By Myra Bean

The hook up from Quin Ellis to Ricky Hunt worked for two touchdowns Friday as North Panola took a big district win over Lewisburg 30-7.

Hunt caught both receptions while in mid-air and triple-teamed by Patriot defenders.

Both teams entered the contest undefeated in the district, but North Panola (4-2 overall, 3-0 district) went ahead with the win. The remaining undefeated team in district play in 3-3A is Tunica Rosa Fort who lost to Corinth in non-conference action Friday, 34-22. North Panola and Rosa Fort will play each other the last game of the regular season on October 31.

While the majority of the people in DeSoto County were at Olive Branch, just up the road from Lewisburg, the Lewisburg Patriots were celebrating their homecoming. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the Cougars ruined the night as they continued to bang up the Lewisburg offense. The Lewisburg offense got to meet Cougar defenders Cortez Hibbler, Curtis Arnold and Kenneth Lyons first off as they stopped the opening possession three and out.

On the punt, Darius Loveberry returned the catch for a touchdown but it was negated due to a block in the back Cougar penalty.

The Cougar offense did not have much success with its first drive of the game as it ended in an interception with 8:32 on the clock.

The Cougar defense stuffed the Patriot offense again as Cougar Terry Anderson sacked Patriot quarterback Aaron Greenwood on second down and 13. Then the Patriots fumbled the ball with 5:45 to go in the quarter and the Cougars recovered on the Patriot 20.

On the first play from scrimmage, Cougar senior tailback Tyrus Mack took the ball up the middle to score on a 20-yard run with 5:42 on the clock. The two-point conversion by Vernon Lewis gave the Cougars an 8-0 lead.

Lewisburg had the ball going into the second quarter. The Patriots started the possession on their own one-yard line afer North Panola downed it after a punt.

The Patriot’s junior running back Daniel Taylor capped the seven-play, 99-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run with 10:34 to go in the half. The PAT (point after touchdown) by Dylon Castoria was good to cut the Cougar lead 8-7.

North Panola took possession of the ball after a Patriot punt at its own 49 yard line in the second quarter. Lewis took the ball on the 14 and scampered by three defenders for a pickup of 35 yards. Five plays later, Lewis took in the touchdown on a 16-yard run with 8:23 to go in the half. Lewis scored the two-point conversion for the 16-7 lead.

The Cougars’ next possession ended with a fumble in the end zone and recovery by the Patriots with 2:04 left in the half.

The Patriots were at fourth down and four from the Cougar 37 and went for the first down. A tackle by Hibbler disrupted  the Patriots from that notion and they turned the ball over on downs.

The Patriots’ final possession of the half ended abruptly on an interception by Loveberry with 48 seconds left. The Cougars took a knee to go into halftime leading 16-7.

The Cougars took the kickoff to open the second half. A scrambling quarterback Ellis found Hunt in triple coverage for a 56-yard touchdown pass with 10:11 to go in the third quarter. The pass capped a four-play 59-yard drive. The two-point conversion failed, but the Cougars had a 22-7 lead.

The Cougars capped a 10-play, 85-yard drive late in the third quarter on a 36-yard pass from Ellis to Hunt in triple coverage again. Ellis was flushed from the pocket and on the run to his right when he spotted Hunt down field.

Kiwanis Bobo scored the two-point conversion pass from Ellis for the 30-7 lead to end the scoring for the night.

In the third quarter, Mack registered a quarterback sack, and Brandon Cauthen logged a sack in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars had 424 yards of total offense, 229 rushing and 195 passing. Lewisburg was held to 186 total yards, 92 rushing and 94 passing.

Ellis completed seven of 12 attempts for 195 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He rushed six times for 35 yards.

The leading receiver for the Cougars was Hunt with 150 yards and two touchdowns.

The lead rusher for the Cougars was Lewis with 95 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown. Rodregus Salter had 79 yards on 10 carries. Mack had 12 yards on three carries and one touchdown.

Other 3-3A scores include Independence (2-4 overall, 1-2 district) 30, Byhalia (0-6, 0-3) 19; and Senatobia (2-4, 1-1) 7, Holly Springs (2-4, 1-2) 6.

Friday, North Panola will travel out of district to play 4A Oxford at 7 p.m. Oxford (4-2, 1-2) defeated district foe Indianola Gentry (3-3, 0-2) 28-14 Friday.