LOUISVILLE — The West Lowndes High School football team put together its best offensive half of the season Friday night.
Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to get the Panthers into the win column.
West Lowndes scored 34 first-half points but was shut out in the second half and dropped a 49-34 decision to Nanih Waiya in Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A, Region 3 action.
West Lowndes (3-5, 2-3 region) must win its final three region games to have a chance at postseason play.
“We did a lot of things really well on offense but couldn’t keep it going,” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “We allowed a couple of big plays in the second half and couldn’t keep having the success we were having early.”
Daniel Davis was 7 of 15 for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He has 1,045 passing yards and 13 touchdowns (four interceptions) this season. Trae Williams had three receptions for 144 yards, including touchdown catches of 81 and 61 yards. Jay Ellis had three receptions for 142 yards. Rontavious Clark had a 21-yard reception and two two-point conversion catches.
Jerry Anderson had seven rushes for 32 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run. Clark had two rushes for 29 yards and one reception for 21 yards, while Williams had two rushes for 28 yards. Davis had six rushes for 12 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Panthers finished with 402 yards of total offense but allowed 463 rushing yards on 55 attempts. Nanih Waiya (7-0, 4-0) rushed for six touchdowns.
Tyshon Rogers had seven solo tackles and three assisted tackles. He has 63 tackles on the season. Williams had one solo tackle and an interception he returned 70 yards for a touchdown. It was his second interception of the season.
Rontavious Clark had a solo tackle, an assisted tackle, and an interception. He has four interceptions this season. Lamarion Fair had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles, Ty Harris had six solo tackles, Ellis had three solo tackles and one assisted tackle, Henrey Brewer had eight solo tackles and one sack for -4 yards, Jemarquis Jefferson had three solo tackles and one assisted tackle, Marquis Banks had one solo tackle and one assisted tackle, Anderson had four solo tackles and one assisted tackle, Krayveon Harris had five solo tackles and three assisted tackle (70 tackles on the year), Tyrese Wells had five solo tackles and one assisted tackle, Lavonte Porter had three solo tackles and two assisted tackles, and Tarus Woodson had one solo tackle.
West Lowndes had 14 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries this season, which is good for three takeaways a game.
West Lowndes will play host to East Oktibbeha (0-7, 0-5) in another region game Friday night.
n Caledonia 34, West Lauderdale 28: At Collinsville, the Confederates moved to 2-0 in Class 4A, Region 4 play with the come-from-behind road win.
Caledonia (5-3, 2-0) rallied from a 28-13 deficit at the end of three quarters.
“It was a really a big win,” Caledonia coach Andy Crotwell said. “Even though we were down big, we found a way to climb out of it. I think that is a sign of the growth in the team. It would have been hard to have won this type of game last season.
“Starting 2-0 in region play is really big for this program. The kids have seen what they are capable of doing.”
The Confederates won with a powerful running game. Caledonia rushed 25 times for 268 yards. Brandon Henry rushed 14 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns, while Spencer Unruh ran nine times for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Henry has 20 touchdowns this season, including 10 in the past three games.
Unruh was 11 of 18 for 110 yards, as Caledonia finished with 378 total yards.
In the fourth quarter, the comeback began with Unruh scoring on a 25-yard keeper with 10 minutes left. Unruh then hit Ian Hartmann on a two-point conversion. The game-tying touchdown was a 12-yard run by Henry with about three minutes remaining. After forcing a punt, Caledonia got the ball back and Henry scored the game-winner from 37 yards out with slightly less than a minute remaining.
Caledonia will play Friday at Kosciusko (6-2, 1-1) in another region game.
n Victory Christian 74, Delta Streets Academy 32: At Columbus, Cody Bolton had 12 carries for 154 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Eagles (8-0) to their non-league victory.
Bolton rushed for touchdowns of 13 and 5 yards. He also caught a 55-yard touchdown from quarterback Reed Fulgham.
Will Jones had three carries for 103 yards and touchdowns of 53 and 45 yards. Anthony Sharp had nine carries for 101 yards and touchdowns of 14, 30, and 22 yards. He also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Fulgham, who was 6 of 7 for 148 yards. Fulgham also had a 1-yard touchdown run and two two-point conversions.
Bo McCrary had nine tackles to lead the Eagles. Burkley Jernigan added eight tackles, and Bolton had seven tackles and an interception.
n Columbus Christian 42, West Memphis Christian 38: At Steens, KC Cunningham rushed for three scores, caught a touchdown pass, and threw for another one Friday night to help the Rams (5-3) win their non-district home game.
Cunningham had 18 carries for 174 yards. He scored on runs of 26, 13, and 15 yards. He had three catches for 90 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown reception. He also threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Alec Vasquez.
Columbus Christian outgained West Memphis Christian 387-330. West Memphis rushed for 338 yards on 40 carries.
Dawson Shaw was 4 of 8 for 101 yards and a touchdown. B.J. Shirley had seven carries for 40 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run.
Columbus Christian was leading 34-14 after three quarters.
Shirley had seven solo tackles and eight total for the Rams. Vasquez had six solo tackles, Grant Wyatt had eight solo tackles, LaQuinston Sharp had five solo tackles, and Jaborris Frazier had four solo tackles and a sack.
n Noxubee County 42, Leake Central 14: At Macon, the Tigers put together their most complete game of the season to win a battle between co-Class 4A, Region 4 leaders.
Ladaveon Smith had two rushing touchdowns as Noxubee County built a 28-0 halftime lead.
Noxubee County will play at West Lauderdale (3-5, 0-2) in another region game Friday night.
n Aberdeen 40, Kemper County 36: At DeKalb, Josh Williams scored the game-winning touchdown on a 45-yard run with 5 minutes, 52 seconds left to play as the Bulldogs remained undefeated in Class 3A, Region 4 play.
