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WESSON – The No. 18 Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves (3-2, 2-1) had several big plays in the fourth quarter to erase East Central’s (2-3, 2-1) 16-point lead. The Wolves’ defense and special teams shined in the fourth as two pick sixes and a punt return for a touchdown secured the South Division win.
East Central scored the first touchdown of the night just five minutes into the game with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Dom Marino to Kalen Meggs. The Wolves finally responded in the second quarter with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dominic DeLira to Copiah Academy graduate Ryan Drew to tie the game at seven apiece.
The Warriors running game was great throughout the ball game. With 5:46 remaining in the second quarter running back Dwayne Barnett rumbled into the end zone from three yards out to give East Central a seven-point lead. As time expired going into halftime, East Central extended their lead 17-7 with a 36-yard field goal.
In the fourth quarter the Warriors found the end zone yet again with a 30-yard Marino pass to Antonio Gibson. The point after attempt missed to give ECCC a 23-7 lead with just 13:21 remaining in the contest.
On the Wolves first play from scrimmage, after a short kickoff, Nero Nelson got a handoff on a speed sweep to the right. Nelson pulled up and tossed a 55-yard pass to Alexander Hollins for a Co-Lin touchdown to cut the lead to 23-14.
The Wolves’ defense stopped ECCC in their own territory on the ensuing drive to force the Warriors to punt. Nero Nelson took the return 63 yards to end zone for a touchdown. With Sublett’s PAT the Warriors led 23-21 with 9:28 remaining in the fourth.
East Central’s next possession was cut short when Marino had his pass batted down and intercepted by Co-Lin’s Montez Sweat. Sweat took the interception 12 yards for a score to give Co-Lin their first lead of the game 28-23 with 8:31 remaining.
The turn of events for the Wolves in the early minutes of the fourth quarter brought energy not only to the crowd but the entire Co-Lin team. Co-Lin’s defense would not allow East Central to cross the 50-yard line for the remainder of the game as Jeffery Drake and Isaiah Swopes would cut the Warriors drives short with interceptions.
In desperation East Central heaved a pass as time expired that was intercepted by Isaiah Swopes, his second of the night. Swopes returned it 55 yards for the score to give the Wolves a 34-23 victory.
DeLira finished the night 13-for-23 passing with 92 yards and one touchdown. Nero Nelson was 1-for-1 in the air with 55 yards and a touchdown. Alexander Hollins led the receivers with 62 yards and a touchdown, while Datrin Guyton added another 37 yards. Ryan Drew finished the game with 17 yards and a touchdown. Ladarius Galloway led the Wolves in the running attack with 17 carries for 63 yards. Nero Nelson had 90 yards on returns including a 63-yard punt return for a score.
East Central’s passing attack was led by Dom Marino who finished the night 9-for-20 with 147 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions. Kalen Meggs led the receivers with 49 yards and Antonio Gibson added another 43. Dwayne Barnett led the Warriors on the ground with 36 carries for 104 yards on the night.
Co-Lin’s defense played tremendously in the final 13 minutes of the game as they had four interceptions and limited the Warriors running attack that had been hurting them throughout the night. The win puts Co-Lin in control of South Division heading into the Wolves next matchup. Co-Lin travels to Hinds Thursday, Oct. 6 in Raymond to take on the Eagles. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30. Listen to the action live at WMUJ 104.3 FM in Brookhaven and keep up with score updates by following @colinathletics on Twitter.
Sophomore Isaiah Swopes finished the night with 10 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery.
