FULTON — Itawamba AHS opened the 2026 season Friday night with a 42–10 win over Caledonia, but the final score hides how much work the Indians had to do before taking control at Indian Stadium.
Itawamba scored first, Caledonia answered with 10 straight points, and the Cavaliers carried a 10–7 lead into the opening minute of the second quarter. From there, the game flipped. The Indians scored the final 35 points, led 21–10 at halftime and kept Caledonia off the scoreboard for the rest of the night.
The result made Itawamba 1–0 and Caledonia 0–1. The victory was Itawamba's fourth consecutive home win dating to last season.
Caledonia lands the first counterpunch. Xavier Waters put Itawamba on the board with a short rushing touchdown, and the extra point made it 7–0 with approximately eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. Caledonia did not go away. The Cavaliers used their quarterback run game, field position and an extended possession to score 10 unanswered points. A first-quarter field goal made it 7–3, then quarterback Tyler Long scored on a goal-line keeper with 11:56 left in the second quarter. The successful extra point gave Caledonia a 10–7 advantage.
It was the last lead change of the night.
Itawamba takes over before halftime. The Indians answered with a sustained drive that ended when Waters powered through the middle for another short touchdown. That score put Itawamba back in front 14–10.
Caledonia later had a chance to cut into the lead, but a field-goal try sailed wide right. Itawamba immediately attacked downfield. Senior quarterback Ashton Hoots delivered a deep touchdown pass to Jacen Edwards, and the extra point stretched the lead to 21–10 with 1:08 left before halftime. The Indians' defense then ended the half with a sack and took the 11-point advantage into the locker room.
The ground game breaks it open. Itawamba carried the momentum into the third quarter. Waters bounced a run outside and reached the end zone to make it 28–10 with 6:11 left in the period. Later in the quarter, he broke multiple tackles on another touchdown run, pushing the score to 35–10 with 3:16 remaining.
The offensive line created the creases, and Waters finished with 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries. The defense made the lead stand. The Indians pressured Caledonia's quarterback, diagnosed screens and repeatedly closed space in the open field. The Cavaliers did not score in the second half.
Sophomore Jakobe Walker added one final goal-line touchdown with approximately 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The extra point produced the 42–10 final and completed a run of 35 unanswered points.
Box score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Itawamba AHS | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
Scoring summary
| Quarter | Time | Team | Scoring play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ~8:00 | Itawamba | Xavier Waters, short rushing touchdown; PAT good | IAHS 7–0 |
| 1 | — | Caledonia | Field goal; public game box score does not identify the kicker | IAHS 7–3 |
| 2 | 11:56 | Caledonia | Tyler Long, 1-yard quarterback keeper; PAT good | CAL 10–7 |
| 2 | 4:44 | Itawamba | Xavier Waters, short rushing touchdown; PAT good | IAHS 14–10 |
| 2 | 1:08 | Itawamba | Jacen Edwards, deep touchdown reception from Ashton Hoots; PAT good | IAHS 21–10 |
| 3 | 6:11 | Itawamba | Xavier Waters, breakaway rushing touchdown; PAT good | IAHS 28–10 |
| 3 | 3:16 | Itawamba | Xavier Waters, 31-yard rushing touchdown; PAT good | IAHS 35–10 |
| 4 | ~0:23 | Itawamba | Jakobe Walker, short rushing touchdown; PAT good | IAHS 42–10 |
Every scoring play
Itawamba 7, Caledonia 0 — Waters opens the scoring
Itawamba's first scoring drive reached goal-to-go territory before Waters finished it with a short rushing touchdown. The extra point gave the Indians the game's first seven points with approximately eight minutes left in the opening quarter.
Itawamba 7, Caledonia 3 — Cavaliers answer with three
Caledonia answered by moving into field-goal range and converting the kick. The public box score does not identify the kicker, but the broadcast confirms the successful attempt that cut the deficit to four.
Caledonia 10, Itawamba 7 — Long takes the lead
The Cavaliers carried a possession across the quarter break and put the ball on the 1-yard line. Long kept it, crossed the goal line with 11:56 left in the second quarter and gave Caledonia its only lead after the PAT.
Itawamba 14, Caledonia 10 — Waters answers
Itawamba responded with a sustained drive and returned to its power run game near the goal line. Waters finished through traffic with 4:44 remaining in the half, and the extra point restored the Indians' lead.
Itawamba 21, Caledonia 10 — Hoots and Edwards strike deep
After Caledonia missed a field-goal attempt, Itawamba attacked vertically. Hoots found Edwards behind the defense, and Edwards finished the play in the end zone with 1:08 left before halftime. The sudden score turned a four-point game into an 11-point halftime advantage.
Itawamba 28, Caledonia 10 — Waters breaks outside
The Indians opened the second-half scoring when Waters found the edge, accelerated away from pursuit and completed the breakaway run. The touchdown arrived with 6:11 left in the third quarter.
Itawamba 35, Caledonia 10 — Waters scores his fourth
Facing another opportunity late in the third, Waters broke initial contact and finished a 31-yard touchdown run. It was his fourth rushing score of the night and extended Itawamba's unanswered run to 28 points.
Itawamba 42, Caledonia 10 — Walker closes the scoring
Sophomore Jakobe Walker handled the final goal-line carry and crossed with approximately 23 seconds remaining. The PAT completed the 42–10 final and Itawamba's run of 35 unanswered points.
By the numbers. Itawamba scored six touchdowns and won by 32 points. The Indians led 21–10 at halftime, scored 21 more points after the break and allowed none. Official statistics credit Xavier Waters with 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries. NMSN's review of the complete broadcast credits Hoots with the touchdown pass, Edwards with the touchdown reception and Walker with the fourth-quarter rushing score.
The night also marked North Mississippi Sports Network's first regular-season football broadcast. The production captured the full game, including the late fourth quarter after a stream restart, and NMSN is preparing additional highlight cuts with the original game commentary.
Itawamba is listed to visit Corinth at 7 p.m. Friday, while Caledonia is scheduled to host Amory at 7 p.m. The next NMSN broadcast comes Monday night with Houston visiting Itawamba for seventh-grade, eighth-grade and JV football. Watch Houston at Itawamba on YouTube, beginning with the pregame at 5 p.m.
Vote before Monday night: Which North Mississippi matchup should NMSN pursue as this Friday's Game of the Week? Cast your vote on Facebook before voting closes tonight and share the poll with your school community. Broadcast selection remains subject to confirmation.
Fans can find more Week 1 results on the NMSN scores page, follow upcoming broadcasts on the schedule, and track continuing coverage on the north Mississippi football section.