“We beat a really good football team,” Aberdeen coach Mark Bray said. “Josh really took it upon himself there late in the game to make sure we found a way to win. Winning the first two region games is always huge when you have four teams making the playoffs.
“To be able to come back and make plays in the fourth quarter is really big.”
In a game full of offense, the biggest play may have been on defense for Aberdeen (6-2, 2-0). Leading 12-0, Aberdeen made a huge defensive stop with Kemper County (6-2, 1-1) driving. Tyreke Gates had a 93-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
That defensive score helped Aberdeen take a 26-14 halftime lead.
Parrish Cratic caught a 14-yard pass from Williams to start the scoring. Williams followed with an 11-yard run. A 10-yard pass from Tramonte Prather to Cratic created the halftime score.
Kemper County scored twice in the third quarter to grab a 28-26 lead. The game then went back-and-forth, as Josh Williams found B.J. Williams for a 15-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter.
Aberdeen will play host to Louisville (4-4, 2-0) Friday in a battle for the region lead.
n Hamilton 36, Thrasher 22: At Hamilton, the Lions moved into a tie for third place in Class 1A, Region 1 play with a dominating performance on the ground.
Keshon Heard finished with 330 yards, including touchdown runs of 77, 99, 35, and 65 yards.
For Hamilton (5-2, 3-1 region), Heard’s 99-yard big run may have been the big blow. The Lions had just made a goal-line stop to preserve a 7-0 lead. Heard’s 35-yard run made it 20-6 at halftime.
The junior speedster was back at it with a 65-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half. After Thrasher (2-5, 1-4) scored, Aaron Fontenot had the put-away score for the Lions.
Hamilton will play Friday at Biggersville (1-7, 1-4) in another region game.
n Kemper Academy 54, Hebron Christian 26: At DeKalb, the Eagles lost a district game for the first time in Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Eight-Man District 1 competition.
Hebron Christian (4-3, 1-1 district) trailed 28-20 at halftime but couldn’t keep the pace in the second half.
“Kemper Academy really has a fine team,” Hebron Christian coach David Foster said. “They had too much speed for us there in the end. We really competed and played hard but didn’t have enough to stop them on offense when we needed to.”
Channing Tapley hit Payton Griffin on a 57-yard touchdown to start the scoring for the Eagles. In the second quarter, Landon Hill plowed in from a 1 yard out. Hill also kept for the two-point conversion. Griffin also had a 48-yard catch from Tapley in the first half.
The lone Hebron Christian score in the second half was a 1-yard run by Lucas Foster.
Foster had 16 rushes for 100 yards. Tapley was 13 of 20 for 230 yards with two touchdown passes. He also had five rushes for 20 yards.
Hebron Christian will look to rebound Friday night when it plays host to Central Academy (7-0, 2-0) in a huge district showdown.
n Indianola Academy 13, Oak Hill Academy 0: At Indianola, the Raiders were held to 145 yards of total offense by the state’s second-ranked team in Class AA academy action.
Oak Hill Academy (4-4) will play host to Canton Academy (7-1, 3-0) in a district game Friday night.
n Central Academy 42, Calhoun Academy 28: At Calhoun City, the Vikings continued their winning ways Friday with a MAIS Eight-Man District 1 victory that spoiled the Cougars’ Homecoming.
With the win, Central Academy improves to 6-0 and 2-0 in the district under first-year head coach Will Walker.
“Tonight saw our team fight tooth and nail for the victory,” Walker said. “It truly showed how much heart, drive, and determination our team has in coming back from a deficit and adjusting offensively and defensively to a tough Cougar team and on the road to get the victory. It was an all out effort by all of our team and coaches on the night to fight and never give up to get the win. We were resilient as a team tonight.”
The Vikings started the scoring on the first play, senior running back Leshon Hill scampered 43 yards through the defense for a touchdown. The two point conversion attempt was good by Hill, and the Vikings led 8-0.
After a fumble recovery, the Vikings scored again on a 70-yard pass from senior quarterback Dalton Outz to Hill. The failed two-point conversion made it 14-0 before the Cougars scored to make it 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
The second frame saw Central Academy’s William Dawkins pick up one of his two fumble recoveries and take it 24 yards in for the score. After the two-point conversion from Outz to junior Wyatt Norris, the Vikings led 22-8.
Calhoun closed the gap to 22-14 on their next possession, and after an interception by the Vikings, the Cougars tied the score just before halftime.
Calhoun Academy jumped on top briefly, 28-22, as the third quarter began. It marked the first time this season Central Academy has trailed in a game. The game also saw the Vikings punt for the first time this season.
After the Cougars’ score, the Vikings answered with a 55 yard touchdown run by Hill. The defense then shut the Cougars down for the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth, forcing the Cougars into three failed fourth-down attempts and turnovers on downs.
The play of the defense allowed the offense to add to the lead on a 47-yard and a two-point conversion by Hill that made it 36-28. A 56-yard touchdown run by Nelson Robbins on the next possession accounted for the final margin.
Dawkins, a sophomore, led the defense with nine solo tackles, 10 assisted tackles, and two fumble recoveries. Hill had seven solo tackles, six assisted tackles, and a fumble recovery, and Jack Van Devender had four solo tackles and seven assisted tackles. Outz and junior Dylan Manning (fumble recovery) also had four solo tackles and three assisted tackles each.
Hill had 240 all purpose yards. He had 15 carries for 167 yards and three rushing touchdowns and two receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. The performance helped Hill eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
Robbins rushed three times for 63 yards and a touchdown, followed by Outz with three rushes for 19 yards. Outz was 4 of 9 for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Central Academy will play at Hebron Christian next week in Pheba.
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