FULTON, Miss. – For the second-straight week, the ICC football team suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds of the game.
After a deflected two-point conversion pass in their 42-41 season opening loss at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the Indians fell to Hinds Community College, 35-31, in front of a packed house on Thursday.
Thomas Cox (Fulton) gave the Indians a new life when he recovered a muffed punt at the Eagles' 19-yard line with 5:31 left in the game. Two plays later, Kadarius Forside (West Point) punched it in for his second touchdown of the game to give ICC its first lead of the game, 29-28, before Christian Saulsberry (Southaven) dove into the end zone for the two-point conversion to make it a 31-28 contest at the 5:17 mark of the fourth quarter.
Forside rushed for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 carries.
Hinds methodically marched 62 yards in four minutes, fifty four seconds to retake the lead, 35-31, with 33 seconds left on the clock. ICC quickly get to the Eagles 45-yard line before time expired to allow the Eagles to escape Fulton with the come-from-behind victory.
The Indians first score of the game came on a 21-yard field goal by Caleb Comer (Caledonia) to make it a 7-3 game with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
Dan Ellington (Olive Branch) found Jamel Thomas (Caledonia) on a 9-yard scoring toss before Forside scored his first touchdown on the night on a 3-yard run to make it a 28-16 at the half. Ellington scored on a 26-yard run to pull to cut Hinds' lead to 28-23 and set the Indians up for their late-game heroics with 9:20 left in the third quarter.
Ellington finished the night with 245 yards and 2 interceptions on 32 of 44 passing and rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Terry Williams (Southaven) had 11 catches for 105 yards.
ICC committed three turnovers on the night.
Defensively, the Indians allowed 463 yards of total offense (183 rushing; 280 passing) while forcing the Eagles into three turnovers.
Quinshay Heard (Hamilton) led ICC with 9 tackles, one for a loss of two yards, and a forced fumble. David Little (Saltillo) had 3 tackles, an interception, and blocked a punt that was scooped up and returned three yards by Montario Montgomery (Starkville). Cox and Daylon Fox (Southaven) each had a fumble recovery.
ICC will open division play as they host nationally ranked Northwest Mississippi Community College Thursday. The Rangers (1-0, 0-0 MACJC North) defeated Pearl River, 34-21, for their first official game of the season after having their season opener postponed in the fourth quarter due to tropical storm related power outages.
It will be First Responders Appreciation Night on Thursday. First Responders and their immediate family members will get free admission to the game.
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