ND Jr. High wins district championship

By Angie Ledbetter

The North Delta junior high football team is the district champion after winning the game on Thursday, October 4.  They defeated the Black Knights from West Memphis Christian School 38-12.  The Green Wave team also remain undefeated in overall action with two games left on the schedule.

“It’s an affirmation of all the hard work that these two men sitting beside me and those 31 young men in that room have done over the past year,” said head Coach Richard Russo. “It feels great. West Memphis came to play tonight.  It was evident.”

Russo said the team responded to the challenge issued at halftime and played a much better second half.

For the ninth graders, Russo said he wanted them  to learn a life lesson that hard work does pay off.  

“They went from a two district win season to a perfect 5-0 and they are 7-0 overall, counting the forfeit next week,” he said. “If all 12 of the ninth graders stay together, the sky is the limit.”  

Assistant coach Brad Wilson said the district championship means the world to him.

“It’s my third year here and it’s the first time that they have won the district,” Wilson said. “These young men have worked their tails off and they have done a tremendous job.”  

Coach Lance Thomas said it feels good.  

“It feels like we are going to win a lot of games in the next three years,” he said. “ It means that good things are coming down the road for us, I believe. If they stay together, I think that we can do a lot of good things. I mean we want to look for the big prizes, eventually.”

The Green Wave came out in this game and did not waste any time getting on the scoreboard. With 66 seconds off the clock, Bryan Nickle scored on a 34-yards run. The score stood 6-0 after the PAT was blocked.

Nickle scored again with 49 seconds left in the first quarter, but it was negated due to a clipping penalty.  

The Black Knights got on the scoreboard with 5:45 left on the clock. The game was tied at six after the two point run failed.

With 3:01 on the clock, Nickle scored on a one yard keeper. The scored stood at 12-6 after the two point run failed.

With 2:40 left in the third quarter, John Cody Dalrymple caught a pass from Nickle for a Green Wave touchdown. On another missed PAT, the score stood 18-6 Green Wave.

To start the third quarter, Nickle scored on a 64-yard run. The PAT by Michael Magee was good to give the Green Wave a 26-6 lead.  

With 3:50 on the clock, Tres Brasell scored on a 13 yard run. The PAT was no good and the Green Wave lead was 32-6 at the end of the third quarter.

The Black Knights scored with only a few seconds off the clock and the PAT was no good to start the fourth quarter.

With 4:06 left in the game, Nickle intercepted the Black Knight’s ball on the Green Wave’s 26 yard line. One  play later, Chris Rodgers scored on a 74 yard run.

The two point conversion run  by Jim Tom Copeland was good.

Bryan Nickle lead the team on offense with 11 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed two of two passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Tres Brasell rushed five times for 48 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers had 121 yards on six carries and one touchdown.

Dalrymple had one pass reception for one touchdown.

Nickle said, “This win was amazing.  It’s the best game of my life. The coaches helped us and we had a game plan to stop them in the second half.”