Co-Lin rally sinks Gulf Coast

Published 6:00 am Monday, October 29, 2001

PERKINSTON – Co-Lin exploded for 36 points in the final 25minutes of play, erasing a 20-0 Gulf Coast lead in the process andpulling out an unlikely 36-28 win in South Divison communitycollege action Saturday.

It was a bitter Homecoming pill for the Bulldogs to swallow, whodominated the first half to lead 14-0 at

intermission and extended the advantage to 20 points by scoringon their initial possession of the second half.

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“I thought it was an exciting game, and one we should have won,”Gulf Coast head coach Steve Wright, whose

team falls to 2-6 overall and ends up 1-4 in the South Division,said. ” “I didn’t think we collapsed, we just didn’t

execute like we should have after we got the big lead.We madesome mistakes, especially in the kicking game.

There’s no excuse for that.”

The Bulldogs have now lost four straight, with a season-endingtrip to Itawamba on Thursday left in the season.

The Wolves ended a three game losing streak and stand 5-3overall and stand 2-3 in the loop.

“We had a real good September, but October hadn’t been kind tous,” Co-Lin head coach Dave Cross said.

“We’d gotten behind like that the last three games, and we didagain.We just finally decided to do something about

it and I was proud of that.”

Gulf Coast quarterback Shun Carmichael accounted for 422 yardsof total offense. He threw three touchdown

passes, one from 39 yards out on the Bulldogs’ first play of thegame to James Nettles and from 17-yards to Micahel

Butler in the third period.

Gulf Coast also got a 64-yard scoring strike from Nettles toCharles Estes on a reverse pass in the second

stanza.

Co-Lin got touchdown runs from quarterback Willie Johnson(1-yard) and Darius Bingham (23-yards) as well as a

scoring pass from Johnson to Lorenzo Townsend (8-yards).

The Wolves also scored a pair of defensive touchdowns, on a16-yard fumble return by Antwan Marsh and a

26-yard interception run back by Ken Bournes.

After Gulf Coast recaptured the lead 28-27 on 21-yard touchdowntoss from Carmichael to Nettles with 3:26 to

play, Co-Lin’s Jimbo Thornton booted a 35-yard field goal withtwo minutes later to give the Wolves a 30-28

advantage.

Bournes’ pickoff and return sealed the win with a minute toplay.

Linebacker Charlie Myles had an interception and a fumblerecovery for the Bulldogs, while Charles Hall returned

a blocked extra point attempt for a safety.

Gulf Coast will finish with its first losing season in fouryears. The Bulldogs, however, haven’t made the state

playoffs since 1986.

Co-Lin hosts Jones County Thursday night for its season finale.Kickoff is 7 p.m. in Stone Stadium.