No. 5 Northwest blanks Mississippi Delta 51-0 in homecoming rout
Photo: Hayden Wolfe was 3-3 in field goals and 6-6 in PAT’s on the way to a 51-0 win for the Rangers on Homecoming. (Maylee Willhite/nwccrangers.com)
SENATOBIA, Miss. – The No. 5 Northwest Mississippi Community College football team delivered a dominant homecoming performance Thursday night, shutting out Mississippi Delta Community College 51-0 at Bobby Franklin Field. The Rangers’ defense was nearly impenetrable, holding the Trojans to just 12 total yards of offense en route to their sixth win of the season.
The victory marked Northwest’s second shutout of the year and their largest-ever margin of victory against the Trojans.
“It’s always fun to get a shutout,” Head Coach Benjy Parker said. “You get a shutout, it gives you a little momentum and I’m proud of them. They’ve played pretty consistent all year.”
While the Rangers’ (6-1, 3-1) opening offensive drive stalled with an interception, the defense immediately seized momentum. Two plays into MDCC’s drive, Mitchell Davis forced a fumble that Jerry Wall III recovered and returned 21 yards for the game’s opening touchdown.
“We are a team. If the offense makes a mistake, the defense has to go have their back,” Wall said. “I’m just grateful to God to have a scoop-and-score.”
From there, Northwest’s offense found its rhythm. Quarterback Neko Fann connected with M.J. Johnson for a six-yard touchdown, and kicker Hayden Wolfe added a 25-yard field goal to give the Rangers a 17-0 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the lead balloon. Wolfe converted a 37-yard field goal before a bizarre special teams play. Wolfe’s kickoff was not fielded by the Trojans (0-7, 0-4), and the Rangers recovered it at the two-yard line. Fann punched it in with a quarterback sneak on the next play.
Another Wolfe field goal and a 34-yard touchdown pass from Fann to Lantavious Murphy just before halftime sent the Rangers into the locker room with a commanding 37-0 lead.
A 27-yard touchdown run by Julius Pope early in the third quarter initiated a running clock with the score at 44-0. Jaden Copening capped the scoring in the fourth quarter with a touchdown run, finishing a drive where he carried the ball seven consecutive times for 53 yards.
The balanced Ranger offense saw six different players carry the ball, combining for 253 rushing yards, led by Pope’s 85 yards. Fann finished 9 of 15 passing for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense recorded three sacks and seven tackles for loss, with Jamarcus Flowers grabbing an interception. The Wall fumble recovery was the defense’s third touchdown of the season.
The Rangers will travel to Goodman for their next contest against Holmes Community College on Oct. 23. The Bulldogs will be looking to rebound from their first loss of the season.
“We play a pretty good offense next week, so we’ll need our best effort for sure,” Parker said. “Holmes is going to be tough.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
