EXTRA POINT Northland’s Branham scores 4 TDs

John Branham rushed for 284 yards on 29 carries and scored the winning touchdown on a 30-yard run with 3:02 remaining as host Northland pulled out a wild victory over Whitehall 31-28 on Friday night.

Branham rushed for three touchdowns and added a 72-yard kickoff return for a score for the Vikings (1-1), who scored 28 points in the second half.

O.C. Wellman returned a blocked field goal 78 yards for a TD to give the Rams (0-2) a 28-18 lead with 8:07 left. But Michael White connected with Kalil Branham on a 7-yard scoring pass with 6:14 remaining before John Branham sprinted in for final points moments later.

Raymell Byrd led Whitehall with 103 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

West (1-1) exploded for 42 secondhalf points to pull away from host Centennial (0-2). With the Cowboys leading 22-21 at halftime, Christian White scored four rushing touchdowns, three in the fourth quarter. He finished with 91 yards on 17 carries. Michael White led West with 170 yards on 17 carries including a 2-yard TD run in the second half. Centennial’s Jaylen Gilbert threw for 237 yards on just 10 completions, six to Craig Burt, who finished with 157 yards and a TD catch.

Nate Hall rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and visiting Briggs (2-0) limited Whetstone (0-2) to minus-73 yards rushing. Briggs led 29-0 at halftime and won despite having only 92 yards of offense.

Quarterback Isaiah Murphy accounted for two touchdowns in the first quarter to help host Walnut Ridge (2-0) take a 21-0 lead on the way to a victory over Watkins Memorial (1-1). Casey Music ran for 103 yards and passed for 81 for Watkins Memorial. Walnut Ridge’s Julius Stringer returned an interception 69 yards for a score in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Demonte Taylor rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns in leading host Independence (2-0) over Johnstown (1-1). Taylor scored the game’s first two TDs on runs of 34 and 14 yards and added a 4-yard score as part of a 20-point fourth quarter for the 76ers.

Herman Moultrie’s 91 yards and three touchdown runs paved the way for Columbus Academy (2-0) in a win over host Linden (0-2). Trevell Adams rushed for 160 yards on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns as visiting South (2-0) capitalized on a pair of third-quarter turnovers en route to a nonleague win. The Bulldogs scored all of their points in the third quarter. Jeremiah Tucker passed for 175 yards, including a TD to Zephaniah Jones, who had three receptions, 106 yards. Berne Union (1-1) lost three fumbles and was intercepted once.