What an historic season for the West Tallahatchie High School Choctaws boys’ basketball team!
First they swept through their 2015-16 schedule en route to an unblemished 27-0 regular-season finish — almost unheard of in the sport.
Then they handily defeated all of their competition in the postseason, including at the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s C Spire State Basketball Tournament in Jackson.
The magical run culminated in Saturday’s first-ever appearance by a West Tally boys’ basketball team in the Class 2A state championship game, where they won in impressive fashion over the Coahoma Aggies and at 34-0 became the first Mississippi boys’ roundball squad since 1985 to complete an undefeated season.
It is West Tallahatchie’s first state championship in any sport other than track and field and, in fact, is the first basketball state championship for any school in Tallahatchie County.
The achievement, of course, is a testament to the talented, dedicated, resilient young players on the team and to their head coach, Bernard Berryhill — a West Tallahatchie alumnus who proudly bleeds green and white.
Behind any great athletic team, however, is an army of supporting cast members. In this case, parents, grandparents, educators, other school officials and the community at large no doubt played a role. At the very least, they provided an energized fan base that helped to will the Choctaws on to victory after victory.
That is why, when asked following Saturday’s game about the team’s achievement, West Tallahatchie School District Superintendent Dr. Darron Edwards said first, “This is very special for our community.”
He went on to add, “It speaks to the pride of our community, it speaks to the character of our kids and the coaching staff. It says a lot about how hard we’ve worked in the classroom and on the court. It’s a special time for a great school district, great kids and a great community.”
Congratulations to the Choctaws on a very magical season, the likes of which we may never be fortunate enough to witness in all of its splendor ever again.
