MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
West Point (Miss.) Green Wave have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its fourteenth year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Green Wave ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating West Jones 27-12 in the
MHSAA Class 5A state championship contest on Saturday, December 1 marked the completion of an incredible 14-1 season — and earned West Point an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
After falling behind 3-0 on a 46-yard West Jones field goal midway through the opening quarter, Treddis Anderson gave the Green Wave the lead for good when he hauled in a 25-yard strike from Brandon Harris three minutes later. Ryan Melton then returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a score and, following a 37-yard field goal by West Jones' Walker Thompson, Jaylun Eggerson scored from two yards out to give the champions a 20-6 halftime cushion.
West Jones narrowed the deficit to 20-12 in the third quarter when Alan Follis connected with Antonie Kirk from 61-yards. But the West Point defense forced a Mustang punt, stopped the runners-up on downs at the Green Wave 31, intercepted a pass and forced another punt to stop West Jones' final four possessions, allowing West Point to secure its third straight state football title, and the 10th overall, at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg. Harris gave the champions some insurance when he cashed in a five-yard run with three minutes left.
Jake Chambless completed four of 12 passes for 63 yards, while Harris connected on one of his two aerials for 25 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball for 120 yards and another score on 23 carries. Kameron Martin and Eggerson carried the ball a combined 16 times for 44 and 43 yards respectively and Anderson caught two balls for 37 yards and the score. Brandon Lairy and Jaylen Cungious led the Green Wave defense with eight and seven tackles respectively, while Melton broke up a pass and blocked the punt that he returned for a score. Kentavious Mcmillian and Quantaze Powell broke up two passes each and West Point out yarded West Jones 315-250.
West Point opened postseason play with a 55-27 win over Canton before kicking in the door to the Final Four with a 27-20 triumph over Lafayette. The Green Wave bumped Olive Branch from state championship contention with a 35-0 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with West Jones. West Point opened the season with a 55-6 win over Columbus. Then, following a 26-10 victory over Louisville, the Green Wave dropped a 23-7 decision to Starkville to start the season 2-1. Chris Chambless' club did not lose again and outscored its competition 516-187 on the year. West Point posted two shutouts and held 10 foes to 13 points or less, while scoring a season-high 55 points in wins over Columbus and Canton.
Next year's senior class is 43-2 as it prepares to win West Point's fourth straight state football title. Having won 12 straight games to end the year, West Point set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only is the Green Wave the top-ranked squad in
MaxPreps' Mississippi Class 5A Rankings, West Point is the third best club in all of
Mississippi. Chambless' club is ranked No. 174 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the West Point Green Wave an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium for a school assembly as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Thursday, February 21 at 1:30 p.m.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.