ICC Storms Past Holmes to Stay Unbeaten in the North

GOODMAN, Miss. – ICC showed its toughness Thursday night, overcoming a slow start to storm past Holmes 44-28 and remain unbeaten in MACCC North Division play.

The victory was the fifth straight for the Indians, improving their record to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the North. The win also gave ICC sole possession of first place in the division, breaking what had been a two-way tie with the Bulldogs entering the game.

Holmes (3-4, 3-1 MACCC North) struck early, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter on a pair of touchdown passes.

ICC responded in the second quarter as Deljay Bailey connected with Tavaris Coles on a 36-yard touchdown to cut the lead in half. Though the Bulldogs answered with another passing score to make it 21-7, the Indians' defense shifted the momentum with a safety midway through the quarter, trimming the deficit to 21-9 heading into halftime.

The second half belonged to the Indians.

Caiden Holliday opened the third quarter with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, pulling ICC within five. Holmes countered with a 77-yard touchdown pass to push the margin back to 12, but Bailey struck again, hitting Nate Branch for a 43-yard touchdown to bring the Indians back within one score.

From there, ICC took full control.

Jaylen Foster gave the Indians their first lead of the night in the fourth quarter with a 40-yard touchdown run, putting ICC ahead 30-28. Bailey then connected with Marcellus Jackson for a 36-yard touchdown to extend the lead before the defense sealed the win.

With just over five minutes remaining, Orel Gray scooped up a fumble and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown, capping off the comeback and securing the 44-28 victory.

Bailey turned in another efficient performance, completing 16 of 23 passes for 217 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while also rushing for 23 yards on 11 carries. The ground game was steady behind Foster and Mykell Allen, who combined for over 170 rushing yards. Foster finished with 86 yards on 15 carries and added 21 yards on three receptions, while Allen posted 88 yards on 18 carries with three catches for 18 yards.

Through the air, Coles led the receiving corps with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, followed by Jackson's four grabs for 57 yards and a score and Branch's 43-yard touchdown catch.

In total, the Indians piled up 414 yards of offense, showing balance and poise after a rocky first quarter.

Defensively, Gray recorded 10 tackles, one assist, a tackle for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, a pass break-up, and a touchdown, helping ICC close out another crucial division win. Tahj McBride and Nick Sherman each came up with an interception, while the defense as a whole tallied 13 pass break-ups in a strong showing against the Holmes passing attack.

On special teams, Rowan Lovorn kept the Bulldogs in check, averaging 42.8 yards per punt with four downed inside the 20 and two more resulting in touchbacks.

The Indians return home Thursday for Sophomore Night, hosting rival Northeast (4-3, 2-3 MACCC North). The Guaranty Bank opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with the Metro Ford Pregame Show starting at 6:30 p.m. on SuperTalk 101.9 FM and LetsGoICCTV.com/red.