MACON — It didn’t take long for Noxubee County to hand visiting Nettleton the momentum and the lead in Friday night’s game in Macon.
But the home team regained both just as quickly.
After blowing a 20-0 lead, Noxubee County (5-4, 2-1 Region 4-3A) scored 38 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to a 58-21 win over Nettleton (6-3, 1-2) in a battle of Tigers.
A banged-up Dequadrion Welch shot down the right sideline for an 82-yard touchdown catch, giving Noxubee County the lead for good with 7:30 to go in the third quarter.
The Tigers scored three more times in the period, totaling 30 points in the third quarter alone and adding another score in the fourth.
“We played a good first quarter, but we played a sloppy second quarter,” Noxubee County coach Teddy Young said. “We came back out in the third quarter and played a great third quarter.
“We’ve just got to learn how to play four quarters of football.”
Welch’s go-ahead score came just 20 seconds after Nettleton quarterback Braylen Williams ran for a 3-yard score to put his team ahead 21-20 and erase an early deficit.
The Tigers were backed up to their own 18-yard line after a penalty, but quarterback Lamar Stewart found Welch along the right sideline, and the wide receiver sprinted away from defenders for a critical score.
“It changed the game a lot, because when I did that, it made the team get hype,” Welch said. “It gave us more energy after how we performed in the second quarter.”
Noxubee County scored the game’s first three touchdowns, all in the first half of the first quarter, before Nettleton fought back.
Welch said poor routes, missed assignments and miscommunications curtailed Noxubee County, and Nettleton took advantage.
Williams found Zavian Dilworth for a 12-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and connected on an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second.
His short run with 7:50 left in the first half put Nettleton up by a point, a short-lived yet important lead.
“I was happy with the way we responded,” Nettleton coach John Keith said. “It kind of got out of hand quick, but we fought back and got ourselves in position to make it a ballgame.”
But it wasn’t a game for long.
Jaylon King caught touchdown passes of 4 and 30 yards from KaMario Taylor, and Martavius Wicks ran for a 10-yard score for Noxubee County before the third quarter came to a close.
Lamar Stewart scored his third touchdown of the game, a 14-yard rushing strike, to enact a running clock in the fourth quarter thanks to the 35-point mercy rule.
Taylor played for the first time since Sept. 2 against Amanda Elzy, providing a much-needed passing spark for the Tigers’ offense.
Young said the sophomore’s return was critical for Noxubee County, and not just on the field.
“He’s one of our team leaders; he’s just a natural-born leader,” Young said. Guys’ morale has picked up since he came back, so I’m happy to have him back.”
Taylor’s play helped Noxubee County earn the inside track to the No. 2 seed in Region 3-4A home playoff game, improving to 2-1 in region play with one game to go.
After their scoring success Friday, the Tigers feel confident about what awaits them.
“This win was very important, but we’ve just got to go and finish it off next Thursday against Aberdeen,” Welch said. “I feel like we’ll be alright going into the playoffs. I feel like we have one of the best offenses in 3A.”
Noxubee County 58, Nettleton 21
Nettleton (6-3) 7 8 6 0 — 21
Noxubee County (5-4) 20 0 30 8 — 58
First quarter
NC — Lamar Stewart 12 run (Treyon Sledge kick), clock 11:23
NC — Anthony Little Jr. 30 pass from KaMario Taylor (Sledge kick), clock 8:54
NC — Stewart 55 run (kick failed), clock 6:50
N — Zavian Dilworth 12 pass from Braylen Williams (Payne Hairald kick), clock 2:22
Second quarter
N — Anterion Venson 8 pass from Williams (Dilworth run), clock 4:38
Third quarter
N — Williams 2 run (pass failed), clock 7:50
NC — Dequadrion Welch 82 pass from Lamar Stewart (Welch run), clock 7:30
NC — Jaylon King 4 pass from Taylor (Stewart run), clock 4:29
NC — King 30 pass from Taylor (Sledge kick), clock 3:34
NC — Martavius Wicks 10 run (Sledge kick), clock 0:11
Fourth quarter
NC — Stewart 14 run (Jadquist Clark pass from Shunterrion Sherrod), clock 6:17
Team statistics
First downs: Nettleton 13, Noxubee County 19.
Rushing yards: Nettleton 121, Noxubee County 244.
Passing yards: Nettleton 104, Noxubee County 260.
Comp.-att.-int.: Nettleton 9-25-1, Noxubee County 11-21-1.
Penalties-yards: Nettleton 7-66, Noxubee County 9-86.
Fumbles-lost: Nettleton 5-1, Noxubee County 3-0.
Individual statistics
PASSING: Nettleton — Braylen Williams 9-25, 104; Noxubee County — Lamar Stewart 4-5, 134; KaMario Taylor 7-16, 126.
RUSHING: Nettleton — Braylen Williams 12-73, Jayden Hawkins 11-32, JR Williams 1-11, Zavian Dilworth 3-7, Jaiden Dilworth 1-6, Tahj McBride 1-(-2), Andrew Presley 1-(-2), Conner Dallas 1-(-4); Noxubee County: Lamar Stewart 14-154, Martavius Wicks 8-67, Ledareoun Mosley 7-17, Jaylon King 1-6.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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