Any playoff hopes the North Panola Cougars entertained were squashed with a 34-6 loss to the Water Valley Blue Devils Friday night.

North Panola controlled the first half by shutting out the Blue Devils 6-0 at the half.

Water Valley fumbled twice in the first quarter and North Panola recovered both. The fumble at 8:47 ended in a North Panola punt.

The second fumble was recovered at 6:40 on the Water Valley 21 yard line. A pass interference call on the Blue Devils on first down and 10 moved the Cougars to the 11 yard line.

On first down and 10 from the 11, Cougar senior quarterback Perry Trammell connected with senior wide receiver Jarvis Taylor for the touchdown pass with 6:24 on the clock.

An offside penalty on Water Valley moved the ball for the extra point closer to the endzone, but Tyrus Mack’s kick failed.

Water Valley intercepted North Panola’s next possession with 2:47 left in the first quarter, but that possession ended in a punt.

The two teams exchanged the ball back and forth throughout the first half, but were not able to capitalize on their possessions.

A new Water Valley team seems to have entered the field after halftime.

The Blue Devils rattled off 34 unanswered points to control the second half of the ballgame.

North Panola had a perfect opportunity to score when split end Bruce Wilbourn caught a pass from Trammell in triple coverage. He was tackled at the one yard line. Four plays later, North Panola turned the ball over on downs without getting into the endzone. A penalty during that possession moved the ball back to the 11 yard line.

In the third quarter, Water Valley scored on runs of eight and three and a two-point conversion. In the fourth quarter, they scored on runs of one and 18 with two PATs and returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown.

North Panola will end the season Friday with a final district game at Senatobia at 7 p.m.

Senatobia defeated Byhalia 39-18 Friday night to remain undefeated in the district.

In other district play, Independence (4-5 overall, 3-3 district) shut out Holly Springs (4-5 overall, 3-3 district) 14-0.

In non-district action Charleston defeated Marks Palmer 27-0.

It all came down to a field goal and a safety in a huge district game between the North Delta Green Waves and the Bayou Academy Colts Friday night. The favor did not go the Green Waves this time.

The Green Waves (5-4 overall, 2-2 district) fell to Bayou 12-7.

The Desoto Mavericks finished up district play on Friday night with a 4-1 record. Bayou is 4-0 but has one district game left against West Memphis Friday night to determine the district championship.

West Memphis has a 2-2 district record. Marvell, Ark. has a 1-3 district record and will play the Green Wave Friday night. Tunica is the only team that did not win a district game with a record of
0-5.

Before a huge home crowd, the Green Wave left the game in disbelief. This was the second district game that the Green Waves lost by six points or less.

"Let’s get the question on everybody’s minds out of the way first," head coach Richard Russo said. "Why didn’t we kick the field goal on fourth and goal at the five yard line?

"Well, because the kids wanted to go for it," he answered. "They believed in themselves and I believed in them. In victory or defeat, it was my decision and I stand by that decision. We preach all of the time that we believe in them and that is what we did."

Russo did praise the defense.

"We gave up 10 defensive points," he said. "Both of those came off special teams turnovers, and Bayou is one of the best offensive teams in the state. For us to hold them to 10 points is outstanding."

It was even hard to lose this game as a coach. Russo said he had no choice but to go forward and hold his head up.

"Starting Sunday, we had to swap films, and we had to do six hours of film study and do it all over again," he said. "You have to shrug that off. If it had been a victory, we would be going through the same thing. We would shrug off the victory and go on. We still have the playoffs in front of us if we play well this week. We have got a lot that we can still accomplish."

Russo said the players were also hurting following that disappointing loss.

"They knew that we didn’t play as well as we could have in the first half," he said. "They knew that the special teams caught the two offensive possessions and kept our defense on the field.

"They also knew that we played outstanding in the second half," Russo added. "We just didn’t stick it in the endzone that second time other than that one that was called back due to a holding."

Russo said he does not think Bayou is a better team than North Delta.

"We moved the ball up and down on them in the second half," he said. "You could see it on film that on first, second and third down, we missed some critical blocks or we would have walked in all three plays."

According to Russo, the team did not play all four quarters.

