By By Richard Strength/EMGLaurel Leader Call
Nov. 11, 2001
ELLISVILLE The Jones Junior College Bobcats avenged a season opening loss to Northwest Community College with a 24-10 victory over the Rangers Saturday at Bush-Young Stadium.
Jones' ninth straight win earned the Bobcats their first trip to the state championship game since 1998, when they beat the Rangers on consecutive Saturdays to capture the state title.
After the final gun, Jones head coach Parker Dykes renewed his tradition of removing his shirt after a big victory.
In the state championship game, Jones, now 9-1, will travel to Morehead to face Mississippi Delta, which defeated East Central, 10-7, on Saturday.
Mississippi Delta is also 9-1. The Rangers' game-opening drive made the Bobcats anything but happy.
Northwest's 1,100-yard rusher Sherron Moore ran five times for 33 yards in the series and Ranger quarterback Bobby Robison threw to Tony Jackson for a 32-yard gain.
A defensive holding call gave NWCC the ball at the Jones 6, then backup quarterback Enrique Reese carried for a 6-yard touchdown.
Brent Smith's point after kick was good and the Rangers owned a 7-0 lead with 11:33 left in the first quarter.
The Bobcats had trouble moving the ball early until hitting for a big play in their third possession.
Facing third-down-and-three at the Jones 9, Hales threw a strike to Alonzo Nix on a deep crossing pattern. Nix caught the pass in stride and easily out-ran the defense for a touchdown.
Nick Terracina added the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7 with 4:53 to go in the first period.
Northwest responded with a 15-play march that stalled at the Bobcat 30. Smith then booted a 46-yard field goal to put the Rangers up 10-7 with 13:05 to play in the first half.
An interception by Jamaal Jackson gave the Rangers the ball at their own 48.
After a 5-yard procedure penalty, Moore fumbled as he approached the line of scrimmage.
Bobcat nose guard Robert Phillips snatched the ball out of the air and rambled 43 yards for a touchdown, escorted by half of the Jones defense.
Terracina's PAT kick was true and Jones led 14-10 with 11:03 remaining in
the half.
The Rangers' Travis Buford blocked a punt just before the end of the first
half, setting NWCC up at the Jones 26.
But, on the next play, Robison was intercepted in the end zone by Bobcat defensive back Randy Craft to end the threat.
Jones added a 40-yard touchdown run by Rashard Phillips in the third quarter and a 34-yard field goal by Terracina early in the fourth to provide the final 24-10 score.
But the story of the second half was the Bobcats' defense. Northwest held a 136-6 rushing advantage in total offense over Jones in the first half. So the Bobcats, who had allowed an average of just 72 rushing yards per game during the regular season, took it personally.
Moore clipped off a 24-yard run early in the second half, giving him 128 yards rushing at that point, but Tate tore through the line on the next play, stopping Moore in his tracks.
Moore finished the game with 124 yards. The Bobcat defense held NWCC to 25 yards rushing in the second half and 46 yards passing.
The Rangers, who had 183 total yards in the first half, was limited to just 71 yards in the second half.
Dykes pointed out that Northwest ran 43 offensive plays in the first half
compared to just 23 in the second half.
The Bobcats overcame the slow start on offense and ran for 162 yards in the second half. Ralph Davis carried 15 times for 69 yards to lead Jones, while Rashard Phillips had 55 yards on eight carries, all in the second half.
Hales threw 21 times, completing 10 for 161 yards. Nix led all Bobcat receivers with four catches for 110 yards, while Brian Bester added three grabs for 37 yards.
Robison was 8-of-23 passing for 79 yards, while Reese was 1-of-2 for 14 yards.
The Bobcat secondary limited Durrell Robinson, the state's leading receiver, to one catch for five yards.