WEST POINT — When West Point High School senior linebacker Rasson Carr was asked how long he had been waiting to beat Starkville, the answer came quickly.
“Four years.”
While West Point could do little to make up for lost time, the reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A State champions, sent a message Friday night with a dominating performance in a 28-3 victory against Starkville at Hamblin Stadium.
West Point (3-0) won the Golden Triangle rivalry series for the first time since 2013. The quarterback/running back duo of Marcus Murphy (22 rushes, 163 yards, three touchdowns) and Chris Calvert (20 rushes, 127 yards, one touchdown) played a big role.
But the defense was the story in the team’s 16th-straight victory, recording four takeaways, blocking a punt, and holding Starkville to 137 yards.
“We run a turnover drill every day in practice,” Carr said. “It’s a combination of stripping the football and playing receivers right for the interception. It’s hard and long. Some days, it’s difficult, but we do some part of it every day. Nights like tonight that hard work paid off.”
Heavy rain before effected the Starkville passing game. Malik Brown was 12-for-24 for 60 yards when he wasn’t escaping the clutches of standout lineman Ledarius Glover.
“We just had a game plan,” West Point senior defensive back Tray Brownlee said. “Starkville likes to throw the ball, but we knew they weren’t going to do it on us. We have been ready for this game since the start of the season. As a defense, our job was to get after the quarterback. We really messed some things up for them.”
While the rain hampered the intentions of Starkville (2-1), it greatly helped the West Point cause. Murphy and Calvert proved way too much to overcome.
West Point completed only two passes but finished with 427 yards, including 406 on the ground.
“It was just an incredible team effort,” said West Point senior Jason Brownlee, who plays wide receiver and defensive back. “On offense (Murphy), makes it look easy. On defense, we want to do our job, too. The defense gets slept on because of how good the offense was. Tonight, was all about the turnovers.
“Pretty pleased we totally shut them down like that. As a senior, that is satisfying.”
Starkville led a 3-0 lead after one quarter. The Yellow Jackets then turned the ball over on downs on the first possession of the second quarter as things turned.
West Point moved 60 yards on five plays, 40 yards on four plays, and 79 yards on eight plays to score three-straight touchdowns. Murphy scored on runs of 36, 33, and 14 yards.
Tyler Rupert set up the second score by blocking a punt. Jason Brownlee set up the third score with an interception. Jaylen Cungious added a fumble recovery, but a field goal try failed to end the half.
Tray Brownlee also had an interception, while Ryan Melton had a fumble recovery. Rupert and Brandon Lairy had the forced fumbles. Glover had two sacks.
The West Point first-team defense has allowed one touchdown in three games.
“This team has a big advantage because a lot of the guys played together last year,” said Rupert, who is a junior defensive back. “That is why the defense is consistent. We are just having fun and making plays. We take everything as a personal challenge. We don’t want to allow the other team to get anything going.”
On a night when mobility was limited, Starkville found the uphill battle too much to overcome. The absence of standout running back Rodrigues Clark (injury) didn’t give Starkville a chance to alter its identity.
“You really can’t say enough about the defense,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said. “Those guys came to play tonight. It was a lights’ out performance. It’s one thing to get the turnovers. It’s another thing when you are able to take advantage of them. The kids really responded to the challenge.”
Tray Brownlee said the squad takes pride in causing turnovers. The Green Wave have seven takeaways in three games.
“Giving the ball back to (Murphy) and (Calvert) is our pleasure,” Tray Brownlee said. “They do so much for us. It’s the least we can do for them.”
West Point drove 75 yards on five plays early in the fourth quarter. Calvert got into the scoring column for a third-straight week with a 40-yard run.
By that time, the home side of the stadium had packed the ponchos and taken a deep breath. It was a victory a long time in the making.
When asked if beating the school’s main rival in his senior season had been circled on the calendar, Jason Brownlee didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, circled in pen,” Jason Brownlee said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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