Booneville, Miss. - LaVontis Smith used the trust that his peers and coaches had in him to complete a crucial play for the Northeast Mississippi Community College football team on Thursday night.
Smith snagged a huge touchdown catch late in the contest to keep his squad within striking distance, but Hinds Community College pulled away and claimed a 31-12 victory in Northeast's home opener for the 2014 campaign at Tiger Stadium.
Northeast trailed 24-6 early in the fourth quarter when Maben's Smith made a beautiful reception in the end zone on a fourth down pass from Brett Thompson for an 11-yard score.
Smith, who was the Tigers' top returning wideout from last year with 16 catches for 288 yards, also had a key diving grab earlier in that series as well to help Northeast complete a solid seven-play, 32-yard drive that started when Hinds kicker Joseph Houston's knee was ruled down on a punt attempt.
"I knew before the play that I had him because it was one-on-one coverage," said Smith. "With the confidence that I have and the coaches have in me, at that time I knew I had to come through. God just blessed me to come down with the catch."
The fourth touchdown of Smith's phenomenal career in the City of Hospitality and the first by any Tiger receiver this season cut Northeast's deficit to only two possessions at 24-12 after the two-point conversion failed.
However, Darrel Davis recovered a fumble by the Tigers and Joshua Dixon scored on a seven-yard run with 6:56 remaining to pull away and account for the Eagles' winning margin.
"We wanted to be competitive and we were. I'm really proud of the way the guys contended," said Northeast head coach Ricky Smither. "I think the kids played as hard as they could. We've just got to keep getting better."
The Tigers (0-2) took an early lead on their initial drive of the matchup. Corbin White's nice 20-yard run down the Hinds sideline set up the first field goal of Cesar Resendiz's collegiate career that put Northeast ahead 3-0.
Quarterback James Summers got the Eagles onto the scoreboard moments later on their opening play from scrimmage. Summers faked a handoff and raced 65 yards for a touchdown to give Hinds a 7-3 lead fewer than eight minutes into the game.
Resendiz followed Houston, who connected on a 41-yard field goal for the Eagles, with his second make of the evening. The 28-yard effort cut the Hinds advantage to 10-6 with only 1:36 remaining until halftime.
But the Eagles (1-1) entered the locker room with a 17-6 lead after a 50-yard touchdown connection from Summers to Marquez McNair with just 40 seconds left before the break.
Summers showed his athleticism once again on the first possession after the intermission for Hinds. He sprinted across the goal line on a four-yard keeper to make the score 24-6 in favor of the Eagles before Smith's fantastic grab got the Tigers back into the contest.
Resendiz concluded his brilliant outing with six punts, including five that returners signaled for a fair catch on, for 183 yards and four kickoffs for an average of 49.5 yards. The Horn Lake native has nine fair caught punts, which is tops among all special teams players in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
"I've got an opportunity to change the field and to put some points on the board so I have to do my job," Resendiz said. "I think I have great potential and I'm working to be the best that I can be. Like they say, practice harder and your game will be perfect."
Hinds barely outgained Northeast on offense by 14 yards. Summers paced the Eagles with a total of 212 yards, including 123 on the ground, and three touchdowns.
Thompson improved tremendously during the second start of his career as a Tiger. The Lake Cormorant High School product completed 18 of 36 passes for a game-high 177 yards and one score.
White led all rushers with 127 yards and almost extended his streak of three straight contests with a touchdown. He broke through the offensive line and dashed 77 yards before Christopher Lyles pushed him out of bounds just shy of the end zone on Northeast's side of the stadium midway through the fourth period.
Seven receivers caught at least one pass for the Tigers with Donta Armstrong heading the group. Bruce's Armstrong grabbed six passes for 55 yards while Joe Horn, Jr., made the catch of the night with a one-handed snag while falling backwards for a 26-yard gain in the second.
Mario Virges, who hails from West Point, guided Northeast's defense with eight tackles and now holds a team-high 17 takedowns while Justin Williams exceeded all other Tigers with four solo stops.
Northeast forced three turnovers with sophomores Jamel Dennis and Jonathan Bobo recovering their initial fumbles in a Tiger uniform. Jacoby Smith also recorded his first interception versus Hinds after snatching a fumble at then-No. 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College last week.
The Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division portion of the 2014 schedule begins next Thursday, September 11 when the Northeast hosts Northwest Mississippi Community College. Kickoff between the two rivals is slated for 6:30 p.m. on the Booneville campus.