Northwest rallies late to defeat Northeast 34-27
BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Seventh-ranked Northwest Mississippi Community College pulled off a dramatic road comeback Thursday night, rallying with 17 unanswered points in the second half to defeat Northeast Mississippi Community College 34-27. The victory lifts the Rangers to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in MACCC play.
After leading 14-0 early, Northwest faltered with turnovers, penalties and a special-teams miscue that allowed the Tigers (3-2, 1-2) to storm back and take a 27-17 lead midway through the third quarter. But the Rangers refused to fold.
Sophomore wide receiver Britten Traylor delivered a career night, hauling in 10 catches for 133 yards, including a highlight one-handed grab to spark a fourth-quarter drive. Quarterback Aidan Glover provided the late-game spark, rushing for a touchdown and leading the Rangers on a game-winning drive capped by Jarvis Durr’s one-yard score with just nine seconds left.
“We all knew we were the better team, we were just making mistakes,” Traylor said. “Once we got past our mistakes, we all just wanted it. We all knew we could win.”
Northwest’s defense also came up clutch. A forced fumble by Jerry Wall III and recovery by Jakwon Morris set up the decisive touchdown, while the Rangers held Northeast to just 194 yards of total offense.
Head Coach Benjy Parker credited both the resilience of his squad and the challenge posed by the Tigers. “We didn’t play our best game, but a lot of credit goes to Northeast. Our guys never quit and showed a lot of character.”
Statistically, Northwest racked up 494 total yards on 91 plays. Quarterbacks Neko Fann and Glover combined for 309 passing yards, while Glover added a game-high 81 rushing yards. Three different Rangers scored rushing touchdowns, with Keyvon Pope and Durr joining Glover in the end zone.
The Rangers now head into a bye week with momentum from back-to-back wins. They return to action Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. when they host Southwest Mississippi at Bobby Franklin Field for Military and First Responders Night, a designated white-out game.
