Friday night was the Columbus High School football team’s time to feel good again.
Columbus last lost three-straight games midway through the 2014 season. That streak is still intact thanks to a 49-33 victory against Southaven in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 1 game on Homecoming at Falcon Field.
“We just really needed a win,” Columbus senior defensive end Chris Blair said. “When you lose two in a row, you got to get a win. It was heart-breaking going into our locker room. Everybody has been down. Man, we just needed a win. It didn’t matter how it came. It feels good to walk off the field (with a win).”
Columbus improved to 4-4 and 2-2 in region play. The Falcons won for the first time this season in four tries at home. Columbus has held a second-half lead in seven games. In two other home losses, Columbus held a lead inside the final eight minutes.
“It wasn’t exactly how we wanted it to go, but we will take the win,” Columbus senior defensive tackle Josh Gray said. “Sometimes, you just need something good to happen. You need an event that reminds you you are a good football team. We can’t get down about how we played tonight because we got the win.”
For a second-straight week, one player did his best to beat Columbus by himself.
In a 44-35 loss to Horn Lake, Tyler Grim rushed for 283 yards and accounted for five touchdowns to help Horn Lake rally from a 28-17 deficit.
On Friday, Southaven senior quarterback Brandin Echols almost engineered a comeback of epic proportions.
Southaven trailed 35-14 at halftime. The Chargers were fortunate in that regard, as Kylin Hill was stuffed at the 1-yard line on the final play of the first half for Columbus.
In the second half, Southaven (5-4, 1-3) scored three-straight touchdowns and trailed 35-33 before failing to convert a two-point conversion attempt with 4 minutes, 49 seconds left in regulation.
“We just had to make one play,” Blair said. “It felt like (the defense was) out there the whole half. We were having to hold each other up (because) we were so exhausted. It’s like, man one play. Just one play and we got this. Fortunately, we eventually got that play.”
Echols had 33 carries for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He also was 17 of 35 for 173 yards and two more scores. Much like Grim last week, Echols was his team’s offense, yet Columbus had few answers.
“Not sure what to say,” Columbus coach Randal Montgomery said. “An ugly win is better than a pretty loss. There are times where it just isn’t working. We got the win, which is a good thing. The kids were down. They needed to feel good again. The end result is getting a win.”
Columbus pieced together another strong offensive performance. Quarterback C.J. Gholar threw for 206 yards and hit Michael McCloud (102 yards receiving) for two touchdowns.
Kylin Hill ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns. It was Hill’s 14th career 100-yard game (including five straight) and sixth 200-yard game. Kendre Conner added two touchdowns, as the Columbus backfield tandem of Hill and Conner looked healthy for the first time in more than a month.
“We are having a lot of fun on offense,” said McCloud, a senior wide receiver. “We approach each game with the mind-set of having to outscore the other team. That is how the region games have been so far, so we just try to go out and keep piling up the points. C.J. is playing with confidence. Kylin and Kendre are running the ball with confidence. It carries over.”
The fun happened early and often in a dominating first half. Columbus moved the ball at will and sprinted to a 35-14 lead. The Falcons had scoring drives of 79, 63, and 51 yards. There also were one-play “drives” of 50 (Gholar to McCloud pass) and 63 yards (Hill run).
In the second half, the good times came to a halt. Montgomery lamented his team’s inability to score in the final 12 minutes against Horn Lake. Against Southaven, Columbus didn’t score in the second half until Hill broke off a clinching 77-yard touchdown run one play after the failed potential game-tying two-point conversion try.
“It’s about four quarters of effort,” Gray said. “On offense and on defense, we just have to be more locked in for four quarters. When something bad happens, everybody lets down. Last year’s team was so good at fighting through adversity. We got to get to this point here.”
After closing within 35-27, Southaven’s Brian Johnson had a critical recovery of an onside kick. In the second half, Southaven ran 51 plays, compared to 13 for Columbus. Southaven had a string of 23-straight plays in back-to-back possessions, thanks to Johnson’s recovery.
Blair said nights like this one will serve as a valuable learning tool for a defense that is young in spots.
“We just have a lot of young guys on the defense,” Blair said. “Everyone thinks dominant defense like last season. The guys (this year) are young and they are making mistakes. We have a blown coverage here or there. As seniors, it is important we don’t get too upset. You can’t get mad. You just have to support them and encourage them to do better the next time.
“It’s all about adversity. When one thing goes wrong, this team can’t handle that right now. We just have to learn how to fight through the bad times in a football game. If we can learn how to handle adversity, we will be OK because we got some guys who can play.”
Despite the recent struggles, Columbus is tied for fourth place in the region. Columbus will face a winless Olive Branch next week.
“It’s kind of sad that this was our first home win,” Blair said. “The coaches told us we had to win the rest of our games to make the playoffs. That is how we are approaching the rest of our season. We just know we have to get wins. This is a win. It counts.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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