BOONEVILLE - A pair of major defensive plays late in regulation and in overtime helped Northwest set up an eventual game-winning touchdown from sophomore tailback Jaquerrious Williams, as the Rangers survived a close thriller for the second straight week with a 34-28 victory at Northeast on Thursday evening.

Northwest improved to 2-0 on the season with the victory, while the Tigers fell to 3-1 overall. The win improved the Rangers' all-time series record to 41-18-2 against Northeast, while also giving Northwest its sixth straight win against the Tigers.

Additionally, Thursday's win also improved coach Benjy Parker's all-time record to 35-11, tying Ricky Woods (2008-12) for the second most coaching victories in program history. Bobby Franklin (1981-2004) continues to hold the all-time winningest record at 201-57-6.

Northeast came up empty-handed on its first possession of the evening after freshman defensive back Stephen Hall broke up a third down pass from Kevin Hurley. The Rangers would then use an 11-play, 63-yard drive that culminated in a short touchdown carry from Williams, followed by a Tucker Barefoot extra point, sending Northwest ahead 7-0.

Northwest once again came up big on the Tigers' next drive as Rayyan Buell sacked Hurley to force another Tigers' punt. Despite some offensive momentum however, the Rangers' drive came to an end on a fumble, setting up a Northeast touchdown on the next play that tied the contest at 7-7.

After the Rangers came up short on their next possession, Northeast took the lead on the second play of the second quarter as Hurley connected with Andison Coby on a 61-yard touchdown pass, sending the Tigers ahead 14-7.

Both teams traded possessions until midway through the second quarter when Michael Hiers connected with Jacoby Jones on a 27-yard touchdown pass, tying the contest at 14-14 with 5:49 left in the first half.

Northeast immediately responded with a 98-yard return from Coby on the ensuing kickoff, which pushed the Tigers back ahead by a 21-14 margin.

Williams and the Rangers made sure the Tigers' lead would be short-lived, as the Tupelo native capped off a seven-play, 67-yard drive with his 11-yard touchdown rush that tied the contest once more at 21-21 with three minutes left in the second quarter.

Northwest received the second half kickoff and proceeded to march downfield, only to come up empty-handed after a blocked field goal attempt from Barefoot, keeping the score knotted at 21 apiece.

Although the Rangers were forced to punt on their next possession, Northwest caught a break on the defensive side of the ball as Jarvis Townsend recovered a Northeast fumble to put the Rangers within Tiger territory. The turnover proved to pay off, as Heirs allowed Northwest to regain a 28-21 advantage on a three-yard touchdown rush.

Northeast had no intentions of bowing out gracefully as the fourth quarter began, scoring on the second play of the quarter on a 57-yard rush from Gary Banks II, knotting the contest at 28-28.

Northwest drove the ball into Northeast territory on its next possession but the Rangers were eventually forced to punt, as the Tigers got the ball back with seven minutes to go from their own 29-yard line. The Rangers' defensive stand proved to be successful as the Tigers were forced to punt the ball back to Northwest with four minutes left and a 28-28 tie.

Both teams traded possessions over the final four minutes but the most impactful play came on defense, where Desmyn Baker picked off Hurley with less than a minute to go, returning the ball all the way down to the Tigers' 15-yard line. A couple plays later, Barefoot came on for a game-winning field goal attempt, only for the ball to sail left and force overtime with Northeast.

On second down in the first overtime period, Hurley was sacked for a big loss by freshman Rod Daniels, eventually setting up an insurmountable 4th & 29 for the Tigers. After the unsuccessful fourth down, it took just one play for the Rangers to seal the victory as Williams took it in from 25 yards out.

Northwest racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense on 89 plays, including 343 passing yards and 154 yards on the ground. Hiers completed 31 of his 38 pass attempts for 343 yards, the fifth-most completions in a single game by a Northwest quarterback. His top target, Jones, led all receivers with 10 receptions and 108 yards, becoming the first Ranger receiver to catch 10 or more receptions in a game since Jerrick Orr in 2017.

Northwest also won the time of possession battle, holding on to the football for over 41 minutes in the contest, compared to 18 for Northeast. The Rangers also limited the Tigers to just 254 total yards and 81 yards rushing.

Baker and Buell led the Northwest defense with five tackles apiece, including a sack and 2.5 TFLs for Buell. Byron "Tank" Pearson and Kevin Nelson II also finished with four tackles each.

Hurley finished 10-of-29 with 173 passing yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers. Coby reeled in 75 yards on three receptions to further boost the Northeast offense.

Jamarcus Smith led all defenders with 16 total tackles, followed by 11 apiece from Carter Bonds and Deantre Price.

Tanner Gillis punted eight times for 292 yards, averaging 36.5 yards per punt.

As the Rangers prepare to return to the friendly confines of Bobby Franklin Field, Northwest now turns its attention to Coahoma. The Tigers are coached by former Northwest defensive line coach Travis Macon and enter the contest with a 1-1 overall record.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Senatobia and the game will be carried live on nwccrangers.com/watch.