Wolves Win Defensive Battle Against Wildcats

POPLARVILLE – The Co-Lin Football team hit the road for a South Division matchup against Pearl River on Thursday, October 10. The Wolves won the game against the Wildcats, 24-17.

The Wolves wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as they took their first possession of the game and went on an eight play, 49-yard scoring drive capped off by a two-yard rush by Tray Minor (Natchez). The point after attempt by Humberto Rosales (McCalla, Alabama) was good giving the Wolves a 7-0 lead with 9:51 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats then responded with a touchdown on their ensuing possession to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:34 remaining in the quarter.

The Wolves then scored on their second straight possession of the game, this time with a six play, 74-yard scoring drive ended with a five-yard scoring pass from Will Loy (Wesson) to Deantre Jackson, Jr., (Marrero, Louisiana). The PAT by Rosales gave the Wolves a 14-7 lead with 2:35 left to play in the first quarter. However, the Wildcats once again wasted little time with a response as they scored on their next possession to tie the game at 14-14 with 15 seconds left in the quarter.

The offensive fireworks continued at the start of the second quarter as the Wolves regained the lead with their next possession.  The Wolves offense marched the ball down the field 66 yards on ten plays with Rosales connecting on a 26-yard field goal to end the drive and give the Wolves a 17-14 lead with 10:52 left in the first half. A defensive battle then ensued throughout the remainder of the first half as both defenses stalled out the opposing offenses for much of the second quarter. The Wildcats did look to tie the game late in the quarter with a 36-yard field goal attempt, but Ladainian Davis (Madison) blocked the kick to keep the Wolves lead at 17-14 with two minutes left in the half. The Wolves held that lead throughout the rest of the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Wildcats tied the game early in the fourth with a field goal, making the score 17-17 with 14:18 remaining in the quarter. The Wolves responded by retaking the lead with their second possession of the quarter. The Wolves offense went on five play, 76-yard scoring drive capped off by a four-yard rush by Jackson, Jr. The PAT gave the Wolves a 24-17 lead with 6:34 left in the game. The Wildcats looked to have potentially scored late in the game with a touchdown pass, but a penalty negated the play. The Wolves defense then forced an incompletion, sacked the Wildcats quarterback, and sealed the win as Doug Nelson (Hazlehurst) intercepted a pass with 23 seconds left in the game. The Wolves offense kneeled the ball once to run out the clock to secure the 24-17.

Will Loy completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 120 yards with one touchdown. Deantre Jackson, Jr., led the rushing attack with nine carries for 53 yards while Tray Minor had 52 yards on 12 carries with both having one touchdown each. Jackson, Jr., also led the team in receptions with four receptions for 45 yards with one touchdown while Jordan Richardson (Gainesville, Florida) had three receptions for 30 yards and Matt Mayfield (Sunset, Louisiana) had two catches for 23 yards. Humberto Rosales had a solid night in the kicking game going 1-for-1 on field goals and 3-for-3 on point after attempts while averaging 38.8 yards per punt and 60 yards per kickoff.

Malachi Williams (Brookhaven) had a career night for the Wolves defense as he led the unit with a career-high 15 total tackles while Fernando Washington (Macon, Georgia) and Ladainian Davis set career highs with 12 and 11 total tackles respectively. Lakendrick James (Shelby) and Lonnie Smith (Jackson) had a half sack each while Kenneth Andrews (Clinton) registered one sack. Williams, Washington, and James had one half tackle for loss while Smith had one tackle for loss, Andrews had one and a half tackles for loss, and Davis led the team with three tackles for loss and one block. Doug Nelson had one interception while Smith and Jonathan Crain (Brandon) had one pass breakup each.

Co-Lin improves to 4-2 overall, 3-1 in South Division play, and will return to action hosting Gulf Coast on Thursday, October 17. Kickoff between the No. 3 Bulldogs and the Wolves is set for 6:30 p.m., at Stone Stadium in Wesson. The game will also be featured on ESPN+ as the NJCAA Game of the Week.