There’s never a better time for a football team to get hot than just before the playoffs, and that appears to be the case for Yazoo County after the Panthers defeated North Side 41-30 on the road for a third straight win.
The win in the regular season finale didn’t come easy, however.
North Side lived up to its reputation as an explosive team by taking a 12-0 lead in the first quarter.
“The first quarter went by so fast it was blurry,” said Panthers head coach Robert Dobbs. “They jumped on us early, and we had to make some adjustments so that we could run the ball effectively.”
Daniel Washington provided the first spark for the Panthers with a kickoff return to the 50 yard line that set up Yazoo County’s first scoring drive.
T.J. Rials connected on a deep pass to Jarrett Jasper to the one yard line, and Dewayne Brown punched in the one-yard touchdown. Rials added the extra point kick to make it 12-7 with just 55 seconds left in the first quarter.
Yazoo County’s defense began to take control of the field in the second quarter. North Side attempted to go for it on fourth down, and Rodney Jefferson put pressure on the quarterback before Ty Boddy got the sack for a turnover on downs.
That set up another scoring drive with Malikh Brown rushing for a first down before Rials connected with Jasper for another deep pass for first and goal.
Dewayne Brown added his second touchdown of the night for a 13-12 lead with 7:32 left before halftime. It was the second consecutive week for the star lineman to contribute two rushing touchdowns to help lead his team to victory.
The celebration was short-lived as Northside quickly responded with a touchdown for an 18-13 lead. Xzavien Gainwell got a sack on the two point conversion attempt to prevent the Gators from extending the lead.
On the following kickoff Jasper returned the kickoff for a would-be touchdown, but it was called back for holding. The Panthers didn’t let that setback keep them down, however, as Rials completed a touchdown pass to Malikh Brown for a 19-18 lead with just 3:19 left in the first half.
North Side responded with a touchdown to take a 24-19 halftime lead to the locker rooms.
Chandler Hardman took the lead in the third quarter. After a five-yard carry, Hardman rushed for back-to-back first downs before scoring a five-yard touchdown.
Rials completed the two-point conversion pass to Jasper for a 27-24 lead with 7:52 to go in the third quarter. That lead would stand heading into the final quarter.
North Side got back on top in the fourth quarter with a score for a 30-27 lead with 7:42 left on the clock.
Yazoo County punched back with Rials completing a first down pass to Jasper and then finding him again for a touchdown. Jasper finished the game with nine receptions for 200 yards.
After a successful two point conversion the Panthers led 35-30 with 5:22 remaining.
The Panthers defense sealed the deal with a stop for a turnover on downs that set up the final Yazoo County score.
“It’s good to end the regular season with a win,” Dobbs said. “I feel like our record should be a little better than it is, but it’s good to finish strong. Next week we’re in the playoffs, and the record doesn’t matter. We’ve just got to put our best foot forward and play good football like we’ve done the past couple of weeks.”
The Panthers (5-5) will travel to Tunica Friday to take on Rosa Fort (4-4) for the first round of the playoffs. The Lions defeated North Panola 12-0 last week to finish the regular season with a 3-1 district record.
“When it comes to the playoffs, every single play is important,” Dobbs said. “We’re going to continue to focus on special teams, and all phases of the game.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
