October 26, 2009

TIGERS END SEASON IN SENATOBIA

BOONEVILLE, MISS. – Northeast Mississippi Community College’s football team capped its 2009 season with a close one.

Northeast (2-7, 2-4 in North Division) held the state’s topped ranked pass offense to under 250 yards through the air but it was not enough as the Tigers fell in the season finale to the Northwest Rangers 17-14 Saturday, October 24.

Northeast kept Northwest on its heels during the first half --taking 7-0 and 14-7 leads before the Rangers could respond.

Creighton Nelms (Kossuth) gave the Tigers an early 7-0 lead when the sophomore fullback broke out into the flat along the home side at Ranger Stadium and hauled in a four-yard pass from Clint Wilson (Olive Branch) just over seven minutes into the game.

Tyler Turner (Southaven), who was perfect on the day in PATs, booted home the extra point try to give Northeast a seven-point cushion with 7:51  left in the first quarter.

Turner was responsible for the Tigers opening score when he found Dominque King on a 37-yard pass during a fake punt that carried the Tigers down the Ranger 8.

Northwest (6-3, 4-2) wasted little time in responding to Northeast’s score when Ranger quarterback Casey Weston found Michael Lindsey streaking across the middle for a 70-yard score as Northwest scored 61 seconds after Northeast took its initial lead of the contest.

Both teams held each opposing offense in check until late in the first half when Northeast managed to take another seven-point lead on Northwest.

King, who caught seven passes for over 100 yards on the day, scampered in from 36 yards out on a Wilson laser to the sophomore receiver with 1:14 remaining in the first half.
Northeast’s lead was short lived as Northwest answered with a quick strike of its own just 61 seconds later, again.

Weston hit Marquise Green on a 21-yard jet as the Rangers tied things just 13 seconds before half following Kevin Bufford’s second PAT of the day.

Not to be lost in the Tigers’ defensive effort to stop the Rangers’ offense -- was Northeast running back Jeremy Cannon (New Albany) breaking the 1,000-yard rushing plateau on a 3-yard run with 5:27 left in the second quarter.

Cannon got the milestone run on an unfortunate play for the Tiger offense as Northeast was penalized for a holding call three yard beyond the line of scrimmage. The sophomore running back’s rush counted to the point of the penalty giving Cannon 25 yards on his eighth carry of the day and 1,002 yards on the season.

Both squads stumbled coming out of the halftime break with Northeast forcing Northwest to cough up the pigskin on its first drive of the second half.

John Brown (Lakeland, Fla.) separated the ball from a Northwest carrier and Jarryn Bingham (Jackson) jumped on the loose pigskin to put the Tigers in excellent field position but the Northeast offense couldn’t convert in the red zone and let the 14-all score stand until the fourth quarter.

Northeast and Northwest had shots at taking a lead in the third quarter and came up short on field goal attempts. Northeast missed from 32 yards out on a fourth-and-seven with 5:09 to go in the third while Northwest couldn’t find the range on a 48-yard boot with 1:54 showing in the frame.

Bufford made up for his miss in the third quarter when he put the Rangers up for good in the final frame on a 34-yard field goal with 10:03 remaining for the final digits.

###