BELDEN — The West Tallahatchie High School Choc-taws reached the end of the road Friday night, Nov. 12, after falling 45-0 to the Tupelo Christian Prep Eagles in a first-round Class 1A state playoff game.
“The first couple of possessions, we were toe-to-toe — we stopped them and they stopped us,” explained first-year West Tally head coach Shane Hargett.
Tupelo scored a safety after blocking a West Tally punt inside the Chocs’ 10, “and we kind of went downhill from there,” the coach said.
Still, he noted that his team “played good” in the game.
“The effort was great,” Hargett said. “Nobody missed assignments. We just had some critical penalties and a couple of fumbles that turned the momentum. When you’re playing a good team like that, a No. 1 seed, you’ve got to play perfect to give yourself a chance. We came up a little short.”
The coach lauded the large contingent of fans who ventured to Lee County Friday.
Shane Hargett
“We never anticipated that many people traveling across the state to watch us play ball,” Hargett noted. “That was really good to see.”
Tupelo Christian improved to 8-2 while West Tally finished the campaign 5-6 in official standings. However, in games they actually played, the Choctaws posted a winning record of 5-4. Two early-season contests were COVID-related forfeits.
With West Tally not playing football in 2020, and missing spring training and getting a late start on summer workouts in 2021, Hargett said he would grade the season a success.
He expects 2022 to be even more promising as the Choc-taws get “back on equal footing” and “get to start like everybody else now” with no pandemic restrictions in sight.
Hargett said the team will begin offseason conditioning work in January and looks forward to a regular schedule including spring football and summer activities.
“How well you do in October and November is determined in May and June at the 7-on-7’s, camps, traveling and all of that. That’s basically the most exciting thing.”
The Choctaws will lose two starters to graduation and should be in good shape in preparations for 2022.
