The Winona Christian Stars gave North Delta all they wanted for two quarters of play.
But the Stars gave out in the second half as North Delta pulled away and took a 42-18 win on Friday night.
Winona Christian falls to 2-7 on the season and will finish out the regular season with district leader Canton.
For veteran coach Junior Graham, it was the story of two halves.
“It was a good first half for us,” Graham said. “We actually took the lead midway through the second quarter but just couldn’t hold on and they scored right before the half to make it 20-18. They then picked off a pass and. And they just wore us down after that. They were really big and physical and just ran it straight at us.”
North Delta got on the board first as the Green Wave scored on a 34-yard touchdown and kicked the PAT to go up 7-0.
But the Stars bounced back behind a strong passing game. The Stars scored pulled close as Jake Ware threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Parker Bledsoe. Jake Ware’s PAT failed, and North Delta held a 7-6 lead.
After getting a stop on defense, the Stars struck again as Ware hit Collin Parkinson on a 19-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Winona Christian held a 12-7 lead.
“I thought we had three legitimate drives that resulted win touchdowns,” Graham said. “I thought that was a big plus. I thought Sam ran the ball really hard for us. We just need more consistency there. I thought we played a good first half. If you are having to play both ways, it’s tough. If you hav 140-pound guys blocking 250-pound guys, it’s going to take a toll on you. Our line just didn’t have anything left in the second half. One of their tackles was 270 pounds and the other was 300 and it just took its toll on us.”
North Delta answered with a 3-yard touchdown run and kicked the PAT and led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
North Delta then extended the lead with a 45-yard interception return to extend the lead to 21-12.
Jake Ware rounded out the scoring for Winona Christian with an 8-yard run. The try for two failed and Winona Christian cut the lead to 21-18.
The Green Wave added a 10-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to take a 28-18 halftime lead.
“They were just bigger up front than us and had some big ole backs,” Graham said. “They got one of their better players back and I thought he made a huge difference in the game. He scored their first two touchdowns for them. He has been a big factor in the last two games for them.”
North Delta added two more scored in the second half on runs of 29 and 4 yards for the final margin.
The Stars had 217 yards of offense with 152 passing and 65 rushing. Sam Thompson led the rushing attack with 32 yards on 12 carries. Ware was 6-of-11 passing for 152 yards and two TDs with one interception.
On defense, Collin Parkinson and Lane Beckwith each had nine tackles apiece. North Delta had 258 yards rushing and 71 passing for 329 yards.
This week’s game
The Stars will finish out the regular season with district champion Canton.
The Panthers are 7-2 on the season with wins over Sylva Bay (19-16), Amite (18-0), Oak Hill (62-27), Hillcrest (42-16), Central Holmes (56-28), Clinton (49-7) and Benton (40-21). Their losses are to Winston (36-24) and Tri-County (40-0).
“They are 7-2 and have already won the district and have players everywhere,” Graham said. “No. 2 for them is probably the best back that we have faced this year. They do a lot but the do a little. They like that double wing stuff but can spread it out as well. They stayed in the I last week against Benton. They like to run the ball, but they have plenty of skill as well.”
