Beating the same team twice in the same season is a difficult task no matter what teams are involved.
That was the challenge faced by the Grenada Chargers against West Point in the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs last Friday at Charger Stadium. It was a month ago that Grenada took West Pest Point to overtime, winning a 28-21 decision.
This time, a berth in the North 5A championship game was at stake. Once again, it came down to a couple of plays to decide the outcome.
The four-time defending 5A state champions had an answer each time the Chargers scored. West Point had a touchdown in the final five minutes when they took advantage of a Grenada turnover to take home a 28-14 victory.
With the win, West Point (9-3) advances to the North 5A championship game Friday at Ridgeland. The Titans from Madison County won a 32-29 decision over Neshoba Central. Grenada finishes the season at 8-3.
“We knew going into the game whoever took care of the football and limited penalties would win,” Grenada head coach Ashley Kuhn said. “Give them credit, they did what it took to win the game.”
The Green Wave used their power run game with Cameron Young, Jakobe Pate and Chris Ivy to run their way to the win. Kuhn was quick to point out that the running game is more than just running right at the defense.
“It’s more complicated than that,” he explained. “They run inside, run outside and you have to react and read the play. If you go inside, they go outside and vice versa. When you’ve been doing something so long and that is all you do, you get really good at the offense.”
The game opened fast for both teams.
Grenada came out of the gates fast with a 61-yard, 10-play drive that took nearly six minutes. Senior quarterback Josh Phillips completed passes of 13 yards to Derrick Harbin and 15 yards to Joe Moss. He had a five-yard pass to Moss for the game’s first points. Jacob Chavis kicked the point after to make it 7-0.
Kuhn was pleased with the fast start, but thought the turning point may have come on the Green Wave’s first possession.
On the ensuing kickoff, West Point had a 40-yard kickoff return nullified due to a penalty. That did not stop the Green Wave as they went 93 yards in just five plays to tie the game.
Keshawn Henley scored on a 33-yard touchdown run with 3:52 left in the opening period. Young had a run of 22 yards in the drive and Pate added a 15-yard run. They also used a 17-yard pass from Corbin Kelly to Trey Ryland to set up the score. Alex Harper kicked the extra point that tied the game at 7.
“I thought we may have come out a little too juiced up for the game,” Kuhn said. “It was good we scored, but I thought the turning point may have been when we had them pinned back and they drove 93 yards. That was tough.”
The Chargers did not have an answer to slow the West Point offense. They entered the game scoring 170 total points since their loss at Grenada, a span of just four games.
“They have some really good skilled guys,” he said. “They run north and south. The longer the game goes, the more they start building momentum, the tougher they get to stop.”
Grenada picked up a pair of first downs on its second possession, but it would end with a punt from the Green Wave 43. After an exchange of possessions, West Point drove 80 yards in 11 plays. Young capped the drive with a nine-yard run with 2:01 left in the first half. The extra point failed on a mishandled snap leaving 13-7, which was the halftime score.
Second Half
The Grenada defensive unit stopped West Point on its initial drive of the second half and forced a punt. After a short punt gave the Chargers the ball at the West Point 43, it took them four plays to score. Phillips went the final 25 yards for the touchdown. Chavis kicked the extra point to give Grenada 14-13 lead at the 8:09 left in the third period.
West Point came right back to take the lead for good. The Green Wave used a 17-yard run from Ivy and a 55-yard scamper from Young to regain the lead at 19-14. A two-point pass from Ivy to Justin Collins on a tackle-eligible play increased the lead to 21-14 with 7:27 left in the period.
The Chargers appeared on their way to answer the Green Wave drive with one it their own. A holding penalty stopped the drive at the West Point 34.
West Point put together a long drive from its nine-yard line to the Grenada 29. There, they gave up the ball on downs with 5:15 left in the game. On third down from their own 32-yard line, Grenada turned the ball over on a fumble at their 25-yard line. The Green Wave need eight plays to put the game away as Young scored on a one-yard run with 3:59 left. Harper’s extra point made it 28-14.
Following the contest, Kuhn talked to his players about the accomplishments made throughout the season.
“You will take 8-3 most years,” he concluded. “We won the division title and hosted two playoff games. A win over West Point and a road win over Lake Cormorant. Sometimes it is hard to find the accomplishments when you walk off the field for the final time.”
By the Numbers
The Green Wave finished the night with 383 total yards compared to 165 total yards for Grenada.
Moss paced the Chargers with 34 yards on nine carries. Phillips finished with 32 yards on the ground. As a passer, he was 8-of-20 with one interception and 72 total yards.
