SENATOBIA - When the skies opened up with rain at Bobby Franklin Field on Thursday afternoon, no one could have predicted that wet weather would play a factor in a 24-23 loss to Pearl River.
After another day of nearly 100-degree temperatures, the heat gave way to torrential rains just before warm-ups began, lasting all throughout the evening. The slick turf did little to help either team's offense, as both teams were held under 300 yards of total offense.
However, opportunities came for both teams and in the end, it was the visiting Wildcats that took full advantage. Two missed field goals and a dropped touchdown pass were the story for the Rangers in the second half, and a questionable first down call on a short fourth down helped Pearl River put the game away for good.
Pearl River had the game's first offensive possession, and quarterback
Kabe Barnett went right to work. The former Northwest backup completed three of his first four passes, capping off the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Henry Lee, Jr. The quick score came in just six plays, pushing the Wildcats to a 7-0 lead.
Northwest faced a short fourth down on its first offensive series, but a false start penalty backed up the Rangers five more yards, forcing a 58-yard punt from
Hayden Wolfe. Pearl River would leave empty-handed on its following possession and Northwest responded with a five-play, 48-yard drive, culminating in a 23-yard touchdown run from
D'mariun Perteet.
Jackson Uselton followed the extra-point kick, tying the game at 7-7.
After the Rangers forced PRCC to punt on its next offensive possession, the Wildcats forced the Rangers to do the same on the next series. However, Javonta Caldwell botched the punt return, fumbling the ball to
Dre Riley at the 16-yard line, gifting Northwest short field position.
Despite setting up in the red zone, the Rangers were unable to get past the 10-yard line, settling for a 27-yard field goal from Wolfe. The freshman from Clinton put his first collegiate field goal attempt through the uprights, sending Northwest ahead 10-7 with 1:30 left in the first quarter.
A late drive in the first quarter lapsed into the second quarter for Northwest, resulting in a nine-play, 52-yard series that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by
Qua Middlebrooks. Uselton's ensuing kick went through the uprights, bringing the Rangers' lead to 17-7.
Just when it seemed as if Northwest had all the momentum, Pearl River soon provided an answer. With nine minutes left in the first half, the Wildcats embarked on a 12-play, 57-yard drive, ending with a 32-yard field goal from Morgan Craft at the 5:08 mark, trimming the deficit to 17-10.
After both teams traded empty possessions, disaster soon struck for Northwest. After a delay of game penalty on first down, a Ranger fumble was recovered by Pearl River's Trace Carter at the 27-yard line, setting up a short field for the Wildcats. Three plays later, Jacobi Jefferson scampered into the end zone on a 14-yard carry, knotting the game at its halftime score of 17-17.
Northwest opened the second half with an answer, as Perteet moved the Rangers downfield on a pair of 17 and 22-yard rushes.
Zach Wilcke's nine-yard pass to
Kyler Hutton on a short fourth down helped push Northwest into the red zone, setting up a career-long 42-yard field goal from Uselton, which moved the score to 20-17.
Pearl River fumbled the ball away on its first series of the second half, as
Kamp Shepherd knocked the ball free from Jefferson, allowing
Jacorey Jones to recover. However, the Rangers were stopped at the Wildcats' 27-yard line and Uselton's 44-yard field goal attempt missed to the left.
Following the missed field goal, Pearl River burned off the final 5:33 of the third quarter, carrying its possession over into the fourth quarter. Two plays later, Barnett hit Jefferson on a 24-yard touchdown pass, moving the Wildcats ahead, 24-20.
Northwest went three-and-out on its next two series and Pearl River did the same. With 8:18 remaining, the Rangers started from the Wildcats' 45-yard line, but were unable to advance the ball past the 35. That's when Wolfe stepped up and connected on a 52-yard field goal, good for the longest made field goal in program history, surpassing the previous record of 51 yards from Brent Smith (November 1, 2001 at Coahoma). Wolfe is also one of only three Northwest kickers to make a 50-yard field goal, joining Smith and Kevin Buford (2009-10).
With the tide seemingly turning back in the Rangers' favor, the Northwest defense buckled down once again, forcing another punt from Jake Vick and the Wildcats. The shanked 20-yard punt set up the Rangers on PRCC's 43-yard line, where Wilcke found
Kyler Hutton on a 42-yard pass. The play put Northwest at the two-yard line with roughly three minutes left, but once again the Rangers were unable to reach the end zone.
Facing fourth and goal at the four-yard line, Uselton's field goal attempt sailed left, denying the Rangers another shot at taking the lead. Additionally, a dropped pass by
JaBrysten Abram on first and goal might have also resulted in a go-ahead touchdown.
Pearl River regained possession and started from its own 20-yard line with 2:23 remaining. Though the Wildcats were forced into another fourth down situation, PRCC chose to try for the first down and Jefferson was seemingly stopped by the Rangers' defense shy of the first down line. While Northwest celebrated, the officials later signaled a Pearl River first down with no measurement given, allowing the Wildcats to run out the clock with 1:08 left.
Northwest finished the evening with 273 total yards, led by 146 passing yards. The Rangers were limited to 127 yards on the ground, while Pearl River pushed its way to 154 rushing yards. Both teams finished with 15 first downs, including 11 rushing first downs from the Wildcats.
Perteet rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries to lead the Rangers' ground offensive, while Hutton hauled in three catches for 54 yards.
K.D. Gibson also caught a pair of passes for 30 yards, while quarterback Wilcke completed 14 of his 32 pass attempts for 146 yards.
Freshman
Chris Thomas led the Rangers with 10 total tackles, inclduing a tackle-for-loss. Shepherd and
Caulen Dunn each collected seven tackles, followed by six each from RIley and
Jaylon Johnson.
For Pearl River, Barnett passed for 94 yards and two touchdowns, completing 14 of his 25 pass attempts. Barnett also led the Wildcats' rushing attack with 65 yards, joined by Jefferson's 65 yards on 20 carries.
Lee, Jr. was the top target for the Wildcats, hauling in three catches for 38 yards. Caldwell also reeled in four passes for 17 yards.
Defensively, Travis Bendolph, Jr. and Amarion Tyson tallied eight tackles apiece to lead Pearl River, followed by six each from Carter and A.J. Prim.
Jake Vick punted eight times for 268 yards for Pearl River, while Wolfe punted five times for 231 yards, with four landing inside the 20-yard line.
M.J. Johnson also returned three kicks for 76 yards for the Rangers, while Akeem Stokes tallied 66 yards on four Pearl River kickoff returns.
With the loss, Northwest dropped its season-opener for the second year in a row, the first back-to-back stretch with a season-opening loss since 2013-14. The Wildcats also snapped a six-game losing skid against the Rangers, earning their first victory in the series since a 38-35 decision in 2009.
Next up for Northwest is a road trip to East Central, scheduled for next Thursday, September 5. Coached by former Ranger assistant Jonathan Webster, the Warriors (1-0) are coming off a 23-14 road win at Northeast. Northwest leads the all-time series 33-17.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. at Bailey Stadium in Decatur. Pregame coverage begins at 6 P.M. on Ranger TV with Michael Gross and Russell Copeland on the call.
