The End Zone: Ridgeland stalls the Cougars’ comeback in thrilling 29-27 victory, highlights opening week of MHSAA football

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - This week’s coverage of Mississippi high school football saw plenty of action, with the MHSAA teams kicking off their season and MAIS squads starting to settle in to the season.

To see the full list of scores, click here.

Northwest Rankin (0-1) at Ridgeland (1-0)

The End Zone’s Game of the Week did not disappoint.

Northwest Rankin began the game by scoring 2 touchdowns from Running Back Dylan Lewis two give the Cougars an early 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter.

After turning the ball over on the Titan’s opening drive, Quarterback Garrison Davis was able to steady the ship and lead his offense to two straight scores to tie the game at 14 at the break.

Ridgeland then scored 15 more points in the 3rd quarter to increase the Titan lead to 29-14. However, Northwest Rankin did not back down.

The Cougars scored 13 unanswered points to claw their way back in the game, trailing by just 2 points. However, The Titans would hold strong and battle out a 29-27 victory in a truly entertaining matchup.

Ridgeland quarterback Garrison Davis completed 10 of his 16 passes and threw for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ridgeland running back Kamari Payne had 20 carries for 90 yards while Ole Miss Commit, Wide Receiver Ayden Williams starred on the night with 8 catches for 161 yards along with 2 touchdowns.

Northwest Rankin quarterback Wesley White completed 13 of his 22 passes for 168 yards in the air. Running Back Dylan Lewis scored 3 reached the end-zone 3 times and tallied 22 carries and gained 170 yards on the ground.

#2 Madison Central (1-0) vs West Jones (0-1)

The defending 6a state champions flexed their muscles in their home opener against West Jones.

The Madison Central Jaguars began the contest dominating West Jones as the Mustangs could not escape the Jungle with a win. The Jaguars beat West Jones 50-12.

#7 Oxford (0-1) at #1 Brandon (1-0)

The top 10 matchup between the Oxford Chargers and the Brandon Bulldogs ended with Brandon showing why they are rated the top dogs in Mississippi football.

On their first drive, the Bulldogs would score from deep to open the game with a 7-0 lead.

The Bulldogs continued the contest with their foot on the gas, never surrendering the lead and ultimately winning the game 45-15.

South Pike (0-1) at Pearl (1-0)

The Pearl Pirates hosted South Pike in their season opener. The Pirates began scoring a special team’s touchdown with South Pike failing to get their punt off.

Pearl then scored two more touchdowns to lead 21-0 at halftime.

The Pirates held South Pike scoreless and won the game 37-0.

Cleveland Central (1-0) at Murrah (0-1)

History was made in Mississippi football Friday night, with the first all-female officiating crew refereeing the contest.

Murrah opened the high-scoring affair by scoring on the opening kickoff of the contest. The Mustangs went up 27-20 in the 1st quarter.

However, Cleveland Central would come away with a 49-45 win.

Wingfield (0-1) at Richland (1-0)

Richland beat Wingfield 26-6 in season opener for both squads.

Leake Academy (1-1) at Jackson Academy (2-0)

Jackson Academy wins their second game of the season as the Raiders beat Leake Academy 10-6 in a defensive slugfest.

Magnolia Heights (1-1) at Hartfield Academy (1-0)

The Hartfield Hawks fly high as they dominated Magnolia Heights 38-7.

Central Hinds (2-0) at Park Place (0-2)

The Park Place Crusaders are held scoreless for the second straight week in a 40-0 loss.

Pelahatchie (0-1) at Florence (1-0)

Florence downed Pelahatchie 42-7.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.