Nanih Waiya football coach James Courtney said before last week’s game that he thought that Newton’s Tyreke Snow was one of the best athletes in Class 2A.
Snow proved Courtney right as he ran for 232 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers took a 34-13 win over the Warriors on Friday night.
Nanih Waiya falls to 1-5 on the season and will play at Philadelphia this week.
Courtney said the Warriors lack of athleticism showed against the Tigers.
“We have to be nearly perfect when we play teams that are more athletic than we are,” Courtney said. “We didn’t tackle their quarterback, and that was the difference. I thought we did well early on. The first drive was what we wanted to happen. We had a long, sustained drive and kept the ball away from them. We had some chances, but we have to catch touchdown passes when they hit us in the hand. Other than that, I thought we played well.”
The Warriors got the ball to start the game and put together an 11-play, 63-yard drive. Eli Stanton capped off the drive with a 4-yard run midway through the first quarter. The PAT failed, and Nanih Waiya led 6-0.
But the lead was short lived as Snow broke the first of four touchdown runs. On their second play of the game, Snow broke free on a 55-yard touchdown run with 5:27 left in the first. The try for two was good, and Newton led 8-6.
After a Nanih Waiya punt, the Tigers went 69 yards in five plays as Snow scored on a 45-yard run with 1:46 left in the first quarter. The try for two was good, and Newton led 16-6.
The Warriors responded with another long drive as they put together a 12-play drive before turning the ball over on downs at the Newton 20.
Two plays later, Snow ripped off an 81-yard run with 6:44 left in the second quarter. The try for two failed, and Newton led 22-6.
The Warriors then turned the ball over on downs, and the Tigers went 55 yards in nine plays as Snow scored on a 13-yard run with 1:39 left in the second quarter. The try for two failed, and Newton led 28-6 at the half.
“Defensively, we couldn’t get a hand on him,” Courtney said of Snow. “He’s one of the most electric players I have seen in high school football. I sure wish we had him. He was really impressive. He’s just so athletic, and we couldn’t tackle him.”
Nanih Waiya got an early score in the third quarter as Stanton scored on a 35-yard run to cut the score to 28-13.
Newton’s final score came in the passing game when Snow hit Corey Taylor on a 62-yard touchdown pass for the final margin of 34-13.
The Tigers had another good night on the ground as they rushed for 353 yards and had 77 passing for 430 yards of total offense. The Warriors had 160 yards of total offense with 152 yards rushing. Stanton led the Warriors with 97 yards rushing on 25 carries while Mason Jons had 25 yards on five carries.
Snow had 232 yards and four TDs on 13 carries and was 4-of-11 passing for 77 yards. Marquiese Poole had 54 yards on five carries while Keshawn Covington had 50 yards on 11 carries.
This week’s game:
The Warriors will make the short trip to Philadelphia this week and take on another Division 5-2A foe.
The Tornadoes are also 1-5 on the season with losses to Noxubee County (51-15), Bay Springs (46-6), Leake Central (43-34), Winona (46-15), and West Lauderdale (58-21). They beat Mize 27-21 last week for their first win.
“I think they are more athletic than Newton,” Courtney said. “They are unbelievable and have played a really brutal schedule. They are really athletic in almost every spot. It will have to be the same kind of game plan this week where we keep the ball away from them and play ball control. They are by far the best one-win team in the state of Mississippi, and it’s not even close. They will get in almost any formation on defense, and we have to be prepared to tackle them. It will be a challenge for sure.”
Last year, the Tornadoes beat the Warriors 40-16.
