Nacogdoches Gets Back On Track With 49-21 Win Against Corsicana

NACOGCHES -- The Dragons improved to 5-1 and 2-1 in District 16-5A with a 49-21 homecoming victory over the Corsicana Tigers.

The Dragons forced five fumbles, recovering three of them, returned an interception for a touchdown and forced the Tigers to punt three times.

Senior safety Kyle Krenek brought the Dragons out to a 7-0 lead to open the game with a 24-yard pick six.

Oklahoma State commit Jaylon Lane recovered a fumble and returned it to set the Dragons up with good field position already ahead 14-0. He also had a 59-yard punt return late in the game for the Dragons’ final touchdown.

Senior Jamaal Evans led a stable of backs for the Tigers with 14 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown. In total, Corsicana picked up 232 yards on the ground on 43 carries.

Tigers quarterback Kishawn Kelley struggled, completing six passes for 86 yards and an interception on 19 attempts.

Hunter McClellan recovered from a rough game against Ennis. He completed nine passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns.

Running back Coronado Tolbert grinded out to 123 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

Krenek returned the pick-six on the Tigers’ first possession to give the Dragons an early 7-0 lead.

On the Dragons’ next possession, McClellan hit Sam Morgan for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give the Dragons a 14-0 lead with 3:27 left in the first quarter.

Lane added to the Tigers misfortunes by recovering a fumble late in the first quarter to give the Dragons good field position. They converted on it early in the second quarter, scoring on a 13-yard rush by Tolbert.

Corsicana scored its lone touchdown of the first half on the following possession. Ty’Garius Shefield hit pay dirt on a five-yard rush with 9:04 left in the second quarter. He finished the game with 32 yards on six carries, along with the touchdown.

Krenek recovered a fumble later in the second quarter and the Dragons extended their lead on a one-yard rush by Tolbert to go up 28-7.

Then, after forcing the Tigers to punt, McClellan drove the Dragons down the field and scored on a 45-yard bomb to Bryce Matthews to take a 35-7 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was all Corsicana.

Evans scored on a two-yard rush with 7:25 left in the third to bring the score to 35-14. On the Dragons’ next possession, Corsicana’s Laevar Jackson picked off McClellan on a tipped pass.

The Tigers converted on the following possession, scoring as offensive lineman Jonathan Seaton recovered a Corsicana fumble in the end zone. Nacogdoches' lead was cut to 35-21 with 1:33 left in the third quarter.

McClellan responded at the start of the fourth quarter, scoring on a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ken Rogers to go up 42-21.

After trading possessions back-and-forth, Lane scored the final touchdown of the game on the punt return for a touchdown with 4:38 left in the ballgame.

With the loss, the Tigers fall to 3-3 and 2-1 in the league.

Next up for Nacogdoches is a game against Jacksonville in the Tomato Bowl. Corsicana will host Whitehouse.