PORT GIBSON – The Lawrence County Cougars defeated the PortGibson Blue Waves 35-0 in Region 6-4A high school football actionFriday night. Three different Cougar rushers had big nights, andthe LCHS defense threw its first shutout of the season. The win wasthe Cougars’ third straight.

With the win, Coach Mike Davis’ Cougars improved to 3-2 overall,and 2-0 in Region 6-4A play. Port Gibson fell to 0-4 on the season,an 0-1 in the region.

Freshman runner Mathew Wells carried much of the load forLawrence County. With veteran wingback Isaiah Ferdinand sidelinedwith a shoulder injury in the second half, Wells carried 14 timesfor 133 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Ferdinand gained 127 first-halfyards before going out. Senior Will Harris gained 99 yards, as theCougars amassed a whopping 400 rushing yards.

Lawrence County quarterback Ryan McCall threw just 3 times inthe game, but 1 pass was a 32-yard touchdown toss to tight endMackenzie Woods. Rishawn Haynes was 5-for-5 in extra point attemptsfor the Cougars.

The LCHS defense also enjoyed a solid effort. Junior linebackerDontray Collins led the Cougar attack, with a total of 7 tackles,and a fumble recovery. The Cougars had 6 takeaways against themistake-prone Blue Wave offense.

“We’re happy to get the win,” coach Mike Davis said, “but weweren’t real crisp tonight. We’ve got Mendenhall next week, andwe’ll have to play better. We got a little banged up tonight.Hopefully, those guys will be ready to go next week.”

Lawrence County scored on the opening possession of the game.Will Harris had key runs 22 and 15 yards. Ferdinand covered thefinal 25 yards, to give LCHS a 7-0 lead.

Just moments later, after a Port Gibson fumble, Ferdinand rippedoff a 65-yard run. Unfortunately for Ferdinand, Port Gibson’sankle-high turf grabbed him and took him down at the Blue Wave20-yard line. Two plays later, the Cougars fumbled the footballback to Port Gibson, and Ferdinand’s long jaunt went fornaught.

Midway through the second quarter, after another Blue Wavefumble, the Cougars drove 40 yards in 5 running plays. McCallsneaked over from 2 yards out, giving the Cougars a 14-0 lead.

Late in the half, freshman Mathew Wells scored on a 6-yard run,making it 21-0 at the half. Wells had runs of 21 and 13 yards toset up his score.

In their only possession of the third quarter, the Cougars drove89 yards in 15 plays, to make it a 28-0 game. McCalls’s 32-yardtouchdown pass to Woods completed the march. The drive used upalmost 9 minutes of clock time.

Early in the fourth quarter, Wells tacked on the final score ofthe night with a 14-yard run. Wells’ fellow freshman, JoshHolloway, rushed for 22 yards on 3 carries.