"We came out too flat in the first half," he said. "On that final drive, even when we didn’t get it on fourth and five, for some reason, we had them backed up on the one yard line and we let them off of the hook. I don’t think that we played as well as we could have defensively that last drive."

To start the scoring, Bayou’s Brandon Baldwin caught a 15-yard pass from Caleb Reed with 3:15 left in the first quarter. With the PAT Bayou led 7-0.
In the second quarter, Caleb Reed kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Colts a 10-0 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter with 7:50 left on the clock, the Green Wave’s fullback Dakota Mabry scored on a 72-yard run. With the PAT by Jim Tyler Dalrymple North Delta cut the lead to 10-7.

The only scoring in the fourth quarter came with 1:01 left in the game and the Colts got a safety to take the lead of 12-7 at the end of the game.

"On the offense, Dakota Mabry’s 72-yard touchdown run was absolutely amazing," Russo said. "He broke three or four tackles. That is something that is amazing to watch. He really invigorated our team. I think that Nick Douglas, even though his touchdown was the one that was called back, is progressing well as a runningback."

At the end of the third quarter, Douglas ran up the middle to score, but a holding penalty negated the touchdown.

On the defense, Mabry had 16 tackles and two forced fumbles. Evan West had eight tackles, and Britton Crawford had six tackles and one fumble recovery.

"Those three guys really stepped up and played great defensive games," Russo said.

Other tacklers include Douglas, five tackles, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup; Josh Ratliff, five tackles; Josh Garrott, four tackles, one pass breakup; Britt Lawrence, four tackles; Andy Barnes, three tackles; Blane Joyner, two tackles; Arthur Kemp, two tackles; Dalrymple, two tackles, one pass breakup; Cody Edlin, one tackle; and Bateman Greenlee, one tackle.

The Green Wave ended the game with 172 yards on 39 carries. Dalrymple completed two of for passes for 32 yards for a total of 204 yards offense. The Green Wave had 220 all purpose yards. They had nine first downs, were penalized five times for 43 yards, and lost one fumble. Dalrymple punted four times for 171 yards, averaging of 43 yards per punt.

Carrying the ball for the Green Waves were Mabry, 13 carries for 113 yards, one touchdown, one reception for 24 yards; Evan West, 13 carries for 40 yards; and Douglas, eight carries for 19 yards. Josh Garrott had one reception for eight yards.

The Colts had 44 carries for 241 rushing yards and completed two of six pass attempts for 16 yards for a total offense of 257 yards. The Colts had 11 first downs, and were penalized 11 times for 90 yards.

The Green Wave will be in their final district action on Friday night when they travel to Marvell, Ark. to take on the Eagles with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

But none were as important as his game-winning 19-yarder with 16 seconds remaining that lifted the Northwest Rangers to a thrilling 30-27 victory against the No. 15 Itawamba Indians Oct. 21 in Fulton.

The win gave the Rangers their first MACJC north division championship since 2003 and helped a storied football program come full circle. Northwest won just one game during the 2005 season.

The Rangers, who improved to 5-3 overall and 5-0 in the north, will host a first round playoff game Saturday, Nov. 4 in Senatobia.

"Our team did what champions are supposed to do today," said an emotional Northwest Head Coach Randy Pippin. "They showed character and played with discipline to move the ball down the field and score the winning points."

Bishop’s heroics didn’t come without some prior drama.

Northwest moved the ball 93 yards on 13 plays in just over five minutes to set up the game-winner. The Rangers converted on three third downs during the possession.

Bishop, of Raymond, scored 12 points in the contest. He made three of four field goals and added three PAT’s to push his extra-point streak
to 27.

Northwest entered the fourth quarter trailing 27-20, but Ranger tailback Bryan Fitzgerald of Southaven tied the contest with a 53-yard touchdown run with 10:57 remaining.

Fitzgerald, who finished the day with a career-high 167 yards on just 11 carries, also had a 43-yard run off a fake punt in the second quarter to set up Bishop’s 40-yard field goal on the final play of the half to give Northwest a 20-14 lead at intermission.
The Rangers stuck with the script that’s led to them to five consecutive division victories- a potent running game.

