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Copiah-Lincoln Community College Athletics

SUMMIT — After an opening Southwest drive that ended with a field goal, it was all Co-Lin on Thursday night as the Wolves rattled off 41 unanswered points to win 41-3. The win puts Co-Lin in a great position in the abbreviated, six-game, season as every game is against a divisional opponent.

Things started nicely for the Bears as Southwest marched 60 yards on nine plays to start the contest, but the Wolves dug their heels in at their own 20 to stall the drive. Southwest’s Josh Massa hit a 37-yard field goal for the score of 2020.

Co-Lin quickly responded after Malik Jones set up the Wolves with a 44-yard kick return. The Wolves piled up nine plays but just advanced 27-yards on the drive; however, it was not a problem, as Bryce Lofton drilled a 46-yard kick to knot the game at 3-3.

After a punt, Co-Lin was back in action as sophomore quarterback Paul Hargrave strung together a great possession with big plays to Erick Rogers and Dontavious Turner. Lakenith Thompson set the Wolves up with a 12-yard run, before punching it in from two yards out to put Co-Lin on top, 10-3, with less than a minute in the first.

Another Lofton kick, this one from 38 yards, and yet another Southwest punt, Hargrave was back on the field with 1:33 remaining in the half. After a brief drive, the lefty aired it out 36-yards to Tyquan Henderson who made an excellent catch in the end zone with just a few seconds on the clock. With the score, Co-Lin led, 20-3, going into the break.

Co-Lin really put the game away on the first possession of the second half with an 11-play, 76-yard drive that ate over five minutes off the clock. The drive featured big runs from Drexlan Allen and Thompson, but Hargrave capped it off with a strike to Erick Rogers from 10-yards out.

Max Rigby checked in on the Wolves’ next drive and took the team 71-yards with some solid passing. Rigby, a freshman, connected with Henderson to close out the possession for a six-yard score.

After a fumble on Southwest’s first snap on the ensuing drive, the Wolves had a short 23-yard field. Four plays later, Rigby found the end zone again, this time to Malik Jones. The touchdown closed out the scoring for the night, 41-3.

Co-Lin racked up 402 yards on the way to the MACCC South Division win while holding the Bears to 165. 256 of those yards came through the air, while 146 were on the ground. The Wolves also posted 28 first downs, to Southwest’s 11.

Hargrave led Co-Lin’s passing game with 201 yards and two scores after connecting on 21-of-28 passing. Rigby posted 55 yards on 5-of-7 passing and two touchdowns with one interception. Allen had 84 rushing yards on 14 touches, while Thompson had 61, and one touchdown. Henderson was the go-to receiver on the night with 83 yards and two scores on eight catches. Jones and Rogers followed with one touchdown each and 53 and 46 yards, respectively. Lofton finished 2-for-2 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points.

Jamal Pye led the team defensively with six tackles and one and a half tackles for loss. Xavier Curry, Kievon Bell, Ja’Korian Newsome, and Dequante Peoples all finished with four tackles each. Xzaverion Crockett and Sherpaul Boykin posted one tackle for loss apiece.

With a solid win under the belt, Co-Lin looks to defend their home turf against Pearl River next Thursday for a homecoming matchup.

The Co-Lin Wolves (1-0) play host to the Pearl River Community College Wildcats for the 2020 homecoming game on Oct. 8 at H.L. Stone Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m..