Wolves Upset No. 8 Lions as Davis Gets 100th Win

WESSON – The Co-Lin Football team kicked off the 2023 season hosting nationally ranked East Mississippi on Thursday, September 7. The Wolves showed grit and determination throughout the game en route to an upset win over the No. 8 Lions, 23-20.

The Wolves got on the board first with their opening possession of the game after forcing a punt by the Lions to start the game. Brandon Gilliam (Vicksburg) posted the first points of the season as his 25-yard field goal attempt was good capping off a nine play, 47-yard drive giving the Wolves a 3-0 lead with 6:43 left in the first quarter.

The Wolves then got their first touchdown of the game and season on their next possession after forcing a three and out by the Lions. DeVon Tott (Mandeville, LA) connected with Jamarquez Melton (West Point) from two yards out to cap off a four play, 60-yard drive. The successful PAT by Gilliam increased the Wolves lead to 10-0 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.

The Lions then opened the second quarter with their first score of the game taking advantage of a special teams mistake on a punt by the Wolves to cut the lead down to 10-7 with 13:43 left in the quarter. The Lions then intercepted Tott on the next Wolves possession and marched down the field on the ensuing possesion for their second score of the game taking a 14-10 lead with 10:56 left in the first half. The score held at 14-10 as the teams went to the locker rooms for halftime.

The score looked to remain the same throughout the third quarter, but the Wolves cut into the lead late as Gilliam capped off an 11 play, 54-yard drive with a 28-yard field goal making the score 14-13 with 30 seconds left in the quarter.

The Lions then scored on their next possession in the early part of the fourth quarter; however, the Wolves blocked the PAT attempt making the Lions lead 20-13 with 12:09 remaining.

The Wolves responded with a scoring drive of their own on their next possession as Johnnie Daniels (Crystal Springs) powered the ball in from two yards out capping off a seven play, 78-yard drive. Another successful PAT by Gilliam tied the game at 20-20 with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves defense then forced a punt by the Lions offense after allowing one first down on the next possession giving the Wolves offense a chance to regain the lead with a drive starting on their own 21-yard line.

The Wolves then went on a nine play, 67-yard drive that prove to be the game winner as Gilliam hit his third field goal of the game, this time from 29 yards out, to give the Wolves a 23-20 lead with 2:01 left in the game.

The Wolves defense once again stepped up and forced a turnover on downs on the Lions final possession giving the Wolves offense the ball with 1:33 left. The Wolves then kneeled the ball to run the clock out and seal the 23-20 upset win over the Lions.

DeVon Tott completed 28 of 38 pass attempts for 307 yards with one touchdown and one interception paired with five rushes for 39 yards. Johnnie Daniels led the rushing attack with 73 yards on 16 rushes with one touchdown while Dezmond Ray (Itta Bena) added 22 yards on seven rushes.

Richard Mays, Jr., (Ridgeland) led the receiving corps with eight receptions for 87 yards while Jaylen Smith (Jacksonville) added four receptions for 66 yards while Jamarquez Melton had four receptions for 61 yards with one touchdown.

Defensively the Wolves were led by Navarion Benson (Crystal Springs) who had nine total tackles including one tackle for loss while Jahron Manning (New Orleans, LA) added five total tackles. Billy Pullen (Kaufman) had a big night for the Wolves defense as he had five total tackles including two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss with two forced fumbles. Kaden Dukes (Petal), Mekhi Mayweather (Jackson) and Christopher Burnett (Yazoo City) had four total tackles each.

Brandon Gilliam had a huge impact on the game from the Wolves special teams aspect going 3-for-3 on field goal attempts including the game winner. Gilliam also had one 38-yard punt while averaging 57.7 yards across six kickoffs with one touchback.

Co-Lin is now 1-0 overall and will return to action hosting Mississippi Delta on Thursday, September 14. Kickoff between the Trojans and the Wolves is set for 6:30 p.m., at H.L. Stone Stadium in Wesson.