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Eagles Defense

Second half comeback fuels victory over No. 2 Jones

The Hinds defense shut out the No. 2 ranked Bobcats in the second half

Damion Blue (Clarksdale) intercepted a Steven Swindle pass in the end zone with less than a minute to go in the game to help Hinds Community College defeat Jones County Junior College, 24-20, in Ellisville on Thursday night.
 
The Eagles scored 21 unanswered points and held the second-ranked Bobcats scoreless in the second half to come from behind and claim the pivotal divisional win over previously unbeaten Jones.
 
The win, which was the third consecutive South division victory for the Eagles, moved Hinds to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the South. Jones fell to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the South.
 
Hinds entered the second half trailing 20-3 before mounting a furious attack on offense and clamping down on the defensive side of the ball to hold the powerful Jones offense scoreless despite the Bobcats running 88 plays for 488 yards.
 
The defensive feat is even better considering that the Eagles earned a South division win at Southwest Community College on Saturday, plus Thursday night's game lasted over 3 ½ hours, so exhaustion was nearing for the Hinds defense.
 
Jones wasted no time getting on the board early in the contest when the Bobcats scored on the game's opening possession when Swindle connected with Quartez Cooks on a seven-yard touchdown pass with 10:41 in the first quarter. The Grant McLaurin PAT was no good, however, and Jones led, 6-0.
 
McLaurin would later redeem himself when he drilled a 44-yarder to put Jones up 9-0 with 1:38 left in the first quarter.
 
Joseph Houston (Pelahatchie) would then match his kicking counterpart when he nailed a 24-yard field goal to put Hinds on the board with 11:48 left before the half. Jones now led, 9-3.
 
Swindle extended the first half lead when he found Jamichael Willis in the end zone from 14 yards out. He would then connect with Cooks again on the two-point conversion to move the JCJC lead to 17-3 with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter.
 
McLaurin was then successful on another field goal with 2:05 left before halftime, this time from 39 yards out and Jones was in front, 20-3, heading into the locker room.
 
The second half would in no way mirror the first half, however, as the Eagles of Hinds were able to make big play after big play on both sides of the ball to pull off the upset on the road.
 
The comeback was started in the most bizarre of ways, as tight end Jaylen Lee (Courtland) grabbed a blocked 22-yard field goal attempt by Houston out of midair and was pushed from nearly 12 yards out by his entire offensive line into the end zone for the score.
 
Houston knocked the point after through the uprights and cut the Jones lead to 20-10 with 10:34 left in the third quarter.
 
Jones put together a nice drive on the following possession and looked ready to add to the lead with another McLaurin field goal attempt, this time from 40 yards out. The kick, though, was unsuccessful and gave the ball back to Hinds.
 
The Eagles dug into their bag of tricks on the following play to reduce the Jones lead to three.
 
Diantae Thomas (Dothan, Ala.) took the reverse handoff from quarterback James Summers (Greensboro, N.C.) and found a wide open Robert Lockhart (Delray Beach, Fla.) for a 77-yard touchdown strike. Houston's point after was successful and the Jones margin was cut to 20-17 with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Summers would put the Eagles ahead for good as time expired in the third quarter when he scampered in from 22 yards out on a read-option carry. The Houston point after was good and Hinds was now ahead, 24-20, heading into the final frame.
 
The fourth quarter was a defensive standoff for the ages, as both teams overcame fumbles and turnovers on the offensive side of the ball, but were able to hold firm and not allow a single point to be scored in the final quarter.
 
Lockhart led Hinds offensively with four catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. Summers was the leading rusher for the Eagles with 25 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, as well as finishing 13-31 for 168 yards and one interception through the air.
 
Hinds ended the slugfest with 399 total yards of offense (245 passing, 154 rushing) on 78 plays from scrimmage.
 
Herbert Harris (Clinton) was once again a monster on defense, leading the Eagles with 15 solo tackles and four assists.

Keith Turner (Robinsonville) was a defensive standout as well for Hinds, finishing with seven solo tackles and five assists to pace a defense that allowed only 53 yards on the ground.
 
The Eagles will get a full week off from game action this time, returning home to face Holmes Community College on Thursday night at Joe Renfroe Stadium in Raymond.
 
The non-conference tilt with Holmes will mark the annual Homecoming game for the Eagles. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
 
Russ Robinson and Doug Garland will be joined by sideline reporter Antonio Hayes on the live video webcast brought to you by the WiFi Sports Network.
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