VIDEO/ARTICLE: McLaurin sets the tone, and Collins wins big over NEJ

Markel McLaurin set the tone in both halves on special teams Friday night. The Collins’ return man returned a Northeast Jones punt 63 yards for the Tigers’ first touchdown minutes into the first half. After the halftime break, McLaurin found the end zone yet again on the second half opening kickoff. 

The rest of Collins took it from there, pounding Northeast Jones in The Jungle 39-10 with four offensive touchdowns’ and a stout defense that snuffed out any chance of Northeast Jones finding momentum. 

Collins improves to 2-1 with the win on the road. Northeast Jones falls to 0-3.

Head coach Eric Booth said his team responded well after a heartbreaking loss to Jefferson Davis County in Week 2. 

Click on the following link for video highlights and to hear Booth’s full postgame comments: https://youtu.be/4GBjlCn1VSg

Collins just out in front 33-0 before Northeast Jones could find points to put on the board. A 15-yard touchdown run by Northeast Jones quarterback Fafa Magee with 9:27 to go in the third quarter was the only offensive score by the Tigers. It followed a fumble recovery by Northeast Jones on special teams after a punt by Patrick Little grazed Collins’ return man on an awkward bounce. 

Northeast Jones reached double-digits on the Tigers’ ensuing drive when field goal kicker Jason Garcia booted a 30-yard FG with 3:26 remaining in the quarter.

Collins held Northeast Jones to 167 yards of total offense – all but one-yard coming as a result of its ground game. Northeast Jones only attempted six pass plays all night. 

Junior running back Antonio Spencer led Collins on offense with two rushing touchdowns. Both came in the first half. Spencer’s first score was from 1-yard out late in the first quarter which put Collins on top 20-0. He added a touchdown to the Tigers’ lead midway through the second quarter on a 14-yard run. 

Emmanuel Lockhart also scored on the ground, capping off Collins’ night with a 5-yard TD run with 8:21 left in the third quarter. Backups entered the game in the final stanza and were held without a score. 

Collins’ first offensive touchdown – following Markel McLaurin’s 63-yard punt return for a touchdown less than a minute and thirty seconds into the game – was through the air. Senior quarterback Hershey McLaurin hit junior wide receiver Chris Keys for a 10-yard TD strike with 5:08 left in the first quarter. A successful two-point conversion by Hershey McLaurin extended Collins lead to 14-0.

Hershey finished with 106 yards passing on 13 attempts. 

Collins had 177 yards rushing in the win.

Next up for Collins is Magee. For Northeast Jones, the Tigers travel across the county to face rival South Jones on The Reservation.

Kickoffs are slated for 7 p.m.  

(Stats provided by NEJ)