By Brad Greer

About the only thing missing from North Delta’s homecoming  Friday night was a pyrotechnic show at the end of the game, but then again it was the Green Wave that provided their own fireworks.

John Cody Dalrymple reeled in four receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns while senior tailback Tres Brasell rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, to lead North Delta to a 61-0 thumping of an out-manned West Memphis Christian squad in a District 1-AA matchup.

With the victory, North Delta inched its way closer to wrapping up the district championship by improving its record to 3-0 and 6-1 overall. West Memphis meanwhile remained winless on the season at 0-6 and 0-3 in district play.

The Green Wave put the game away long before Madison Greenlee was named Homecoming Queen during halftime festivities by jumping out to a 40-0 lead at intermission.

Jim Tom Copeland set the tone early for North Delta by returning the opening kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown with Kyle Devazier adding the point after attempt. Copeland later added a 38-yard interception return in the fourth quarter to finish out the scoring.

After West Memphis went three-and-out on their first possession, Green Wave quarterback Bryan Nickle hit a wide-open Dalrymple on a 63-yard touchdown strike with 6:37 remaining in the first quarter to cap off a six-play, 88-yard drive.

The senior duo hooked up  again the following series as Nickle tossed a 42-yard pass to Dalrymple at the 2:59 mark to increase the lead to 20-0 after Devazier booted the point after.

North Delta tacked on 20 more points in the second period as Brasell scored a touchdown runs of 36, 20 and nine yards. Nickle’s punt returns of 23 and 14 yards set up the last two scoring drives. West Memphis could not get anything going offensively as the Black Knights punted six times in the first half and nine of their 13 possessions in the contest.

The second half saw more of the same from the Green Wave as Derrick Shawn’s 30-yard punt return to the West Memphis 15 set up North Delta’s next touchdown as sophomore Taylor Morris scampered in from 15 yards out on the next play from scrimmage to make the score 47-0 after the first of three Ty Ferguson’s successful point after attempts.

Later in the stanza, Will Magee recorded the hit of the night as the sophomore made a bone-jarring hit on a West Memphis defender to help spring Shawn on a 49-yard punt return with 8:12 left in the third quarter to make the score 54-0.

North Delta held a 14-3 margin in first downs over West Memphis in the game while finishing with 314 yards of total offense on the night. The Green Wave registered 178 yards on the ground and 136 in the air while limiting the Black Knights to 15 total yards in the contest. West Memphis never crossed midfield in the game.

Morris followed Brasell in rushing for the Green Wave with 47 yards on three carries while Michael Magee added 20 yards on five totes. Nickle finished the evening four-of-five passing for 136 yards. The senior signal-caller has now tossed nine touchdowns on the season for 694 yards and three interceptions.

The Green Wave will now enjoy their second open date of the season this week before returning to action October 22 at Greenville-Christian.