By Brad Crowe
The West Jones Mustangs hosted the Natchez Bulldogs on Friday in the second week of district play in Class 5A.
Coach Pierson and his team felt very confident coming into the contest after a shutout victory last week over Forest Hill, and the confidence showed on the gridiron, as the Mustangs came away with a statement victory by a score of 46-15.
Each team got off to a slow start offensively, with only one score being posted in the first quarter. That came on a one-yard touchdown run by senior Austin Land, giving the Mustangs a 7-0 advantage that held up until early in the second quarter.
Natchez quarterback Chris Scott tied things up with a 25-yard scramble on the first drive of the quarter.
On the ensuing drive, West Jones junior quarterback Dusty Cook lobbed an 8-yard pass to Devrion Hatten, who made a spectacular grab in the end zone for the score.
Three minutes later, Cook connected with his wideout on the other side of the field, Garrick Randolph, for his second touchdown pass of the evening.
Following another defensive stand, Walker Thompson put a kick through the uprights in the last seconds of the second quarter to give the Mustangs a 23-7 lead ar halftime.
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On the opening drive of the second half, the Mustangs defense made another impressive stop. Only this time, the Bulldogs’ punter muffed the snap and stepped out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety.
The very same thing happened on the following Natchez drive, but rather than a safety, the Mustangs offense took over possession on inside the five-yard line.
The Mustangs capitalized with another Austin Land touchdown to extend their lead to 32-7. On the last play of the third quarter, Cook completed his third touchdown pass of the night, once again to Garrick Randolph, and West Jones held a firm 39-7 advantage going into the final 12-minute stretch.
The Mustangs’ last score of the night came on a 12-yard run by sophomore Londarrius McRunnels. Chris Scott and the Bulldogs battled to score on a touchdown pass with just one minute remaining, but the effort was too little too late, and the Mustangs won convincingly with a final score of 46-15.
After a slow start to the season, the Mustangs now sit at 4-2 on the season and 2-0 in district play, with a favorable schedule ahead of them in the second half of the season.
They will travel to North Pike next Friday to take on the Jaguars for a third district victory and another step towards a Region 3-5A playoff spot.
