DeWITT — Late in the third quarter, McGehee junior Ja’Corrian Love gave the Owls the spark they needed for a big road win Friday night.
Love scored two touchdowns to lead McGehee past DeWitt 22-21 at Dragon Stadium, giving the Owls their first win of the season.
McGehee Coach Marcus Haddock said Love has big-play potential.
“He can fly,” Haddock said. “He’s grown up a lot. He’s come from being somebody that really shied away from contact maybe last year to really coming into his own. So, we’re proud of him.”
McGehee (1-2) trailed 7-0 with under a minute to play in the third when the Owls forced DeWitt to punt. Love caught the ball at his own 41-yard line, found room along the left sideline and took it the distance to tie the game.
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Love said he did what was needed from him in that moment.
“When I broke off the first leg, I passed the first few people, all I saw was grass,” Love said.
On the Owls’ next drive, Love took the handoff for his only rushing attempt of the game. He went 54 yards to give McGehee the lead, 14-7.
DeWitt (2-1) rallied in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Justin Ross scored two rushing touchdowns to give the Dragons a 21-14 lead. Although McGehee senior Kennon Hurst blocked the first extra point, Ross connected with Griffin Whitmore on a 2-point conversion on the next touchdown.
That last DeWitt touchdown came after McGehee got aggressive, going for it on 4th and 2 at its own 35-yard line with a 1-point lead. The Dragons stuffed the run to set themselves up to retake the lead.
It didn’t take the Owls long to respond. Quarterback Jai Hughes connected with Kamryn Jefferson for a 38-yard gain on McGehee’s first play, then AJ Wilson broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run.
Both teams called timeouts before McGehee went for 2 and the lead. Jefferson ran it in to put the Owls back in front.
The McGehee defense forced four incomplete passes on DeWitt’s final drive before running out the clock.
Haddock said the Owls’ mantra this season is finishing games, and that’s what the Owls did in the fourth quarter.
“You keep fighting,” Haddock said. “You keep blocking. You keep running. You keep doing everything you can, and do it right. If something works out, it works out. If it don’t, it don’t. Tonight, it worked out.”
The Owls rushed for 180 yards, led by Wilson’s 97 yards and Love’s 54. The Dragons rushed for 149 yards, led by Ross’s 77 yards and two touchdowns and Korri Graham’s 69 yards.
DeWitt had won its first two games this season 31-7 and 35-7. Haddock gave the credit to his coordinators, especially defensive coordinator Bobby Carter.
“Man, we shut down a team that was very efficient, very effective,” Haddock said. “High-power people with the No. 1 in the backfield. Graham’s a great athlete, but we kept him bottled up for the most part. He busted a couple of runs on us in the end, but when you play somebody that talented, kind of like Ja’Corrian Love, they’re going to get free every once in a while.”