Walnut’s tying try falls short; Ripley loses at New Albany

Walnut came within a two-point conversion of tying Biggersville with less than three minutes left Friday night, but the Wildcats’ late push ended in a 16–6 home loss.

Sawyer Cardwell’s touchdown cut the deficit to 8–6 before the tying attempt failed, leaving 2:40 on the clock, according to Tippah County Sports’ game coverage. Biggersville finished with a 10-point victory Oct. 9, sending the Wildcats into their district opener at 3–4.

The narrow margin in the closing minutes contrasted with Walnut’s 36–14 homecoming victory over Ashland a week earlier. Against Biggersville, the Wildcats managed only Cardwell’s six points and could not turn their late opportunity into a second consecutive win. The Lions improved to 2–5, with the final recorded by MaxPreps.

Ripley also found the end zone late, but an 18-point deficit through three quarters proved too much at New Albany. The Bulldogs won 32–15, handing the Tigers their sixth straight loss. Both county teams lost non-district games, leaving their league records unchanged heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.

Kyran McDonald connected with Cohen Wright on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for Ripley’s first points. McDonald then ran in the two-point conversion, cutting New Albany’s lead to 18–8. The Tigers scored all 15 of their points in the final period, while the Bulldogs added 14 to protect their advantage.

The loss dropped Ripley to 1–6 after its season-opening victory over Mooreville. Friday began a stretch of four consecutive road games; the remaining three, against Byhalia, Rosa Fort and Senatobia, are district contests. Ripley stands 0–1 in league play after its Oct. 2 loss to Clarksdale.

Walnut’s own district schedule begins at home against Hamilton on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Central. Both teams enter 3–4; Hamilton comes off a 28–7 victory over Vardaman. The Wildcats will also recognize their seniors, according to the North Tippah calendar.