BOONEVILLE — Northwest Mississippi Community College, ranked 11th nationally, defeated Northeast Mississippi Community College 20-10 Thursday night in a Division I MACCC game. The victory marked the Rangers’ second straight win this season, their first such streak.
Head coach Benjy Parker credited the team’s resilience in a challenging environment. “It’s always tough to play here,” he said. “They had just played a big rival and were coming off homecoming. I’m proud of our guys for getting out with a win.”
Northwest’s defense set the tone early, forcing a quick three-and-out. The offense responded with a scoring drive, culminating in a rushing touchdown by Neko Fann. The Rangers led 7-0 after Fann’s third touchdown of the season. Northeast responded with a fumble near midfield, giving Northwest a short field that led to a 33-yard field goal by Will Uselton, extending the lead to 10-0.
The Tigers cut the gap with a touchdown pass just before halftime, making it 10-7. Both defenses stiffened in the third quarter, with Northeast missing a field goal due to a bobbled snap. On the final play of the third quarter, Noah Gillon threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to TyAnthony Elmore, boosting Northwest’s lead to 17-10.
In the fourth quarter, both teams struggled offensively until Gillon led a final drive, ending with a 36-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining. The Rangers secured the victory, improving their overall record to 3-2 and 2-0 in division play. The team outgained Northeast in total yards, 298 to 291, and Gillon completed 16 of 27 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive standouts included Kris Thompson with seven tackles and Devin Smith with two sacks. Northwest has now won 12 straight games over Northeast, with the last loss coming in 2014. The Rangers will host Coahoma Community College on October 1 at Bobby Franklin Field, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m., as part of homecoming festivities.
Coach Parker emphasized the need for continued improvement ahead of the next game. “We still are not where we need to be,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do.” Coahoma, coming off a narrow loss to Itawamba, will pose a challenge, Parker added. “We can’t overlook anyone,” he said. “We need to win out if we want to reach our goals.”
