WEST POINT — Midway through the second quarter Friday, West Point was backed up well behind the sticks.
With first-and-10 at the Lake Cormorant 28-yard line, the Green Wave took a holding penalty and then a flag for illegal procedure. Quarterback Quinterion Tillman-Evans was brought down for no gain, giving West Point second-and-22 all the way back at the 40.
So Tillman-Evans casually tossed a perfect deep ball to senior receiver Ahmari Cox, who made the catch in stride in the back of the end zone.
“We’ve just got a connection,” the junior quarterback said.
That connection helped the Green Wave pad their lead over the Gators to 22-0 as West Point continued to display a multifaceted offensive attack that has been firing on all cylinders.
West Point (5-2) finished a 36-0 shutout win over Lake Cormorant (3-5), improving to 4-0 in MHSAA Class 5A, Region 1 play.
The Green Wave won their fifth straight game after an 0-2 start to the season that featured losses to Louisville and Starkville.
“We’ve continued to get better,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said.
That was clear from the opening drive Friday. After forcing the Gators to punt, the Green Wave scored on their first play. Junior Kahnen Daniels raced right for an 88-yard touchdown run, an emphatic start for West Point.
Daniels scored on a 21-yard run in the fourth quarter as the Green Wave did what they do best: spreading the football around. In addition to Daniels’ two scores and Cox’s touchdown reception from Tillman-Evans, Devin Jones scored on a 16-yard run late in the first quarter, and Keshawn Henley ran for a 32-yard score in the fourth.
“Our running back room and quarterback room, they’re very unselfish,” Chambless said. “They pull for each other. It doesn’t matter who gets the yards or who gets the TDs.”
Henley’s scamper triggered a running clock by virtue of the 35-point mercy rule.
That was thanks in large part to a stingy West Point defense that continually kept the Gators off the board.
The Green Wave intercepted two passes — both by senior Chris Chandler — and forced two fumbles, one on a kick return.
“Our defense played really well,” Chambless said. “We were on top of things. We’ve got to clean up some of the stuff, but the defensive coaches and defensive players did a heck of a job tonight.”
Tillman-Evans said the Green Wave’s defense helped turn the tide in the rare moments when West Point’s offense was scuffling.
After a third-quarter penalty turned a manageable fourth-and-5 into an impossible fourth-and-20, a Tillman-Evans pass fell incomplete and the Gators took over at their own 35.
Chandler was flagged for pass interference as Lake Cormorant got down to the West Point 25, but the cornerback picked off his second pass of the game inside the 10-yard line.
West Point reeled off a 90-yard drive, capped by Daniels’ second touchdown.
“Defense was amazing,” Tillman-Evans said. “They came up real big when some things didn’t go right for the offense. They just really turned the momentum around.”
So, of course, did a West Point offense that never struggled to move the football, even against a Lake Cormorant defense with three Division I recruits, including five-star junior Kamarion Franklin.
Of course, Tillman-Evans and Cox provided another dimension yet again for an unpredictable and apparently unstoppable Green Wave scoring attack.
“They never know what we’re going to do,” Tillman-Evans said.
West Point 36, Lake Cormorant 0
Lake Cormorant (3-5) 0 0 0 0 — 0
West Point (5-2) 14 8 0 14 — 36
First quarter
WP — Kahnen Daniels 88 run (run failed), clock 9:41
WP — Devin Jones 16 run (Henry Harrell pass from Daniels), clock 0:23
Second quarter
WP — Ahmari Cox 40 pass from Quinterion Tillman-Evans (Daniels run), clock 6:49
Fourth quarter
WP — Daniels 21 run (Tillman-Evans run), clock 10:20
WP — Keshawn Henley 32 run (run failed), clock 8:49
Individual statistics
PASSING: Lake Cormorant — Baker Walker 5-15, 23; West Point — Quinterion Tillman-Evans 3-6, 64; Kahnen Daniels 1-2, 15.
RUSHING: Lake Cormorant — Joshaun Williams 3-8, Cur’Darrius Bullock 9-3, Baker Walker 4-3; West Point — Kahnen Daniels 18-204, Keshawn Henley 14-93, Quinterion Tillman-Evans 9-33, Devin Jones 2-16, Keimon Ewing 1-12, Ahmari Cox 1-11, Shamane Clark 1-5, Chris Freeman 1-3, Mac McGee 1-1.
RECEIVING: Lake Cormorant — Wylie Riley 2-11, Rondarious White 2-9, Chris Chrestensen 1-3; West Point — Ahmari Cox 2-55, Henry Harrell 1-16, Jalon Cooperwood 1-8.
Team statistics
First downs: Lake Cormorant 4, West Point 23
Rushing yards: Lake Cormorant 14, West Point 378
Comp.-att.-int.: Lake Cormorant 5-15-2, West Point 4-8-0
Passing yards: Lake Cormorant 23, West Point 79
Penalties-yards: Lake Cormorant 7-50, West Point 10-125
Fumbles-lost: Lake Cormorant 2-2, West Point 0-0
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
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 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
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 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion