SENATOBIA - Not even Hollywood could have scripted the ending of Thursday's Homecoming showdown between No. 8 Northwest and sixth-ranked Holmes.

Down 35-31 with seven seconds left on the clock, Northwest quarterback Zach Wilcke dropped back and surveyed his options. With a Holmes defender closing in, the sophomore signal-caller heaved a prayer of a pass to a sprinting Keon Hutchins down the opposing sideline. Hutchins went airborne at the goal line against three defenders, hauling in the pass in the end zone as the clock hit zeros, lifting the Rangers to the 37-35 win as pandemonium poured onto the field.

For Hutchins, the Hail Mary touchdown marked only his second completion of his collegiate career. The Union native recorded his first catch just two weeks prior in another close victory at Southwest Mississippi.

Wilcke's game-winning throw spoiled a massive comeback effort from Holmes, as the Bulldogs fought back from a 28-7 halftime deficit and outscored Northwest by a whopping 28-9 margin in the second half. The play also marked the first time the Rangers scored on the last play to win since October 3, 2015, when Jim Speights nailed a 35-yard field goal to edge Holmes.

After K.J. Miller returned the opening kickoff for a 96-yard Bulldogs' touchdown, Northwest answered back on its second possession of the first quarter, traveling 50 yards in just five plays. Wilcke started the drive with a 12-yard completion to K.D. Gibson and tailback D'mariun Perteet followed with three rushes of 17, 15 and two yards. Wilcke then scored from four yards out, tying the game at 7-7 with 11:03 left in the first quarter.

Highly-coveted Northwest defensive back Keshawn Davila got in on the stat sheet just five plays later, as the Tampa, Fla. native intercepted Chase Richardson's pass for a 25-yard pick-six. The extra-point kick from Jackson Uselton made it a 14-7 lead with 9:28 remaining in the first quarter.

With the Bulldogs unable to do anything on their next possession, the Rangers went to work on an eight-play, 66-yard drive, highlighted by a 14-yard rush by Ja Keyes. Perteet scored the first of his two touchdowns, earning a short two-yard carry that pushed Northwest to a 21-7 advantage with 3:27 left.

Although Holmes would get it to the Northwest 39-yard line on its next drive, a huge 11-yard sack from Jerry Wall III forced yet another Bulldogs' punt. The Rangers then embarked on a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended in a missed field goal from 37 yards out.

Holmes once again came up empty-handed on its next possession, and Northwest returned with yet another jab. A drive that began with a 34-yard rush from Perteet ended with a 12-yard score from the sophomore, pushing the Rangers to a 28-7 lead with 2:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Northwest accounted for 290 yards of total offense in the first half, finishing near even on the ground and through the air. Meanwhile, the Rangers' defense clamped down on the Bulldogs' offense, holding Holmes to just 64 yards of offense.

However, the tables began to turn for both teams early in the second half. Northwest came up empty-handed on its first two possessions of the third quarter and sparked by a quarterback change to John Ford, the Bulldogs' offense came alive. Facing fourth down and six yards to go, Ford connected with Malcolm Boykin on a 47-yard scoring strike, cutting the score to 28-14.

Another three-and-out for Northwest set Holmes up at its own 12-yard line, but Ford and the Bulldogs quickly moved the ball on completions of 34 and 43 yards. Two plays later, Richardson scampered into the end zone from four yards out, closing the gap to 28-21 late in the third quarter.

Despite opening the next possession with a 22-yard completion to Perteet, Northwest was unable to carry over its momentum to the early moments of the fourth quarter and the Rangers were forced to punt once again. 

Hayden Wolfe's punt pinned the Bulldogs at their own two-yard line and Holmes was also forced to punt just moments later. Thanks to a 17-yard punt return from Fredd Adams, Northwest started the next drive at the Bulldogs' 28-yard line. Despite pushing deep inside the red zone, the Rangers were unable to punch in a score to the end zone, instead settling for a 25-yard field goal from Wolfe that made it a 31-21 lead with 9:54 remaining.

Just five plays later, Ford and the Bulldogs once again closed the gap, as a 14-yard completion to B.J. Johnson trimmed the Rangers' lead to 31-28 with 8:01 left in the fourth quarter. 

Needing to burn the clock, Northwest began a 13-play, 68-yard drive that took off nearly seven minutes. A four-yard rush from Keyes got the Rangers into the red zone and a 10-yard pass from Wilcke to Gibson set up Northwest at the five-yard line. However, Perteet was stopped at the goal line on fourth and short, giving Holmes another opportunity with 1:10 remaining.

Ford immediately came out with a 22-yard completion to Boykin, who would also reel in catches of 41 and 21 yards to bring the Bulldogs inside the five-yard line. Facing second and goal, Ford scored with 12 seconds left, stunning the home crowd and giving Holmes the 35-31 lead.

After Jamael Johnson's fair catch on the ensuing kickoff, Northwest started from its own 35-yard line. Wilcke's first deep pass to JaBrysten Abram was incomplete, but a pass interference penalty helped position the Rangers at midfield with seven seconds left...and the rest is history.

Northwest ended the evening with 498 yards of total offense, led by 266 rushing yards. The Rangers also finished with 232 passing yards on 18 completions from Wilcke, while Holmes compiled 394 yards of offense, including 384 through the air.

Perteet logged 189 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 30 carries, while Gibson racked up 87 yards on seven catches. 

For Holmes, Ford finished 16-for-26 with 331 yards and two touchdowns. Richardson was just 9-for-21 on the evening with no touchdowns and an interception. Boykin accounted for 222 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 catches.

Defensively, Northwest was led by 11 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack from Jerry Wall III, while Kamp Shepherd added five tackles and two TFLs. Jalon Townes finished with a team-high 12 tackles for Holmes.

With the victory, the Rangers improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the MACCC North Division. Holmes fell to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in division play. Northwest also picked up its 10th straight Homecoming victory.

Next up for the Rangers is the regular season finale at Itawamba, scheduled for Thursday, October 31 at 7 P.M. The Indians (6-2, 4-1 MACCC North) are coming off a 17-0 rivalry win at Northeast. Read Full Article