Jones College beats Co-Lin in football finale
Published 3:00 pm Saturday, October 30, 2021
- Photo by CLCC Sports Info Co-Lin sophomore quarterback Paul Hargrave rolls out on a passing play Thursday for the Wolves against Jones College.
The 2021 football season came to an end Thursday for the Co-Lin Wolves with a 21-7 homecoming loss to Jones College.
The fans who stayed through halftime to see 2021 Homecoming Queen Madi Miller crowned witnessed an ugly two quarters of football played in chilly conditions.
Maybe it was the cold that made hands numb and holding on to the ball difficult because both teams struggled to maintain a grasp at times.
Jones fumbled in the first quarter on a punt return and Co-Lin took over on the JC 21-yard line. The following CLCC drive went for a negative four yards and a field goal attempt was blocked by the Bobcats.
Markel McLaurin returned the blocked kick down to the CLCC 5-yard line, setting up what would surely be an imminent Jones score.
The Co-Lin defense stiffened though and forced a turnover on downs four plays later.
At the beginning of the second quarter the Bobcats drove down to the Co-Lin 5-yard line once again. Just like they did before, the Wolf Pack defense pinned their ears back to force another turnover on downs.
The first half ended in a 0-0 tie and Co-Lin punter Bryce Lofton was easily the MVP of the opening two quarters. Lofton had one punt go for 66 yards, another that went 59-yards and a third that traveled 60-yards.
CLCC received the ball to open the second half and sophomore quarterback Paul Hargrave (Natchez HS) threw an interception that led to the first Jones touchdown of the night on a 33-yard pass play that game on a 4th-and-4 for the Bobcats.
After another Lofton punt, the Jones offense only needed one play to find the endzone again as QB Quaterius Hawkins found Bud Tolbert on a 60-yard touchdown pass.
That precede the best Co-Lin drive of the night that covered 73 yards in six plays. Hargrave hit Tyquan Henderson (Canton HS) on a 5-yard touchdown pass to pull his team within 14-7. Henderson had a 64-yard gain earlier on the drive to set up his score.
A Jones score on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Bobcats back out ahead by two scores as two turnovers in the final period nulled any hopes of a comeback for the Wolves (3-6).
Co-Lin generated just 186 yards of total offense in the loss.
Jones (8-1) took first place in the MACCC South Division with the win, despite losing 27-23 last week to Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The No. 4 ranked Bobcats will host no. 7 Northwest (7-2) in an MACCC playoff game Nov. 6 in Ellisville. Jones beat Northwest 31-9 back on Sept. 9.
The winner of that game will meet the winner between No. 1 East Mississippi (9-0) and no. 11 Hinds (7-2) in the MACC State Championship.