Week 3 of the high school football season is in the books, and many area teams added a check into the win column behind some big plays from their playmakers, but one player’s impact stood out from the rest of the pack.
West Point’s do-it-all back Quintin Thompson rose to the challenge of outpacing Starkville’s offense, which had just set school records for offensive yards and passing yards, and delivered a hard-charging 144 yards rushing on 13 carries for one touchdown last Friday to claim the Green Wave a dominating 48-15 win over the Yellow Jackets and this week’s Dispatch Player of the Week honor.
West Point head coach Brett Morgan said when the game is on the line, Thompson has the ability to deliver, and he certainly provided the offensive spark for the back-to-back 5A champs last Friday.
“He’s a guy we can count on and trust when the chips are down,” Morgan said.
At 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds, Thompson may be small in stature, but behind West Point’s massive offensive line, the shifty senior exploded for bursts of 7, 9, 21 and 37 yards to help set up his team in the red zone, and he iced the game with a 46-yard touchdown run along the left sideline late in the fourth quarter. The Green Wave tallied six rushing touchdowns in the win.
“He’s just a straight West Point football player,” Morgan said. “He’s undersized, he’s very small. He probably doesn’t weigh a buck-40, maybe a buck-45 soaking wet, he’s about 5-foot-5. A lot of people, and even myself sometimes, can’t believe what he does and what he’s able to do with his body, but he’s just a soldier. He’s fearless, he plays fearless. He’s from Una, Mississippi, and those Una boys are tough.”
In a game full of talent on both sides, Thompson stood out as an explosive runner who was a walking first down anytime he had the ball, generating 11.1 yards a carry. He even threw a 47-yard pass during his many snaps at quarterback on his way to 191 all-purpose yards.
“He’s a senior and has just been a staple for this football team; he had a huge night in a lot of phases,” Morgan said. “He made plays in the passing game for us. He played quarterback for us, he played running back for us, he played wide out for us (and produced) almost 200 yards of all-purpose offense for us. He scored a touchdown. … So, just couldn’t be prouder of what he was able to do and his effect on the game was huge.”
Honorable mentions
Other notable Friday night performances include Xzavier Webber, who posted 172 yards on six receptions for a score and had two punt returns for 172 yards and a touchdown in Heritage Academy’s 42-19 win over Wayne Academy. On defense, Webber chipped in two tackles and three pass deflections. Jackson Knight had three touchdowns on five catches for 80 yards in Starkville Academy’s 33-7 win over Winston Academy. Matthew Benge helped lead Columbus Christian Academy to a 60-20 win over Tuscaloosa Christian with his 225 yards on 14 rushes for four scores. He also was 2-of-2 passing for a touchdown and had two tackles and an interception. Bennett Payton was a stalwart on defense for Noxubee County during its 36-12 win over Kemper County. He ended the game with five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and one pass deflection.
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