The Rang Gang is now the Ring Gang.

Northwest Mississippi scored two defensive touchdowns, and running back D’mariun Perteet rushed for 129 yards and two more scores as the Rangers routed East Central Community College 34-7 on Saturday in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference football championship game.

No. 4 Northwest Mississippi (10-1) won the 12th conference title in the program’s storied history, and third in five seasons.

East Central (8-3) was making its first appearance in the MACCC championship game since 1970. Its last state title was in 1939.

“This season has been a special one, finishing 8-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play, and that’s a testament to the culture we’re building here at East Central,” East Central coach Jonathan Webster said. “Everyone has worked tirelessly to make this season a success, from the coaching staff to the administration and even the sports information team. But we’re far from done. I genuinely believe East Central football is on the rise, and it will be something our community can be proud of for years to come.”

Perteet had scoring runs of 1 and 13 yards, and Hayden Wolfe kicked two field goals for Northwest, which rode a dominant defense to the championship.

The Rangers held East Central to 255 yards of total offense, forced four turnovers, and registered three sacks. Ten Northwest defenders had three or more tackles.

Fredd Adams had an 84-yard interception return touchdown in the second quarter, and Caulen Dunn a 59-yard fumble return TD in the third.

East Central did not score until early in the fourth quarter, when Landon Sims threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Waymond Jenerette to make it 34-7.

“Hats off to Northwest for playing a great game today and securing the win,” Webster said. “We can do nothing to change the outcome, but I’m incredibly proud of the effort our guys showed down the stretch.”

East Central quarterbacks Sims and Chris Tucker combined to complete 21 of 32 passes, but only for 168 yards. Tucker was the Warriors’ leading rusher with 31 yards.

Former Warren Central quarterback Jack Wright played on special teams for Northwest Mississippi. East Central defensive end and WC alum Demarcus Jones had one solo tackle.

Northwest will now wait to see if it did enough to receive a bid to the NJCAA playoffs. If selected, it would be the third time in the last four seasons that the Rangers have been a part of the four-team playoff since its inception in 2021.