WOODVILLE — Wilkinson County quarterback Devin Voorhies racked up 431 total yards of offense and four total touchdowns as the Wildcats rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Franklin County Bulldogs 40-28 Friday night.

“It was one heck of a football game,” Wilkinson County head coach Kenneth Brown said. “We beat a good football team. It was a well-played football game, both sides, and it was an interesting game all the way to the end.”

Not only was this the MHSAA Division 7-3A opener for both teams, but it was also Wilkinson County’s homecoming game and from late in the first quarter all the way through the third quarter, the lead went back and forth.

And it was Voorhies who made sure the Wildcats would not lose this ball game. He had 18 carries for 269 yards and three touchdowns and completed 10 of 14 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

“It looked like he put us on his shoulders. He was not going to be denied,” Brown said. “His first-down conversions and sis long touchdown runs. He just willed us to victory.”

Chris Robinson scored on a 50-yard run with 1:53 to go in the first quarter ,and Trinity Coleman added the extra point for a 7-0 Franklin County lead. Nicholas Hull scored on a 16-yard run for Wilkinson County at the 10:17 mark of the second quarter, but the two-point conversion pass was no good, and the Wildcats trailed 7-6.

With 2:47 to go until halftime, Voorhies gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game on a 70-yard touchdown run, but the two-point conversion run was no good to leave the score at 12-7. Just 15 seconds later, the Bulldogs regained the lead on Malik Moore’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Demarrius Tyler. Coleman made the extra point to make it a 14-12 game at halftime.

Robinson took the opening kickoff of the second half and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point was no good with 11:43 left in the third quarter, giving Franklin County a 20-12 lead. However, any thoughts of that special teams playing giving the Bulldogs the momentum didn’t last very long.

La’Darion Peterson scored on an 11-yard run and Voorhies scored on a 53-yard run and ran in for the two-point conversion to give the Wildcats a 26-20 lead midway through the third quarter. Robinson gave the Bulldogs their final lead of the game on a 2-yard run and Tyler ran in for 2 with 1:34 remaining in the quarter for a 28-26 lead.

Wilkinson County’s defense finally rose up to the challenge when it needed to — in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats were able to get some big stops and make some big tackles on Robinson.

“That was the key to the win. We found a way to get our defense off the field and our offense on the field,” Brown said. “We did a good job containing No. 12 (Benard Selmon), but Robinson’s got good speed. He gave us fits. We were finally able to corral him in the fourth.”

Voorhies had a 3-yard touchdown run and threw to Allenzae Staggers for the two-point conversion with 7:23 left. Then with 2:47 remaining, Voorhies threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Staggers, who finished with 7 catches for 85 yards.

Franklin County (3-3, 0-1) hosts Hazlehurst next Friday at 7 p.m. Wilkinson County (5-2, 1-0) visits Jefferson County next Friday at 7 p.m.

Jefferson County 22, Crystal Springs 20

CRYSTAL SPRINGS — Arthur Norton had 28 carries for 139 yards and two touchdowns as the Jefferson County Tigers held on to defeat the Crystal Springs Tigers in an MHSAA Division 7-3A action Friday night.

Norton scored on a 34-yard run early in the third quarter and on a 10-yard run just five seconds into the fourth quarter. Rashard Brown scored on a 2-yard run with 3:40 left in the ball game to give Jefferson County a 22-12 lead. But Crystal Springs would not go away quietly.

Jerriko Morris, who already had a touchdown run and a touchdown pass, scored on a 2-yard run and completed the two-point conversion pass to Octavious Bingham with 1:43 to go. But the host Tigers’ last attempt at the win stopped when Dedrick Wilson picked off a Morris pass with 43 seconds left.

Jefferson County (2-3, 1-0) hosts Wilkinson County next Friday.