From staff reports

With a balanced rushing attack and a late defensive stop, Tallulah Academy took a big step toward returning to the playoffs on Friday night.

Cody Landrem, Jes Shivers and CoCo Isaac all ran for more than 90 yards and Tallulah had nearly 300 as a team as it beat Huntington 16-12. The victory gives Tallulah (2-2, 1-0) a leg up in the hunt for one of District 6-A’s two playoff berths. The Trojans can clinch one of them by beating Trinity on Oct. 23 or Briarfield on Oct. 30.

“We took care of business and ran the football like we’re supposed to,” Tallulah coach John Weaver said. “We’re not flashy. We probably ran the trap 30 times tonight and they could not stop it.”

Unlike last year’s wild 58-49 Huntington win over Tallulah, this year’s meeting was a defensive battle. Shivers put the Trojans on the board with a 2-yard TD run in the second quarter, but Huntington took the lead on the legs of Eric Bowens. He scored on a 59-yard run, then caught a 73-yard TD pass from Jess Dossett to make it 12-6 in the third quarter. Bowens finished with 91 rushing yards.

Landrem put Tallulah back in front with  a 4-yard touchdown run with 4:54 to play in the third, and the defense held on. Wade Walker intercepted a pass on Huntington’s final drive with about a minute to play to seal it.

Hinds AHS 29, Raymond 0

Darius Newton ran for 113 yards and a touchdown in only a quarter, Keeslee Stewart scored two touchdowns and Hinds AHS rolled over its Highway 18 rival.

Stewart scored on a 5-yard run and keyed a stellar defensive effort with a 45-yard interception return for a score.

Hinds (3-1) held Raymond (0-4) to less than 100 yards of total offense. Jamario Funches caught a 10-yard TD pass from Jeremy Lee and Newton added a 13-yard TD run to complete the scoring. Newton, who has nearly 700 rushing yards in Hinds’ first four games, was rested after after the first quarter.

“It was a good rivalry game. We got a lot of our young guys a chance to play,” Hinds coach Michael Fields said.

Port Gibson 26, Madison Parish 6

Rudy Wilson racked up 232 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 95-yarder, as Port Gibson (3-1) matched its win total from the previous four seasons combined.

Wilson scored on an 18-yard run in the second quarter, then broke off the 95-yarder early in the third.

Mitchell Hoskins returned a fumble 20 yards for a score and later added a 20-yard TD run for Port Gibson, which had nearly 350 rushing yards as a team.

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