SENATOBIA - An early pick-six was seemingly the lone blemish for Northwest on Thursday evening, as the Rangers demolished Coahoma for a 55-7 Homecoming victory, in front of a packed crowd at Bobby Franklin Field.

Northwest turned the tide of the contest in the second quarter, netting three touchdowns over the final 1:02 of the first half. Midway through the third quarter, Northwest scored again to begin the running clock rule, earning its ninth straight Homecoming win in a streak that began in 2014.

With the win, the Rangers improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the MACCC North Division. Northwest also garnered its 13th straight victory against Coahoma (1-6, 0-4 MACCC North), improving to 46-2 in the all-time series against the Tigers. 

For a brief few minutes, Coahoma seemed to have the momentum, as Nicolas Townsend picked off Keegan Patterson for a 41-yard touchdown return on the first play from scrimmage. The miscue gave the Tigers a 7-0 advantage, and Northwest was stopped on fourth and short on its next possession, giving Coahoma the ball once again.

Coahoma's early success didn't carry over for long however, as Northwest scored on just five plays of its next possession. After three straight runs from D'mariun Perteet, including a 31-yard dash, Patterson connected with Jevell Fugerson on a 19-yard reception on the edge of the end zone, tying the game at 7-7.

With the Tigers settling for a punt on the ensuing possession, Northwest took full advantage, scoring the go-ahead touchdown just three plays later. After an eight-yard rush by Xavier Davis, the sophomore from Flowood took it again for 22 yards, pushing the Rangers to a 14-7 advantage.

Coahoma's final drive of the first quarter resulted in another punt for Raymond Morales and Northwest began the second quarter marching downfield on an 11-play, 74-yard drive. Five minutes into the possession, Patterson connected with Fugerson for his second touchdown reception, stretching the Rangers' lead to 21-7.

Two empty-handed possessions by both teams set Coahoma up with the ball on its own 22-yard line, only for the Tigers to punt once again. With 2:24 left in the second quarter, Northwest finally reached the end zone again, as Perteet scored from 14 yards out to extend the lead to 28-7 with 1:02 left.

That's where things escalated quickly in favor of the Rangers. On Coahoma's first play of the ensuing drive, Marquis Willis was picked off by Keshawn Davila, who returned the pick 21 yards to the nine-yard line. One play later, Patterson hit K.D. Gibson on a nine-yard score, extending the Northwest advantage to 35-7.

Coahoma's Terrick Latham returned the kickoff from Jackson Uselton, only for Fredd Adams to force a fumble that was recovered by Carlando Crump, once again setting Northwest up on the Tigers' 25-yard line. With 28 seconds left in the half, Patterson scored on a quarterback keeper from 25 yards out, pushing the score to 42-7 at the halftime break.

Though Coahoma opened the second half with the ball, the Tigers were once again left with nothing to show for it, punting the ball away to the Rangers. Eight plays and 50 yards later, Patterson hooked up with Kyler Hutton on a 15-yard reception, instituting the running clock with a 48-7 advantage.

Northwest would get one last score early in the fourth quarter, as Foster reached the end zone on a quarterback keeper, putting the exclamation point on a solid Homecoming win.

Northwest finished with 469 yards of total offense, highlighted by 358 rushing yards. Coahoma was limited to just 72 yards of offense, including -33 rushing yards.

Perteet logged his first 100-yard rushing performance for the Rangers, ending the night with 116 yards on 14 carries. Davis wasn't far behind, rushing for 86 yards on nine attempts.

Through the air, Patterson was 10-for-21 with 111 yards and four touchdowns. His top target, Jarnorris Hopson, hauled in four passes for 35 yards, while both of Fugerson's two receptions resulted in touchdowns.

Willis and Andrew Moore split time under center for Coahoma, combining to go 5-for-18 with 105 passing yards. Latham's lone 49-yard catch led all Tigers' receivers, while Moore's nine rushing yards were the only positive yards on the ground for CCC.

Six different Rangers finished with three tackles to lead the defensive efforts, including Dyllon Bullard, who earned one sack for an 11-yard loss. Seven other Northwest defenders logged two tackles apiece.

Defensively, Coahoma was led by eight tackles from Mark Dorsey and seven each from Jerell Erving and Rahmaan Rinkin.

Foster punted just once, a 40-yard boot in the second quarter. Uselton was 7-for-8 in point-after kicks and logged 486 yards on nine kickoffs, while Fredd Adams returned seven punts for 75 yards, including a 34-yard return.

For Coahoma, Morales punted eight times for 304 yards. Joshua Eaves kicked off twice for a combined 106 yards

Next up for Northwest is a rare 3 P.M. road trip to Holmes on Thursday, October 26. The Bulldogs (5-2, 3-2 MACCC North) have won two in a row, including a 58-6 road win at Mississippi Delta. 

Historically, Northwest leads the all-time series against Holmes by a 47-20-2 margin. The Rangers have also won each of the last three meetings and 18 of the last 20 games, dating back to 2003.

Pregame coverage for next Thursday's contest begins at 2:30 P.M. on Ranger TV, Action News 5 Plus, WHCQ-LD 8 and WEBU-LD 22. Read Full Article