For undefeated Tupelo, winner-take-all game with Clinton just the latest in a string of tests

JACKSON — In many ways, it feels like this football season has flown by in Mississippi, but it sure doesn’t feel that way for the third-ranked and undefeated Tupelo Golden Wave.

That’s probably because the season has been so mercurial — marked by successes on the field and upended by tragedy off of it.

The trouble started right after the 2021 season, when assistant football and head powerlifting coach Brian Robinson died unexpectedly in December. The latest tragedy came just two weeks ago, with the untimely death of former Golden Wave standout and Mississippi State freshman Sam Westmoreland.

The loss of Westmoreland, a team captain at Tupelo a year ago, has hit home particularly hard. The team wore patches bearing Westmoreland’s No. 63 Friday night against Murrah, a game it won 42-6.

The team’s response to the adversity, coach Ty Hardin said, has been nothing short of an inspiration.

“These guys have been resilient,” Hardin said. “They’ve handled it better than we have as coaches. They are a great group of kids, high-character kids. I have thanked them several times — they have helped us as a staff and as a community get through this.”

On the field, the Golden Wave (9-0) has been dominant.

The schedule set up perfectly — after traveling more than three hours to face Germantown, Madison Central and Clinton on the road last year, the Golden Wave got all of those games at home this season.

To say they’ve made the most of it would be an understatement.

Hardin’s bunch has already avenged region losses to Oxford, Starkville and Madison Central, and can get revenge for its only other loss from a year ago with one more win over Clinton (5-3) Friday night at home.

And on the blue turf at Renasant Field, the Golden Wave have utterly unstoppable. In four games, Tupelo has out-scored opponents 158-0.

The success on offense starts up front with the offensive line, led by Mississippi-Alabama All-Star left tackle Zay Alexander, widely regarded as the best high school prospect for his position in the state.

Junior quarterback Jeremiah Harrell is averaging 207.6 yards a game with 23 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Harrell played well as a sophomore last year, but said he’s grown into his leadership role this season. As one opposing coach put it, Harrell has been “the catalyst” for all of the Golden Wave’s success.

“I’ve learned to be a little more vocal out there,” Harrell said. “We’ve got some young players on the field, and I think me and a couple other guys have stepped up into leadership roles, and you can see how that’s played out over the course of the season.”

All three of Harrell’s top targets — senior K.D. Gibson, junior J.Q. Witherspoon and sophomore Tyreke Darden — have 24 or more receptions, and the trio has combined for 13 touchdowns in nine games. Tailback Quay Middlebrooks is averaging 82.3 yards a game with eight touchdowns

After the Golden Wave dispatched Murrah Friday night, Hardin told the team they had one game left on their “revenge tour.”

With just two games left in the regular season, a win Friday night would cinch a the top playoff seed in Region 2, guaranteeing home field advantage all the way to a potential State Championship.

To achieve that goal, they’ll have to avenge a 17-14 loss at Clinton from a year ago.

“We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Hardin said. “Worrying about us, playing to our standard, practicing to our standard. I know these guys are going to have a chip on their shoulder. Last year, Clinton knocked us out of the playoffs and that’s left a bad taste in our mouths. They are one of, if not the best, teams in our division, so we’ll have to be ready to get after it.”