes on his first pass attempt of a potential game-winning drive, and the Wildcats celebrated what they knew was a sure victory.
Louisville will play at Kemper County (0-0) next week before hosting three area teams in a row — Columbus, Starkville and Noxubee County. The Green Wave also have the Falcons, Yellow Jackets and Tigers on the schedule, starting with the Class 6A squad.
“It seems like every non-district game we play is a rivalry game,” Chambless said. “It’s hard to get up (for all of them), but when you play in Starkville, it’s not hard for the two schools to get up and fight hard and try to get better.”
Henley out for opener
West Point was without running back Keshawn Henley on Friday.
Henley ran for 1,071 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, and without him, West Point primarily ran the ball with Daniels and Tillman-Evans.
Chambless said he expects Henley to be available for the Green Wave’s road game at Starkville next Friday.
Louisville 24, West Point 14
Louisville (1-0) 0 7 3 14 – 24
West Point (0-1) 0 6 0 8 — 14
Second quarter
WP — Kahnen Daniels 3 run (kick failed), clock 1:15
L — Keyarrion Jackson 3 pass from Xavier Hunt (Ceidrick Hunt kick), clock 0:10
Third quarter
L — C. Hunt 26 FG, clock 2:52
Fourth quarter
WP — Quinterion Tillman-Evans 24 run (Daniels run), clock 4:07
L — Jackson 17 pass from X. Hunt (C. Hunt kick), clock 1:23
L — Laterrious Haynes 43 interception return (C. Hunt kick), clock 1:07
Team statistics
L WP
Rushing yards 45 194
Passing yards 208 37
Comp.-Att.-Int. 22-40-1 4-9-1
Fumbles-lost 2-0 4-0
Penalties-yards 6-37 7-60
First downs 21 13
Individual statistics
PASSING: Louisville — Xavier Hunt 22-40, 208; West Point — Kahnen Daniels 4-4, 37; Quinterion Tillman-Evans 0-5, 0.
RUSHING: Louisville — Jaden Triplett 12-28, Xavier Hunt 3-13, Jykevious Goss 5-3; Keyarrion Jackson 1-1; West Point — Kahnen Daniels 22-83, Quinterion Tillman-Evans 11-65, Ahmari Cox 2-26, Keimon Ewing 5-14, Devin Jones 2-6.
RECEIVING: Louisville — Keyarrion Jackson 8-84, Jykevious Goss 5-43, Swahili Earby 4-38, Jaden Triplett 3-23, Victor Rush 1-11, Deniro Jackson 1-9; West Point: Ahmari Cox 1-14, Kolban Hogan 1-14, Tristan Edwards 1-6, Jalon Cooperwood 1-3.
This story will be updated.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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