'Perfect teammate': What Sam Westmoreland meant to Tupelo football
Trey Ward and the rest of the Tupelo coaching staff were greeted by a familiar face at the Golden Wave’s homecoming matchup against Madison Central on Oct. 14. The offensive coordinator saw his former offensive lineman Sam Westmoreland roaming the royal blue sidelines of Renasant Field and peering into Tupelo’s tent as coaches were making adjustments.
Westmoreland — seven games into his freshman season with Mississippi State — couldn’t stay far from the Golden Wave and vice versa. Even in his absence, Tupelo still fed off the intangibles Westmoreland brought as a two-year starter, according to third-year coach Ty Hardin.
“The culture that we wanted was tattooed to him,” Hardin said. “He was a leader. He was a positive guy. He was the definition of not-a-me guy. Perfect teammate.
“He was under our tent Friday night when we beat Madison Central. He loved this team and the team loved him.”
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Westmoreland returned for homecoming but it was also the biggest game of the season for the undefeated Golden Wave. He watched his former teammates, for the last time, crush the defending state champions 34-0 and continue their defensive dominance. Tupelo has outscored opponents 158-0 at home.
Ward didn’t get a chance to reconnect with Westmoreland during the game. However, he made sure to reach out the following day. It was the final exchange he would have with the 18-year-old.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you much last night,” Ward texted Westmoreland. “But I just want you, man you’ve been an integral part of whatever success that this team is now reaping is because of the foundation you laid as a player.”
Westmorland died Wednesday. He would have turned 19 on Friday.
Capt. Brett Watson of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office told the Clarion Ledger that officials responded to a call at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Westmoreland was found dead upon arrival outside Blackjack Missionary Baptist Church, located about four miles off MSU's campus. No foul play is suspected. No further details were provided due to an ongoing investigation.
Mississippi State commitment Zay Alexander knew Westmoreland since the duo was in middle school. The three-star offensive tackle credits Westmoreland for helping him and the rest of the offensive line grow.
“He was like a bigger brother to me,” Alexander said. “He always coached me up. He was a big leader. We were very close, the whole o-line. He’s going to be remembered. He’s going to live through me forever.”
Westmoreland earned a starting role with the Golden Wave as a junior and “ran with it," according to Hardin. Soon after, he was hosting movie nights and dinners for his teammates and determined to make the offensive line a more cohesive unit. It was those moments, senior center Eli Sanders said, during which Westmoreland really cemented himself as a leader.
“He was always that driving force and that glue that kept us together,” Sanders said. “Every week and every game.
“No matter what Sam did he was going to be his best, whether that be flipping burgers or being on the field. I think that I took that in every aspect of my life. He set an example for me to follow in wanting to be the best of the best in whatever I do in life.”
Westmoreland continued to be a standout for Tupelo as a senior. He was also selected to the Northeast Mississippi Football Coaches Association All-Star game as a senior, along with MHSAA Class 6-Region 2 honors.
The Golden Wave (9-0) hosts Clinton (5-3) on Friday with a chance for revenge after the Arrows knocked them out of the playoffs with a 17-14 victory in Week 9 last season. However, senior offensive tackle Dorian Snow also will be playing for Westmoreland.
“I play for him every day,” Snow said. “I go to practice for him.
"It hurts. For us offensive linemen that were close to him, it hurts.”
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Inside Sam Westmoreland's impact on Tupelo football
