By Brad Greer
The North Delta football team finished off a complete turn around of last season’s 3-8 campaign  with a 42-14 rout over Fayette, Tenn. Friday night to end the regular season with a 7-3 mark.
The Green Wave will now advance to the MAIS Class AAA playoffs as the No. 11 seed and will travel to Magee to take on No. 6 Simpson Academy Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Quarterback Will Kidder threw for 168 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers while rushing for 86 yards on eight carries and one score as the Green Wave built a 35-7 cushion at halftime. Kaleb Joyner added 138 all-purpose yards on 76 yards rushing and 62 yards receiving.

North Delta out gained the Vikings 394-180 in total offense with 165 yards rushing. The Waves  averaged 10.4 yards on 36 plays while holding Fayette to 140 rushing and 40 yards through the air. Both teams turned the ball over two times with North Delta holding a 16-8 advantage in first downs.

Joyner gave North Delta a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter as he corralled an eight-yard pass from Kidder to complete a five-play; 34 yard drive that was keyed by a Sam Sullivan fumble recovery. After forcing Fayette to punt on the following possession, the Wave found the end zone yet again as John Haga Lewis made a spectacular diving catch for a 21- yard touchdown with Hudson Parnell booting the point after attempt at the 5:21 mark.

The Green Wave increased the margin to 21-0 when Kidder called his own number and raced 55 yards into the endzone.

The second quarter was more for the same as North Delta added two additional touchdowns on Joyner’s two-yard run coupled with a 30-yard Kidder-to-Dennis King hookup with 54 seconds left in the half for a 35-7 lead. Fayette got on the board on a 48-yard run by Reid Holland.

North Delta tacked on its final score in the third on a seven-yard run by senior Hunter Baker out of the wildcat formation followed by Parnell’s PAT. Baker finished the night with six yards on three carries and four stops on defense.

The Wave ran only eight plays in the second half due to a running clock. The Vikings added its final score on Rube Scott Rhea’s seven- yard run with 3:17 left in the game.

Lewis and Michael Prine caught two passes each for 34 and 30 yards while King and Bailey Ross provided one reception.

Jones Montgomery hauled in a 61-yard pass from Cole Devazier. Montgomery also collected four tackles on defense and picked off a pass. Ross also returned three kickoffs for 124 yards with the longest being 47 yards.

Drew McCool led the North Delta defense with 12 tackles (eight assists) and a quarterback sack. Prine, Ethan Calvert and Christopher Williamson registered five stops. Ty Campbell chipped in with three tackles while Will Davis added two. Joseph Wright contributed with a tackle-for-loss.