BRANDON – Four devastating first-half turnovers proved too much for the Vicksburg Gators to overcome in a 30-12 defeat at Northwest Rankin on Friday night.

The Gators (4-3, 1-2 Region 2-5A) fumbled twice and had two passes intercepted and the unbeaten Cougars (7-0, 3-0) never trailed in gaining control of the region race with a 3-0 mark.

&#8221The defense got the job done tonight,“ Northwest Rankin quarterback Jordan King said. &#8221They got us the ball several times and we were able to capitalize.“

King threw a pair of touchdowns. The first extended the Cougars’ lead to 16-6 at halftime.

Vicksburg had just scored on a 4-yard Tyler Wells touchdown run with 1 minute, 9 seconds to play when Northwest drove 77 yards in six plays, capped by a 45-yard screen pass and run from King to Brumfield.

The Cougars pooch kicked and recovered the ball on the Gators’ 22-yard line with nine seconds to play, but came up 10 yards short on a fake field goal to keep the 10-point advantage.

Vicksburg outgained Northwest in the first half 170-161, but the four turnovers stung.

&#8221It’s something we have to stop,“ said VHS coach Alonzo Stevens, who watched his team commit five turnovers on the night. &#8221We have to be more protective of the ball.“

Northwest scored on its first possession of the third quarter after a 71-yard kickoff return on a reverse by Steven Knight gave the Cougars the ball on the VHS 13-yard line. Stephen Wright, who led all rushers with 135 yards on 19 carries, scored on a 1-yard run for a 23-6 lead.

The Gators last touchdown came late in the third quarter, ironically on a fumble. Jomar Hunt lost the ball at the 3-yard line on a fourth-down play and fumbled the ball into the end zone. It was recovered by Chavous McWhorter as the Gators cut the lead to 23-12.

Northwest scored the final tally on a 21-yard pass from King to Mike McCoy with 6:32 left in the game for a 30-12 lead. The Cougars ate up more than seven minutes on the 13-play, 77-yard drive.

Wells led Vicksburg with 102 yards on nine carries. Stanton Price finished 8-of-17 for 101 yards, but tossed three interceptions.

&#8221They caught all the momentum off of our turnovers,“ Vicksburg linebacker Harold Knight said. &#8221That was it, they caught all the momentum.“