Rangers rout Coahoma CC in season finale

Published 12:01 pm Friday, October 23, 2015

Northwest Mississippi Community College capped a turnaround season in style Thursday night.

Justin Crawford and Max Joseph each ran for two touchdowns, Garnder Minshew threw for another, and the seventh-ranked Rangers tuned up for the MACJC playoffs with a 51-14 victory over Coahoma CC at Bobby Franklin Field in both teams’ regular-season finale.

KyKy Austin also had a pair of touchdown receptions for the Rangers in their eighth win, marking the 20th time in program history they’ve won that many games in a season. NWCC (8-1, 5-1 MACJC North Division) has doubled its win total from a season ago and has won 12 games under second-year coach Jack Wright, who took over after the Rangers finished 1-8 in 2013.

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NWCC will open the state playoffs in Perkinston next Saturday against No. 11 Mississippi Gulf Coast. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

The winless Tigers (0-9, 0-6) didn’t offer much resistance for the Rangers, who had a 30-0 lead before the first quarter was over and finished with 397 yards. NWCC held Coahoma to 98 total yards.

Crawford opened the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown run and added a 53-yarder later in the first quarter. The sophomore running back finished with 79 yards on just six carries before giving way to Joseph, who had 1- and 9-yard scoring runs as part of his 42 yards.

Minshew, who went 16-for-20 for 182 yards, found Austin on a 7-yard strike for NWCC’s fourth and final touchdown of the first quarter. Austin hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Shea Chism to put the Rangers up 51-0 with 3:42 left in the third quarter.

Willie McCaleb, Kris Reliford and Jamison Goods each had an interception for NWCC. Freshman linebacker David Herrington had a team-high six tackles.