Just after halftime on Thursday in Wesson, a rain that somehow fell both lightly and heavily cleared out much of the home bleachers inside H.L. “Hook” Stone Stadium in Wesson.

The fans who’d come to see the Copiah-Lincoln football team, Blue Wave Show Band, and CLCC cheer squad headed out for the parking lot as many turned on their radios to listen to the final quarter and a half of action.

The ending of the game went by in a fast fashion as Co-Lin led Hinds CC by so much that a running-clock was used from around the time the rain began until the final horn of a dominating 48-0 win for the Wolves (2-1, 1-0) over their MACCC South Division rivals from Raymond.

Kickoff took place under a much fairer sky and Co-Lin shot out the gate with a fast start that had the Eagles (0-3, 0-1) on their heels from the jump.

Hinds won the toss, elected to defer, and kicked the ball off to CLCC return man Zyrian “The Jet” Jackson Jr. Jackson Jr., a native of New Orleans, flew down the visitor sideline, all the way down to the HCC 7-yard line.

Two short runs later by sophomore Tray Minor (Natchez High) had CLCC up 7-0 after just 44 seconds of game action.

The CLCC defense, which has now surrendered only one touchdown through the first three games, kept the good times rolling as they created a turnover on the opening possession for Hinds.

After a completed pass, the ball was punched out and CLCC linebacker Lakendrick “Champ” James reached down and picked the ball up. James, who’s committed to next play at Mississippi State, got the ball down to the 1-yard line before he was run down.

Tight end Que Tillman, who runs the Wildcat offense for Co-Lin, rushed the ball in from there to put CLCC up 14-0 after the Humberto Rosale PAT kick.

The first extended drive of the game for the Co-Lin offense came later in the first quarter and was a chance for sophomore quarterback Will Loy (Wesson) to show off his deep group of receivers.

After Minor started the drive with a 9-yard run, Loy hooked up with receiver Mike Williams (Natchez High) for a 6-yard gain and first down.

Loy then hit Matt Mayfield (Beau Chene, La.) for a 35-yard pass. Two plays later, Loy stood in the pocket and absorbed a big hit but delivered a pass over the middle that was caught by Jordan Richardson (Gainesville, Fl.) for a 19-yard scoring pass.

Rosale missed the PAT kick, but it wouldn’t matter as the Wolves never looked back in adding to the lead throughout the rest of the night.

Hinds is led by former CLCC defensive coordinator Larry Williams. Former Co-Lin defensive coordinator William Jones is also on the staff in Raymond. The Eagles went 3-6 last season and have struggled to score this year, losing 10-7 to Itawamba in the season opener and 43-3 last week to East Mississippi CC.

Loy finished 8-of-14 passing for 123 yards, hitting eight different receivers on the night. Minor rushed for 113 yards and three scores. Jackson Jr. picked up 92 yards on the ground and also scored.

The CLCC defense did get on the board in the second half as linebacker Fernando Washington (Macon, Ga.) recovered a fumble in the endzone after Rosale booted a punt that was downed inside the Hinds 5-yard line.

Even just standing around pre-snap, the Co-Lin defense presents an impressive group of guys that can pursue the ball.

James looks like a throwback to another era of football as he wears an old-school neck roll with his uniform.

Defensive backs Tre Webb and Doug Nelson are transfers from Louisiana Tech and Central Arkansas respectively. They’re both long, rangy athletes that move with a fluidness as they track the eyes of the opposing quarterback. Nelson, a graduate of Hazlehurst High, is listed at 6-foot-3, 220-pounds.

Sophomores Brent Barnes and DJ Hill-Smith are two more defensive backs that both stand over 6-foot-1, as the size in the backend of the unit is impressive.

None wearing blue for the Co-Lin defense on Thursday looked more impressive than Co-Lin linebacker Malachi Williams, a Brookhaven High alum. Williams finished with 11 total tackles including five solo stops. He had one tackle for a 13-yard loss and forced the fumble that was recovered by Washington for a touchdown.

After winning over Coahoma and Hinds in blowout fashion and losing an ugly road game at Holmes, Co-Lin will step up in competition next week when they travel to Ellisville to face the Jones College Bobcats.

Jones led Mississippi Gulf Coast on the road, 20-13 in the fourth quarter on Thursday. The MGCCC Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0) got two long touchdown drives to close the game and earn a 27-20 win over the Bobcats from Jones (2-1. 0-1). In other MACCC action around the state on Thursday, Pearl River (2-1, 1-0) kept Southwest Mississippi (0-3, 0-1) winless with a 27-17 win in Poplarville, Holmes (3-0, 1-0) opened North Division play with a 42-23 win over Coahoma (0-3, 0-1), and East Central (2-1, 0-0) handed Itawamba (2-1, 0-0) its first loss of the season 20-9. East Mississippi and Northwest will play on Saturday.

CLCC will be back in Wesson on Thursday, Sept. 26 for homecoming against Southwest Mississippi CC.