Friday night’s showdown at Walter Payton Field between the second-ranked Wildcats and unbeaten Sumrall was billed as one of the top games of the week in Mississippi. But looks can be deceiving, and Columbia proved that Sumrall had no business trying to look like an alpha in Class 4A as it walloped the Bobcats 40-0.
Going into the game, Sumrall was a perfect 4-0 with quarterback John Ford posting massive numbers — 1,172 yards and 16 touchdowns — and the hope was that Columbia could slow down the explosive Bobcats offense that was averaging 38.5 points per game. Yet the Wildcats didn’t just slow down Sumrall’s offense, they exposed it. Columbia intercepted Ford three times while keeping Sumrall from scoring, proving why the Wildcats are ranked No. 2 behind Louisville in Class 4A.
Coincidentally, every touchdown the Wildcats had allowed this season had been through the air, but every team they had played was run-first and used the passing game to catch defenses napping. Wildcats head coach Chip Bilderback said there was no chance Columbia would get caught napping against Sumrall as the secondary had a great week of preparation.
“This week was actually a little easier for the DBs because they knew they were going to get the ball thrown at them,” he explained. “It goes hand-and-hand, though, with your pass rush. Our pass rush from our D-line and our linebackers makes the quarterback force some throws he may not should have (thrown). Our secondary did a great job of keeping inside leverage all night, and our outside linebackers did a great job of rerouting. I thought it all worked together. I’m definitely proud of the week those guys had.”
The fourth-year coach added that the Columbia offense helped the defense as well by controlling the clock. Not only were the Wildcats moving the chains with the running game, but quarterback Carter Smith completed 13-of-15 pass attempts, which kept the clock churning, too.
Columbia was on the cusp of the red zone when it turned it over on downs to start the game, but Amarion Fortenberry picked off Sumrall’s first pass of the game to get the Wildcats in the red zone. A few plays later, Miguel Cook had the Wildcats on the board to start the rout with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Following a blocked field goal by Sumrall late in the first quarter, Omar Johnson extended Columbia’s lead to 14-0 with a 24-yard touchdown run. Then the Wildcats took it right back from Sumrall’s supposed vaunted passing attack, with Fortenberry intercepting Bobcats quarterback John Ford a second time. That set up Smith connecting with Josh Brown for a 45-yard passing touchdown on a well-executed wheel route that made it 21-0.
Bilderback said Brown, who suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs last season, is getting better and better every week and his top-end speed has returned. Bilderback added Brown is becoming a complete receiver and showcased his skills with several toe-tapping grabs along the sideline.
Before time expired in the first half, Smith threw another touchdown, this time to Kendale Johnson, to put the Wildcats up 27-0.
The Wildcats kept the blowout rolling in the third quarter, putting together a 10-play, 90-yard drive that Omar Johnson punctuated with a short touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, following a CJ Magee interception, Cook ran in his third touchdown of the season to put Columbia up 40-0, which proved to be the final score.
As highly-touted as Columbia’s offensive line was coming into the season, it struggled a little bit in the season opener against Mendenhall and against Petal. But it has improved week after week and played its best game of the year Friday against Sumrall.
“That’s the part that’s exciting. We’re hitting that part of the real season right now, and this is when you really want to start playing well,” Bilderback said. “I think we’re hitting that up front. Our running backs are hitting clean holes — Omar, Cook and Jonathan Wiltz make great decisions running the ball — but it helps that there’s been some good creases in there, too.”
Columbia will head to Brooklyn Friday night to take on Forrest County AHS (0-6). Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