Northwest racked up 303 yards on the ground with three different backs gaining 50 or more yards. Backup quarterback Daniel Thomas of Hilliard, Fla., totalled 63 on eight attempts, while Curtis Steele of Franklin, Tenn., added 52 yards on 10 carries.

Itawamba led 7-0 after the first 16 minutes of the game on a one-yard run by quarterback Tyson Lee.
The Rangers responded with 17 unanswered points in the second period.

Northwest quarterback Brandon Myles of Pulaski, Tenn., who earned his first start of the season, tossed a couple of touchdown passes to help the cause. Myles finished the day by completing nine of 15 attempts for 155 yards.

Myles tied the game at 7-7 with a 14-yard strike to receiver Jonathan Jackson of Senatobia. The score was set up when cornerback Anton Anderson of Oxford intercepted his first pass of the season at the Itawamba 37-yard line.

Six minutes later, Myles threw a short pass to receiver Kris Austin of Abbeville. Austin hauled in the pass and rambled 69 yards for a touchdown behind a great block from receiver Travis Sanford of Batesville.

Northwest’s lone turnover of the day allowed Itawamba to tie the contest at 20-20 in the third period.

Ranger punter Joey Johnson of Horn Lake mishandled a snap and threw the ball to Indian defensive back Jeremy Walls who returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. Itawamba missed the extra point.

The Indians claimed a 27-20 lead with 1:57 remaining in the third period when tailback Mario Crump scampered 53 yards for a score.

Northwest’s defense clamped down in the fourth quarter and held Itawamba scoreless to set the stage for the Rangers’ dramatic comeback.

"I am so happy for everyone associated with this program," added Pippin. "From the players to the administration and all points in between, everyone played a role in this championship in so many different ways."

As LaKamaree Pride was crowned South Panola’s 2006 Homecoming Queen, Tiger tailback Jeramie Griffin was busy making history himself.

Griffin scored all five touchdowns for the Tigers (9-0 overall, 5-0 district) en route to a 34-0 shutout of Southaven (3-6 overall, 0-5 district) Friday night.

The nationally ranked Tigers pushed their win streak to 54 games after the district win.

The Tigers moved up to No. 2 in the National Tony Poll after the No. 1 ranked team, Brynes of South Carolina, was defeated by Gaffney 28-15. Lakeland, Florida moves to No. 1.

In the National Prep Poll, South Panola moved back to No. 12.

The Tiger defense turned in another stellar performance denying Southaven any points and only three rushing yards. This is the third straight game the defense has not allowed the opponent to score and the third shutout of the season.

South Panola logged 364 total offensive yards including 310 rushing and held Southaven to 33 total offensive yards which includes the three rushing yards.

South Panola scored one touchdown in the first quarter, a five-yard run by Griffin with 7:48 left on the clock. David Renfroe’s PAT was good for the 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Griffin scored on a five-yard run and a 40-yard run to give the Tigers a 20-0 halftime lead after one of two Renfroe PATs.

The Tigers increased their lead with two runs by Griffin of 15 and 35 yards, respectively, with two PATs by Renfroe.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Leading rusher for the Tigers was Griffin with 141 yards on 14 carries and five touchdowns. He leads the Tigers with 10 touchdowns for the season and 620 rushing yards and 75 reception yards.

Also carrying the ball for the Tigers were quarterback Leroy Diggs, 113 yards, 13 carries; Darius "Tigg" Barksdale, 24 yards, six carries; Terrance Griffin, 16 yards, one carry; Xavier Lee, nine yards, one carry; Quinterious Wright, seven yards, one carry; David Conner, four yards, two carries; and Reuben Corley, one yard, one carry.

Barksdale has 568 rushing yards for the season and seven touchdowns. Diggs has 567 rushing yards for the season and eight touchdowns.

Diggs and Renfroe completed two passes each to Roderick Jefferson for 54 yards. Jefferson has 472 reception yards for the season.

Leading in tackling for the Tigers was Kevin Young with six solo tackles for the evening.

Other tacklers include Chris Strong, three tackles, one fumble recovery, one sack; Marvin Burdette, David Conner, Marlon Wilks, Demetrius Dunn, Jarred Draper, Tigg Barksdale, all two tackles each. Draper also had two sacks.

