WEST POINT – For most teams, the 2009 season highlighted by mud-slopped fields hasn’t been exactly ideal. But for West Point’s grind-it-out rushing attack, Friday night’s conditions were just perfect.

The Green Wave rushed for 321 yards and received another dominating defensive showing to blank Clarksdale 27-0.

West Point (9-1) won its ninth straight game and remained perfect in Division 1-5A at 6-0. Clarksdale dropped to 3-7 and 2-4.

Junior tailback LaKenderic Thomas paced West Point’s offense with 18 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdowns both came in the second half to help put the Wildcats away.

“We just treated it like another game,” said Thomas. “I like to run in wet conditions and I like to run north and south. So this was my type of game anyway.”

Despite the rain and muddy conditions both teams secured the ball for the most part in the opening half. But only West Point had success hanging onto the wet pigskin and then producing points.

The Green Wave took advantage of their ground game in the first half to roll up a 13-0 advantage. Senior tailback Xavier Hogan and junior tailback Jacoby Lee each posted touchdown runs in the first half, and helped West Point collect 165 yards on the ground in the first 24 minutes of action.

Hogan finished with 61 yards rushing for West Point while quarterback Justin Cox collected 56 yards on the ground.

‘We hung in there’

And that would be all the points the Green Wave would need.

“I was hoping we would have grabbed the lead even earlier,” said West Point coach Chris Chambless. “But we hung in there and got an first-half lead and held it. Even when things didn’t go our way, we managed to keep that lead the whole game. Of course, these conditions play a big factor but you have to overcome that.”

Clarksdale’s offense reached West Point territory just once, and that was when the Wildcats started a drive at the West Point 30-yard line.

night, Clarksdale managed just two first downs (one via penalty) and were held to minus-11 total yards, including minus-21 on the ground.

“I was proud of our defense because even when we do turn it over, they go out there with the mentality to not give up anything,” said Chambless. “Last week we had a couple of letdowns but this game we didn’t. They played pretty hard all game long and that’s what we want to do.”