WEST POINT — “We’re not perfect yet, we’re still learning how to do that, but we see a lot of good signs of senior leadership in our team.”
West Point head coach Brett Morgan knows what it takes to win, and his team of reigning champions is already focused on winning again after running out the new look squad in a 33-19 spring game win at South Panola earlier this month.
The Green Wave won their 13th state championship in 2024, running the table through Class 5A play and capping the winning streak with a 28-21 title game win over Gautier in Hattiesburg.
It was the first championship under Morgan in his first season after the retirement of serial winner Chris Chambless. Morgan will be the first to credit the players for the program’s continued success, and the Class of 2025 in particular, for following in the footsteps of classes before them to meet the lofty program standard.
“We had a group of 34 seniors last year who did a phenomenal job of showing the younger guys how to lead and what it looks like to lead by example every day, to work to the standard every day,” Morgan said. “Now it’s the seniors of 2026. The burden falls on their shoulders to make sure that we’re at that standard every day. We saw a lot of good signs this spring.”
When it comes to sustaining success, the Green Wave is the standard in the state. They’ve won 10 or more games for 10 straight seasons and 9 state titles in the last 20 years.
According to Morgan, much of that success and continuity comes down to the responsibility the players take as leaders in the locker room.
“It’s a huge part of West Point football,” he said. “Groups of seniors have that responsibility of modelling what it takes to compete at a championship level, and every year it falls on the next senior class to model that and show what leadership looks like to the next group.”
The culture of accountability in West Point is as important this year as ever, given how many seniors graduated. The Green Wave is relying on several players stepping into starting roles for the first time in 2025.
While the national discourse around spring games and their purpose is ongoing at the college level, there’s no question at West Point that the value of first-team reps and live game reps is too much to turn down.
“It’s critical to get those reps and see the different fronts, the different looks,” Morgan said of the spring experience. “You can’t beat full-speed reps, and we get a lot of that in the spring. We go first team offense on defense a lot in spring practices, and they teach each other a lot, and then getting to play a quality team like South Panola and getting some film is invaluable.”
Despite the departures, several guys stepping up have played a part in each of the last two state championships. The Green Wave’s rotating cast of athletes under center – ball carriers and quarterbacks – includes rising seniors Quentin Thompson and Cole Whitacre, both of whom possess the ability to pass and run. Mike “Bam” Williams, Jaylen Hall and Kingston Branham are all getting carries as well.
Green Wave players seem to relish the opportunity to go out and compete against another team, and it’s the first step in the spring to prepare for August and September when the reps matter. Morgan knows as much from his years calling plays as well as his first year on the sideline, and he’s excited to repeat the process with a new group of guys.
“It was exciting to get to play a game,” he said. “We found out we have a long way to go, we saw a lot of good and a lot of what we need to work on. A lot of it is just kids learning how to dress for a game and get on a bus to travel. For a lot of them, it was their first time doing that for varsity. It’s all learning how it’s going to feel on top of playing together with a new team for the first time. It’s a learning experience that you have to go through to better prepare yourself for the fall.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
