WEST POINT — The opportunity members of the West Point High School football team have coveted most of this season has arrived.

When West Point lost to Oxford 43-22 on Sept. 26, it started a two-month countdown as West Point players like senior Kadarius Forside began marking off the days until a possible rematch against the Chargers.

That rematch will take place at 7 tonight in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State playoffs at Hamblin Stadium in West Point.

“We wanted another shot at them,” said Forside, a senior who has rushed for a team-best 735 yards despite playing tailback in seven of West Point’s 13 games. “We talked about that all year. Now we get them again. They are a great team We respect them, but we wanted them again.”

West Point (9-4) earned a rematch with a 28-14 win last week at Germantown. Oxford (11-1) has won 10 straight since a 52-29 loss to Class 6A favorite Starkville on Aug. 29. That streak includes Oxford’s first victory in West Point. Oxford scored the final 36 points after falling behind 22-7 late in the first half.

“This is one of the toughest places in the state to come win a football game,” said Oxford coach Johnny Hill, who has won two straight against West Point. “That’s because not only are they a great program, but they are a very physical team that beats you up. It takes a lot to beat this team.”

Oxford must beat West Point again if it is going to reach its second-straight Class 5A state championship game. To do so, Oxford will have to beat a West Point team that’s eager to return to championship weekend for the first time since 2010, when the Green Wave won the last of their seven state championships.

“It’s a big game,” said West Point coach Chris Chambless, whose team has overcome injuries that have ravaged the offensive backfield. “Our kids did want another shot of Oxford. We respect them. They are a great program, very well coached. Both of these teams want to get to the same place, and one of them will be happy, the other won’t be (tonight).”

The challenge will remain the same for West Point. In the first meeting, the Green Wave intercepted junior quarterback Jack Abraham three times in the first half. Senior defensive back Davin Webb returned one of the interceptions 26 yards for a touchdown to give West Point a 15-point lead. But Abraham rebounded in the second half and finished with four touchdown passes.

“I settled down,” Abraham said after the win. “West Point has a great defense, and they made plays in the first half. But I trusted my receivers and we got the job done in the second half.”

Abraham, who missed four games due to injury, has thrown for 2,394 yards and 25 touchdowns. His favorite target has been junior Dekaylin Metcalf, rated by Scout.com as the nation’s No. 1 junior wide receiver. Metcalf, who has 63 catches for 982 yards and 12 touchdowns, had seven catches for 135 yards and two scores in the first meeting. He has given a verbal commitment to Ole Miss.

West Point cornerback Jalen Lee, who had an interception in the loss, will be one of the players who will try to contain Metcalf.

Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat