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RAYMOND - Special teams and defense helped the Hinds Community College Eagle football team beat Copiah-Lincoln Community College 23-14 Thursday evening.

The Eagles, now 2-1 in division play, carried a two-point lead into the fourth quarter of play. Hinds was able to pull away due to two rushing touchdowns, both happening in the final five minutes of the contest.

"It's always a backyard brawl with these two teams," head coach Larry Williams said. "I'm glad we got the win. We knew Co-Lin would be ready to play," Williams said.

Receiving the ball at the start of the game, the Eagles were forced to punt after five plays. The 34-yard punt by Houston Smith (Flowood) set the Wolves up to start their first possession at their own 19.

Co-Lin then was forced to punt after seven plays from scrimmage, setting the Eagles up to start their ensuing possession at their own 11.

Hinds kicked off the scoring on that following possession with a 27-yard field goal by Ben Duncan (Florence). On the drive, the Eagles drove down to the Co-Lin 10 on 14 plays and covering 79 yards.

The first three and out for the Eagle defense happened on the following Co-Lin offensive possession. Coming up big on third down was sophomore defensive back Artavious Washington (Lexington), who broke up the pass from Paul Hargrave. The Wolf punt set the Eagles up on their own 20 yard line.

Co-Lin was quickly able to get the ball back after Levertis Carey picked off a BeSean McCray (Orlando, Fla.) pass at the start of the second quarter of play.

Like clockwork, the Eagle defense stepped up when needed and forced another three and out. The short punt led to the Eagles starting their drive at their own 47 yard line.

"Our defense played hard and tackled better," defensive coordinator John Hendrick said. "We were able to force turnovers and limit big plays, but we need to keep fine-tuning, " Hendrick said.

The three-point lead for the Eagles grew to 10 after the offense went 9 plays for 53 yards and a touchdown. Freshman running back Jeffrey Pittman (Taylorsville) capped off the drive with a one yard run at the 10:12 mark. The extra point from Ben Duncan was good.

The following possession for the Wolves led to another three and out, with the next Eagle offensive drive starting at their own 12.

The Hinds special teams unit came up big after the Eagle drive stalled. Sophomore wide receiver Nick Lauderdale (Raymond) recovered the fumble on the punt return, setting the Eagles up at the Co-Lin 23 yard line. Hinds was not able to get any points on a missed field goal from 40 yards out.

Both Co-Lin and Hinds traded punts on the next two possessions to close out the first half. The score was 10-0 at the break.

Needing to score points, the Co-Lin offense went 11 plays and 63 yards to score on the opening possesion of the second half. The touchdown score by Bobby Shanklin was from one yard out. The score was then 10-6

The Eagle offense then marched into Co-Lin territory. But, they were unable to grab any points on a missed 36-yard field goal. The score remained 10-6 in favor of Hinds.

After the missed field goal, both teams traded punts yet again. At the end of the third quarter, the scored was still 10-6.

The Wolf defense started the final quarter of play hot by forcing an Eagle safety, making the score 10-8.

On the following possession, the Eagle defense was able to force another Wolf punt. Sophomore defensive back Khiry Gee (Starkville) broke up the third down pass to force the punt.

The Wolf defense held the Eagle offense at bay on the following drive, forcing another punt. This 30 yard punt by Houston Smith set up Co-Lin to start their drive at their own 34.

Nick Lauderdale made his second big special teams play when he blocked the Bryce Lofton punt after a stalled Co-Lin offensive drive. The block was recovered by Tyrese Wolf (Vicksburg) at the Wolf 30 yard line.

After not scoring any points in the second half, the Eagles were able to extend their lead at the 4:43 mark when Jamarian Samuels (Ocala, Fla.) scored from three yards out. The extra point was no good, leaving the score at 16-8.

Hinds started to pull away when Thaddeus Bishop (Jackson) intercepted the Paul Hargrave pass at the Co-Lin 24 yard line.

The interception lead to a 24 yard touchdown run by Jeffrey Pittman, his second score of the night. Pittman finished with 110 yards on 21 carries. The extra point from Ben Duncan was good, with the score being 23-8.

Co-Lin grabbed their second touchdown of the night at the 1:44 mark when Paul Hargrave completed a 24 yard pass to Erick Rogers. The extra point was blocked by Khiry Gee, leaving the score at 23-14.

The onside kick by the Wolves failed and the Eagles kneeled to seal the 23-14 victory.

Other top performers:
Tabashi Thomas (Douglasville, Ga.): 6 catches for 85 yards
DaVonta Jackson (Greensboro, Ala.): 3 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss

Up next for the Eagles is a road game against Southwest Mississippi Community College on Thursday, October 14. The game is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. in Summit.
 
Fans will be able to watch Hinds football games live here: https://hindsccsports.net/channel-1/
 
You can also follow @HindsCC_FB for live in-game updates.