2025 HSFT Stop #58: West Point
WEST POINT, MS (WCBI)- West Point football separated itself in 2024, winning its second straight state championship under first-year head coach Brett Morgan. But in a program as historic as West Point’s, the Green Wave are never satisfied.
“Every year, a new team, it’s a new story,” Morgan said. “We’re writing the 2025 story right now. Last year does not affect this team, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing everything day by day to be as good as we can be in 2025.”
The Green Wave played one of the most challenging schedules in 2024 and will face three teams in 2025 that advanced to last year’s state finals. Morgan believes testing his team during the season sets them up for success in the playoffs.
“As a coach, there’s only so much you can do to prepare yourself in practice. You’ve got to get in the fire against really, really good teams. We do that with our schedule, and it’s going to teach us about ourselves. It’s going to teach us what we’re going to do. Are we going to fight when controversy hits, because it’s going to hit Friday night. I mean, Louisville, you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re going to go down there and think it’s going to be a bed of roses. They play smash mouth, get after your butt football on both sides of the ball. We’ve got to make sure that we are prepared to respond and persevere through the adversity.”
The players have seen what a tough regular season can do in the playoffs and are prepared for the long season ahead.
“We play playoff-caliber games first, three games of the season,” defensive tackle Dee Haughton said. “The whole season, we adapt and we overcome it. We know how to handle adversity. We know how to finish.”
“There ain’t nothing like those first few teams,” defensive end Jorden Rush said. “We’re betting on the best team in the state right alongside us, so beat them at the beginning and get used to that competition, so once we get over them and into the season, we’ll be good.”
“We know we have a tough schedule coming and a lot of tough opponents, so we’re gonna persevere,” wide receiver Quetin Thomspon. “We’re gonna lean on each other, count on each other, and we’re gonna get through it.”
West Point will kick off its season this Friday against Louisville.
