WESSON – Missed opportunities was the message after #6 Northwest Mississippi Community College (1-2) dropped their second consecutive game in a heartbreaking 17-16 decision on Thursday night to the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves (2-1) in a rematch of the 2025 MACCC semi-final at H.L. Stone Stadium.
The game was one that saw the Rangers rush out to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter, but three missed field goals and two critical turnovers were the difference in a contest in which Northwest out gained the Wolves 389 to 186 and held onto the ball for over 36 minutes.
In fact, when looking at the box score, the Rangers had the advantage in nearly every offensive and defensive category other than the final score.
The opening drive for the Rangers was a long one, eating up nine minutes off the clock and 68 yards of turf on the way to the Co-Lin red zone. The Wolves stiffened on defense and denied the Rangers a score, forcing a short field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the footing for the Rangers' kicker gave way, and the kick would miss wide to the right, leaving Northwest wanting and the score tied at zero.
Northwest's defense would hold in turn, leaving Co-Lin in a punting position near midfield. The snap of the punt would sail over the head of the punter and through the end zone, giving the Rangers the early lead with a safety and a 2-0 advantage with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
After receiving the punt, Northwest would continue to show their ability to drive again, this time going 52 yards on six plays, resulting in a three-yard touchdown run by Macaleb Taylor, and after the PAT from Will Uselton, it would put the Rangers in front 9-0.
Co-Lin looked like they were beginning to get some forward momentum on their next drive, but after gaining 36 yards on six plays, they would stall at the Northwest 35-yard line, going for it on fourth-and-one, but Linkin Sanders denied the try for a loss of a yard, giving the ball back to the Rangers.
That drive was short-lived by Northwest when a fumble on a bubble pass was fumbled by TyAnthony Elmore and returned 53 yards by Daniel Watkins of the Wolves, resulting in a touchdown and the first points of the game for Co-Lin, bringing them within two at 9-7 with 11 minutes to play in the half.
With that play, the scoring portion of the first half came to a close.
The Rangers would throw an interception on their next drive, and Co-Lin answered with a punt on their ensuing try, pinning the Rangers inside the one-yard line.
After a long drive, going 12 plays and 83 yards in six and a half minutes, the Rangers would get to the 17 of the Wolves and attempt their second field goal of the game with three seconds left.
The kick was wide right, keeping the score frozen at 9-7 going to the half, but the Rangers were still in command after out gaining the Wolves 234 to 30 in the first half.
Both sides traded punts in the opening drives of the second half, and it was the home team that finally broke the scoring drought, going 60 yards on 10 plays, tripling their yardage on the night and resulting in a 45-yard field goal by Ty Jones that flipped the lead to Co-Lin, giving them a 10-9 edge after 10 unanswered points.
After a Ranger punt, the Wolves would begin to drive again, but another special team's miscue would give Northwest the ball at the Co-Lin 25-yard line, and two plays later, Neko Fann found Philip Swann for a 20-yard touchdown and a 16-10 lead with 14 minutes left in the game.
That joy was short-lived, as two plays later, the Wolves used some trickery on a flea-flicker to strike back after a long kickoff return, and the 33-yard completion gave the 17-16 lead back to Co-Lin with just over 13 minutes remaining.
It was Northwest's turn to answer back, and it seemed like they were on the way to quieting the Co-Lin crowd, stealing the momentum back on an 11-play drive that ate up over five minutes of clock and 44 yards before stalling just outside of the red zone, setting up a 38-yard field goal attempt. But for the third time in the game, the ball sailed wide of the uprights, leaving the score frozen at 17-16 with just over eight minutes left.
The defense would do its job, forcing a three-and-out from the Wolves, giving another chance to the offense. They proceeded to drive into Co-Lin territory again, making it to the 41-yard line, only to see the ball turned over on downs with time dwindling to just 4:34 left on the game clock.
The Ranger defense nearly got the ball back again, but a third-down completion for 17 yards on third and 16 would set the Wolves up to drain the remainder of the clock, sealing the one-point victory at home.
Northwest's offense was able to move the ball throughout the night, particularly in the air, where Fann threw for 282 yards and a touchdown, completing 28-of-35 passes with a touchdown. The passing attack also saw Noah Gillon go 3-for-5 for 37 yards with an interception.
Clydarrien Peters led the Rangers in receiving yards, catching four passes for 77 yards with a long of 32, and he was followed closely by Zavion Carman who had his best offensive game as a Ranger with 72 yards on seven receptions. TyAnthony Emore finished with six receptions, but was limited to 24 yards through the air.
Eight Rangers pulled in a reception in the game, with the lone touchdown going to Swann on his only catch of the night.
Dagarrious Clifton added three catches for 35 yards, and Quincy Phillips Jr. finished with two receptions for 34 yards.
The rushing attack was led by Damon Sisa, who carried the ball 10 times for 54 yards, and he was matched in carries by Taylor's 10 carries for 38 yards and a score. The duo was also highly targeted in the passing game, with Sisa adding 31 more yards through the air on six receptions and a pair of catches by Taylor for 26 yards.
Defensively, Jack Ridgway led the team in tackles on the night with six, and Jamarcus Flowers was right behind him with five tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss, which was tied for the team lead with Sanders.
Uselton had his struggles in the kicking game, going 0-for-3 in the game, with misses from 25, 33, and 38, but his punting continues to be phenomenal, kicking the ball twice for an average of 46 yards with both ending inside of the 20-yard line. He also made both of his PAT attempts.
The Rangers will return home for their week four contest with Mississippi Delta Community College (1-2) awaiting them. The Trojans are coming off of back-to-back losses themselves after they opened the year by upsetting Co-Lin in week one but have followed it with losses to Pearl River Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College.
The Rangers are looking to avoid losing three straight games for the first time since they opened the 2014 season 0-3. That was also the last time the Rangers lost back-to-back games in the regular season.
You can watch Thursday night's game against the Trojans on Ranger TV, with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 pm with Tyler Springs and Russell Copeland on the call. Keep up with the Ranger football team at nwccrangers.com or by following along with Northwest's social media accounts.
