Cal Brown/LetsGoICC.com
CLARKSDALE – The Indians' closed out the 2023 football season Thursday night with a 30-25 victory at Coahoma.
It didn't take long for ICC to score when kicker Luke Jackson (Bensalem, Pa.) hit a 29-yard field goal to give the Indians an early 3-0 lead at the 11:46 mark. After Coahoma answered with a touchdown, defensive lineman Will Spain (Gordo, Ala.) blocked the ensuing extra point attempt to make it 6-3 in favor of the Tigers.
In the second quarter, running back Charleston French (Amory) ran it in for a three-yard touchdown to get the lead back for the Indians. It didn't take long for Coahoma to go back in front with a five-yard touchdown run. The Indians stopped a two-point conversion attempt to keep it at 12-10 with 7:56 left in the second quarter. With 21 seconds until halftime, Jackson put it through the uprights again, this time for 43 yards for a 13-12 lead at the break.
French wasted no time at the beginning of the second half with a 20-yard touchdown run to extend the ICC lead. He scored a third touchdown, a five-yard run, and Jackson hit a third field goal from 33 yards in the Indians' win.
French racked up 248 yards on the ground during his three-touchdown performance, averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
The Amory native's performance was the most rushing yards in a game since Richard McQuarley's 258 yards and three scores in a 38-19 win over Northeast in 2014. French is currently second in the country with 924 total yards rushing and 102.7 rushing yards per game and fifth in the nation with 8 rushing touchdowns.
Defensive back Dylan Rowsey (Biggersville) and linebacker Jayden Walker (Aberdeen) led the ICC defense with six tackles each while linebacker EJ Wadley (Oxford) contributed five.
The Indians end the 2023 season 3-6 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
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