NANIH WAIYA — When Robert Thomas reached up and hauled in a tight spiral from Willie Davis and raced down the right sideline 73 yards for the go-ahead touchdown late in Durant's 32-17 win over homestanding Nanih Waiya on Thursday night, the Tigers were just a little over three minutes away from being in control of the Region 3-1A race.
The win pushed Durant to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in league play. Among those five Region 3-1A wins are victories over Weir, Nanih Waiya and Sebastopol — the three teams considered by most to be the top challengers for the league title.
"This does put us in good shape, but we still have some big games left to play," said Durant head coach Ashley Kuhn. "This has been a tough four-game stretch we just completed. Now we just have to get healed and try to keep on winning."
The Tigers host winless Thomastown on Friday night, before traveling to Ethel on Oct. 17.
It looked like Durant may come out on the short end of a one-point game, until Davis and Thomas hooked up for the big scoring strike on third-and-11.
"That was huge," Kuhn said of the touchdown pass. "That was one senior to another. It was a great throw and he (Thomas) just went up and got it. That changed the game."
After the Tigers converted the two-point conversion to go up 24-17 with 3:22 to play, Nanih Waiya took over at its own 40-yard line. But three plays later Durant's Deaundre Williams intercepted a pass at his own 38 and raced down the left sidelines for a 62-yard touchdown, virtually sealing the game with 2:14 left to play.
After a scoreless first quarter, Durant got on the scoreboard first when Cortez Frizell scored on a 9-yard run with 11:37 left in the half. Davis hit Thomas with the two-point conversion pass to make it 8-0. It would be the first of four two-point conversion passes Davis completed on the night.
Nanih Waiya answered on its next possession by driving 63 yards on nine plays to score on a 1-yard run by Aries Crosby with 7:48 left in the half. The kick by Austin Swart cut it to 8-7.
Nanih Waiya went into the half with a 14-8 lead thanks to a bizarre play. With time running out in the second quarter NW's Swart threw a desperation pass down the field that was intercepted by Durant about the 10-yard line. As the Tigers returned the ball up the field, it was knocked loose and in the ensuing scramble the ball squirted into the end zone where Nanih Waiya's Crosby fell on it for a touchdown. Swart's kick gave the Warriors the six-point lead with 17 seconds left in the half.
Durant, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 2A by the Mississippi Prep Sports Source, retook the lead at 16-14 on its first possession of the second half when Joffie Hogsett scored on a 2-yard run and Davis hit Williams with the conversion pass.
Swart put NW back in front 17-16 with a 26-yard field goal with 8:24 left in the game. After a swap of possessions it looked like time was going to run on on the Tigers as they faced the third-and-long at their own 28.
But that's when Davis found Thomas with the eventual game-winning pass.
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Big play pushes Durant to victory
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