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BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Despite some travel woes, a minor accident on Interstate 55 on the way to the game, and over 100 yards in penalties, the Co-Lin Wolves escaped Booneville with a 21-7 victory over the Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers. The win moves Co-Lin to 1-1 on the year going into MACJC South Division play next week. The Tigers of Northeast fell to 0-2 with the loss. Co-Lin plays host to Pearl River, who is 0-2, next week in Stone Stadium in Wesson for the home opener. Fans are asked to wear blue for True Blue Thursday.
Offensive action was slow in the opening half of play as both the Wolves and Tigers’ defenses dug in. Combined, the first ten drives of the ball game ended in punts.
With 8:06 remaining in the half Co-Lin took over on Northeast’s 42-yard line after a 42-yard return from Demartre Collins. The Wolves looked to take advantage of the field position and Connor Mire marched Co-Lin down to the nine-yard line with three complete passes. Unfortunately, the drive stalled deep in the Tigers’ territory, and field goal attempt was no good.
Going into the locker rooms Co-Lin had 108 total yards of offense, with 89 of those yards coming from passing yardage from Hayden Davis and Mire. The Tigers were held to just 50 total yards in the opening half.
On Co-Lin’s second drive in the third quarter, the Wolves offense settled into a nice rhythm and marched 68 yards in 13 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Hayden Davis complete six passes on the drive including the four-yard dagger to Antoine Robinson to get on the scoreboard.
Early in the fourth quarter, Co-Lin made a big four down stand at their own 24-yard line. The Wolves took over on downs and looked to capitalize on the momentum, but after a 56-yard drive, Co-Lin came away with no points.
After a quick Northeast three and out Kundarrius Taylor got the Co-Lin fans back on their feet with a 33-yard punt return to the Tigers’ 21-yard line. Deion Dampier kept that momentum rolling with a 21-yard touchdown run on the Wolves’ opening play of the short drive to stretch the lead to 14-0 with just 4:49 remaining in the game.
On the very next possession, Co-Lin’s Harrell Blackmon seemed to pull the game out of reach for the Tigers with an interception returned 38 yards for yet another Co-Lin score. The pick-six and Ashton Garner extra point gave the Wolves a 21-0 lead with just 2:54 remaining in the contest.
Northeast got a nice return on the ensuing kickoff, and with time expiring, scored a late-game touchdown to avoid the shutout.
Offensively, Co-Lin finished with 278 total yards. Hayden Davis was 15-for-31 with 139 yards and one touchdown, while Connor Mire was 6-for-10 for 51 yards. On the ground, Deion Dampier led the way in yards and touches with 63 yards on 14 carries. The sophomore also had one score on the night. DeMartre Collins and Jalen Browder were Co-Lin’s main targets on the receiving end with five and six receptions respectively. Collins finished the night with 75 yards and Browder finished with 40.
On the other side of the ball, Swayze Bozeman led the team for the second straight week with eight tackles. Tyrus Wheat and Taijh Alston had great performances with seven tackles each. Wheat also posted one pass breakup, while Alston wrapped up two tackles for loss. Jordan Davis had six tackles and one sack, and RJ Jarrett posted five tackles and a team-high two and a half tackles for loss. Blackmon had one tackle and a pick-six, while Natrone Brooks finished with three pass breakups and one interception.
Zac Oden, who was 16-for-32 with two interceptions, led the Tigers. Jalen Cobbs led the rushing attack with 10 carries and 58 yards. Kortlon Hubbard led the Tigers receiving corps with 39 yards on five receptions. Defensively, Terrance Edgeston led the Tigers with 12 tackles. Northeast also posted two sacks from Sam Williams and Emmanuel Olenga.
Next week’s home opener kicks off at 7 p.m. at Stone Stadium on Co-Lin’s Wesson campus against Pearl River Community College. Fans can watch the action live at colinathletics.com or listen live at WMJU 104.3 FM in Brookhaven. For more information on the Wolves follow @colinathletics and @CoLinFootball on Twitter.