While the other high school students were enjoying an afternoon of fun and games, the football team traveled to Oxford to take in a movie and a pregame meal provided by State Senator Nolan Mettetal, State Representatives Leonard Morris and Warner McBride, Judge Bill McKenzie and Buddy Gray.

"We want to thank these gentlemen for providing this outing for these young men and coaches," Tiger head coach Ricky Woods said.

The other 1-5A games Friday night were Tupelo over Grenada 22-19; Olive Branch over Starkville 27-13 and Columbus over Horn Lake 18-13.

Tupelo had Grenada 22-6 at halftime and Grenada held them scoreless in the second half to score 13 points and almost take the game.

Olive Branch and Starkville were tied at seven at halftime and 13 at the end of the third quarter.

In 2-5A action, Clinton lost its first district game to Warren Central in overtime 17-16. The game was tied at 10 at the end of regulation. Warren Central scored and kicked the PAT in overtime. Clinton scored a touchdown and tried for the two-point conversion which failed.

In regulation play, Clinton held a 3-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. Warren Central scored a touchdown and field goal to take the 10-3 lead in the fourth quarter. Clinton scored a touchdown and PAT to tie the game and send it into overtime.

In 4A action, Clarksdale defeated Oxford 25-13. Oxford was undefeated going into that pivotal district matchup. With the win, Clarksdale won district 2-4A. Lafayette County and Oxford will play for second place Friday night.

Wayne County fought off a determined Petal team to remain undefeated in south 4A. Petal had a 20-6 first quarter lead and a 20-16 halftime lead. After that 20 point first quarter, Wayne County held petal scoreless to win 31-20.

South Panola will be on the road for the final two district games of the season. Friday, the Tigers travel to Starkville to take on the 5-4 Yellowjackets. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

November 3, the Tigers will travel to Grenada for the final district game of the regular season. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Grenada and not the usual 7 p.m. start, as verified by Grenada High School.

Yes, my "old-school" self feels the punishment is not enough for the participants in the Miami and Florida International on-field brawl last week.

It’s a shame such idiots have given college football a huge black eye. Players have to be intense and even high strung to play the game but it has to be channeled the proper way.

Intense in making tackles legally and running the football hard and intense in carrying out the proper legal blocking assignments. Executing the plays on both sides of the ball in a manner to help your team win with respect is how the intensity should be applied.

And besides the players, I also blame the coaches for severely lacking in their teaching the proper discipline required to play the game correctly. If that is not done, then the game will be nothing more than a street gang fight.

I know nothing about the Florida International coach but I have met Miami head coach Larry Coker in a couple of games, and he seemed to have good control on a typically good Miami team. I suppose one has to be careful when the season is not as stellar as it usually is.

And the TV commentator for Comcast Sports SE who was heard sounding like a street thug condoning the fight during the telecast was rightly fired after the game.

People such as that do not belong anywhere near college football. Hopefully, the message will be taken and lessons will be learned.

The NCAA rules cover fighting by players. If a player is ejected for fighting and/or coming on the field to participate in a fight is out for that game and the next one too.

They tell us to try and keep control and break up little skirmishes, but when one escalates into something as big as that one was, we are to just stay back and write down the participants’ numbers. And let the law enforcement pros handle the rest.

I am always amazed and I guess it really shows the stupidity of the participant when they take their helmet off in a fight. Not a smart move for sure.

As a big baseball fan, too, I was glad the Cardinals are in the World Series since the Yankees blew the Division Series.

We all watched the Sunday NLCS game closely to see young Cardinal pitcher Anthony Reyes start game four. Richard, my eight year-old, got to meet him on the field in a Memphis Redbirds’ game when he was down for some rehab work.

Reyes started the Redbirds game when Richard’s team did the Field of Dreams where an area youth team is on the field with the Memphis Redbirds for warm-ups and the National Anthem. Richard will never forget running out on the field with Reyes when he was introduced.

Our Northwest Rangers will play Mississippi Delta this Thursday at home. Get out to Bobby Franklin Field and make some noise for Coach Pippin and the Rangers. See you there