In a battle of Warriors, Choctaw Central was able to take advantage of the big plays on Friday night. Playing on a wet field, Choctaw used a big-play offense and stingy defense to take a 26-6 win over Nanih Waiya.
Nanih Waiya falls to 0-3 on the season and will travel to French Camp on Friday night in a matchup of winless teams.
Nanih Waiya coach James Courtney said his team played better on Friday night but was unable to stop Choctaw from making the big play.
“I thought our effort was better,” Courtney said. “We played hard and had a chance to score right before the half but can’t punch it in. Sometimes we can’t get out of our own way. Then we kick off to them, and they return it for a touchdown. The kids are getting better and working hard. There were some positives that came out of Friday night. We had our chances with them and didn’t capitalize.”
Nanih Waiya got the ball to start the game and despite several good runs were forced to punt. The Warriors then scored on their first play from scrimmage on a 47-yard run with 9:21 left in the first quarter. The PAT failed, and the Warriors led 6-0.
Nanih Waiya then put together a 12-play drive but turned the ball over on downs at the Choctaw 21. Choctaw was forced to punt but converted a fake punt and scored on a 24-yard run. Their try for two was good, and Choctaw led 14-0 with 11:14 left in the second quarter.
The score stayed at 14-0 as Nanih Waiya drove to the Choctaw 1 but fell short of the end zone as the score stayed at 14-0.
“We had some opportunities and just have to turn it up when we get in the red zone,” Courtney said. “We have to finish when we get the ball in the red zone. The kids are trying and playing hard, and we just have to find a way to get it in the end zone when we get a chance to score. We were down there twice and didn’t score.”
Choctaw received the opening kick of the second half and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown to go up 20-0. Choctaw then added another score to go up 26-0.
Nanih Waiya’s only score came midway through the fourth when Briceton Boler scored on an 8-yard run with 6:48 left in the game. The PAT failed for the final margin of 26-6.
“I thought at times we did a good job on defense of stopping them,” Courtney said. “We kept them contained for the most part because they have some speed and can get wide. I thought special teams killed us and gave them some big plays. We can’t allow the big plays. I know it’s the same old rhetoric, but we have to do a better job of tackling and getting people off the field."
Nanih Waiya had 203 yards rushing and 39 passing for 242 yards of total offense, their best output of the season.
Tanner Courtney had 55 yards rushing on eight carries while Eli Stanton had 55 yards on 14 carries. Briceton Boler had 40 yards on eight carries while Austin Windle had 34 yards on nine carries. Stanton also had one catch for 28 yards.
This week’s game:
The Warriors will try to get their first win of the season as they host Nanih Waiya on Friday night.
The Panthers are 0-3 on the season with losses to Winona Christian (35-28), Eupora (42-12), and Starkville Academy (42-10).
“They have had a tough year as well and have played a tough schedule,” Courtney said. “They will be hungry for a win as well and will be well coached. We will have to match their effort. Their running back and quarterback are really big and physical players. We have to find a way to stop them and try to limit them.”
