SENATOBIA – Jacob Free's 10-yard touchdown pass to Braden Smith with 1:27 left, followed by a game-clinching interception from Cam White, capped off a wild four-minute finish as Northwest stunned East Central 28-24 at Bobby Franklin Field Thursday night to open the 2018 season.

Trailing by 10 with under four minutes left, Northwest's defense kept EC out of the end zone on 1st-and-goal from the 7-yard line and got a huge goal line stand on 4th-and-one to force a turnover on downs. 

Eventually forced to punt from their own 41, the Rangers were able to get good field position on their ensuing drive that started with 4:21 to play.

Free connected with Monterio Hunt twice and also hit JaVonta Payton twice, capped off by a 26-yard score, to pull Northwest within 24-21 with 3:12 left. 

Chris Taylor's onside kick was then executed to perfection, with Jonathan Jones recovering for the Rangers at the Northwest 47-yard line with just over three minutes remaining. 

Free calmly hit all four passes on a five-play, 53-yard Northwest drive, to four different receivers, and found Smith in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard score with 1:27 on the clock to put the Rangers ahead 28-24.

White, who finished with a game-high seven tackles, then iced the game for Northwest on the first pass from Mario Asagunla, picking off the sophomore in East Central territory to preserve a wild come-from-behind win.

Northwest outgained EC 539-359 on the night, but needed some late-game magic after turning the ball over three times and missing three short-distance field goals. 

The Warriors led 7-0 after a quarter and 17-14 at halftime after completing a 35-yard Hail Mary as time expired. Northwest outscored East Central 14-0 in the fourth. 

Robert Wilcke started the game at quarterback for the Rangers and Free came in to complete 23-of-34 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns in his Northwest debut. Smith finished with seven catches for 147 yards and the game-winning score. Hunt followed with seven catches for 89 yards, Payton had five grabs for 111 yards and a score and Keshunn Abram had four big catches for 77 yards.

White and Robert Miller led the Ranger defense with seven tackles, followed by three others with six stops.

Northwest will be on the road the next three weeks, starting with a stop in Summit to face Southwest Mississippi on Thursday, Sept. 6.