JACKSON – The Brookhaven Panthers are in control of their playoff destiny after capturing a 35-15 win over the Wingfield Falcons Thursday night in Region 3-5A action at Hughes Field.

“Our guys played hard and with a purpose tonight,” said BHS coach Tommy Clopton. “They understood what was at stake and they went out and won the game. I thought we had a lot of young guys step up and play well tonight. Next Friday is a big night. It’s Senior Night and it’s our last Region game. Our seniors have stayed the course and led us and now we’ve won three of our last four and control our own destiny in making the playoffs.”

With the win, Brookhaven (3-7, 3-3) is still in the mix to finish third or fourth in the division race. The Panthers return home to host the Natchez Bulldogs for the final regular season game next week. Kick off is at 7 p.m.

The Panthers relied on young athletes, both offensively and defensively, to clinch the victory. Junior running back Kenneth Dixon stepped up big to lead Brookhaven, finishing with 165 yards rushing on 18 carries and two touchdowns.

Dixon managed to put the Panthers on the scoreboard first in the opening quarter as he plowed through Wingfield’s defense to punch in a 25-yard rushing touchdown. Sophomore kicker Tyler Mixon finished the night a perfect 5-of-5 on the extra point attempts.

In the second quarter, Brookhaven continued to pound the ground as Dixon punched in his second touchdown with 8:12 remaining on a four-yard run to give his Panthers a commanding 14-0 lead.

With 5:52 remaining in the half, the Falcons managed to get on the scoreboard on a 15-yard pass from Caston Leggett to Robert Washington. Savante Johnson was successful on the extra point attempt and Brookhaven led 14-7 at halftime.

In the third period of action, the Panthers built their lead to 28-7.

Sophomore running back Duke Leggett provided the spark to lead Brookhaven as he scrambled in a 9-yard rushing touchdown with 7:12 left.

Freshmen quarterback Sevante Quinn also got into the action as he scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 2:46 remaining.

In the final period, Brookhaven punched in its final touchdown of the night with 10:43 left when freshmen running back Don Blandon sprinted in a 40-yard rushing touchdown to give the Panthers a commanding 35-7 lead.

The Falcons had a tough time moving the ball against Brookhaven’s defense, but managed to score on their final drive when Savanta Johnson connected with Washington again on a 25-yard passing touchdown. The Falcons elected to go for the two-point conversion and were successful as Leggett hit Henry Perry.

Offensively, Dixon was the top rusher for Brookhaven with 165 yards. Blandon finished second behind Dixon with 69 rushing yards on eight carries. Duke Leggett finished with 65 yards rushing on eight carries. Tyriq Reese had 40 yards rushing on four carries.

Quinn completed 4-of-8 passes for 23 yards and one interception. He also rushed for 25 yards on six carries. Tremail Richardson led all receivers with two catches for 12 yards.

For Wingfield, Caston Leggett powered the Falcons completing 7-of-13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He also had 64 yards rushing on 16 carries. Johnson completed 6-of-9 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.